With a quarter of all blog content now being sponsored, it pays to be an influencer
A new survey has revealed the true price of social media – with 19 per cent of influencers admitting they charge more than £250 for a single blog post.
The UK Blogger Survey, conducted by software specialist Vuelio alongside Canterbury Christ Church University, also revealed that four per cent of the 534 bloggers questioned charged more than £1,000 per post.
Shedding light on a world in which the hashtags #spon and #ad have become commonplace, the results show more than a quarter of all blog content is now compensated in some way.
Recent months have seen calls for greater regulation across the paid content industry, as the lines between gifting and sponsored content become increasingly blurred.
Joanna Arnold, CEO of Vuelio, says: “The influencer marketing industry is still in its infancy, so we expect to see further calls for transparency and regulation as it finds its feet.”
In line with these calls, the Advertising Standards Agency and the Competition and Markets Authority have collaborated to create the Influencer’s Guide – a handbook on the dos and don’ts of the advertising industry.
“Bloggers and content creators have had a bad press recently,” says John Adams, author of fatherhood blog, Dad Blog UK. “As a dad blogger operating in a market heavily dominated by women, I was interested to see that female bloggers are three times more likely to charge hard cash for writing blog posts compared to men.”
The survey also revealed that the notoriously crowded lifestyle, fashion and beauty sectors have seen a 14 per cent drop in blog numbers over the last two years.
Despite these findings, influencers affirm the quality and relevancy of their content remains a top priority.
Elle Linton, author of health and fitness blog Keep it simpElle says: “First and foremost, it’s about the brand; are they a good fit for me and my audience demographic, are they a brand I am happy to be affiliated with and do our values align?”
The news comes as the number of full-time bloggers citing blogging as their main source of income has risen 50 per cent year-on-year.
The survey also shed light on the direction bloggers believe the industry will take. Almost a quarter of bloggers surveyed believe blogs will become driven by advertisers’ needs, with 42 per cent believing their audiences will become more sceptical of bloggers’ motives as a result.
Mr Adams says: “As the blogging industry gets more professional, I would also hope us bloggers come together to create a blogging trade association. It’s an industry worth billions and there’s lots of talk among bloggers about it being a supportive community.”
As part of its big rollout of its new content services, Apple debuted a new short film for Apple TV+ featuring some of the most creative minds in film taking us inside their respective worlds on the anxieties and triumphs of their craft.
‘Storytellers’ was shot by Academy Award-winning cinematographer/filmmaker Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki. The film features iconic storytellers – Steven Spielberg, JJ Abrams, Sofia Coppola, Ron Howard, Octavia Spencer, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Damien Chazelle, M. Night Shyamalan and Hailee Steinfeld – who take us through the creative journey of telling stories that matter.
The five-minute-plus black-and-white film is a glimpse behind the curtain, revealing an intimate account of the art of storytelling and showcases the unwavering passion and dedication of Hollywood’s greatest filmmakers.
It starts with Spielberg, who gives a suggestion of how to begin the film, with a white dot on a black screen that gets larger and then explodes. From there, he, JJ Abrams and the rest describe what goes on in their minds during a shoot. It ranges from the intricacies of the writing process through the anxieties the filmmakers face when they have a full set of people and things might not be working just right. In between the commentary we see full sets – one of a lunar landing, one of a rain-soaked urban block, another of a snowy dreamscape where a woman is hoisted into the air. We also see a symphony orchestra gathering then playing as the film’s score itself ebbs and flows with the narrative.
“Fear is good. At least for me it’s good. Fear of failure is a kind of octane that keeps me wanting to stand on the edge of the abyss but at the same time not plunge to my career death,” says Spielberg.
Ultimately, it’s about shared stories and how it draws all of us together. “Sharing stories with one another makes us feel less alone,” states Chazelle.
Leveraging Lubezki’s masterful eye, ‘Storytellers’ transports the viewer into the mind of the filmmaker and underscores the important role stories play in our daily lives: to create a shared sense of connection. The film underlines the timely launch of Apple TV+, illustrating through captivating imagery and powerful prose that there’s never been a better time for stories that truly matter.
“We’re honoured that the absolute best lineup of storytellers in the world — both in front of and behind the camera — are coming to Apple TV+,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of internet software and services, in a news post for Apple. “Apple TV+ will be home to some of the highest quality original storytelling that TV and movie lovers have seen yet.”
An additional opening film for Apple’s presentation appears like a 60s-era movie opening credits sequence, with Apple products in place of stars and swirling technicolour animation.
Apple TV+ is set to launch this fall. Additionally, Apple debuted the all-new Apple TV app and Apple TV channels coming in May 2019.
On April Fools’ day no one is safe from brand PR stunts. Where Microsoft has just initiated a blanket ban on 1 April humour, other companies have decided to uphold the tradition of capitalising on the event with some fake news of their own.
In a memo to staff last week, Microsoft noted how April Fools’ pranks had a “limited positive impact”, pointing out that ill-judged jokes can even result in “unwanted news cycles”. But while big tech might be cynical about filling journalists’ inboxes with fake news for a day, consumers aren’t as uptight.
In the UK at least, research indicates 86% of people think humour is one of the best ways a company can connect with them. 68% even say they think April Fools’ campaigns were funny.
Though some admittedly miss the funny bone, this year’s lot of brand executions is a mixed bag of inspired ideas, millennial product parodies and a few clumsy rebrands.
Among the efforts is a ‘height verification tool’ from Tinder which has already proven to be divisive despite its aim of bringing “truthfulness back into the world of online dating”. British retailer Boden, meanwhile, has riffed off the current Brexit chaos with a tongue-in-cheek Breton top ban.
Scroll down to see the rest of this year’s tongue-in-cheek stunts, campaigns and product launches from around the world, from Singapore to Scotland.
Tinder: Height verification badge
Recognising that height is a valuable currency in the world of online dating, Tinder has trolled users by announcing plans to introduce a ‘height verification badge’. “Simply input your true, accurate height with a screenshot of you standing next to any commercial building. We’ll do some state-of-the-art verifying and you’ll receive your badge directly on your profile,” it teases.
Durex: Fish skin and mala hot pot flavoured condoms
Durex is inviting couples to unleash the heat with a special new flavour:”Spice things up and experience the taste of the fish skin condom with mala hot pot flavour. Packed with handpicked ingredients for your tasteful experience. Let ’em pleasure your mouth…” it insists on its Facebook page.
Jameson: A glittering deterrent
Jameson has launched a clever (and sparkly) way to deter would-be whisky thieves from stealing a dram of the good stuff. Jameson Catchmates comes complete with ‘glittershot’ technology. One twist of the cap sees any sip-stealing roommate or relative met with a wave of green glitter, turning their sticky fingers into shimmering ones.
Boden: Brexit Breton top ban
Breton shirts are the latest casualty of EU upheavals according to Boden. The retailer claims consent has been withdrawn for it to continue producing the French-inspired sartorial staple in the UK, and that anyone owning a Breton top will now need to apply for a special EU shirt license to wear one or face a €1000 fine. As such, it’s offering a thoughtful solution to customers: a Breton stripe removal service. The complimentary postal service erases illegal stripes by screen-printing, a technique the company calls ‘the Bret-off’. Boden’s founder has been giving interviews to the media this morning.
Travellodge: Bedshare service
In its bid to compete with sharing economy rivals, Travel lodge is taking sharing to the next level with a fresh ‘bedshare’ service that makes travelling a little less lonely and cheaper. Guests will get a 50% discount if they are willing to share half their room with another guest, and the company will clearly mark everything down the middle to make sure each person gets their fair share.
SodaStream: A wind-powered innovation
American astronaut Scott Kelly, best known for having spent the most time in space on a single mission, is the face of SodaStream’s newest innovation; SodaStream.ME, which turns people’s excess CO2 into sparkling water on the go. One small burp for man, one sparkling leap for mankind.
Discussing the campaign with The Drum, Scott Kelly said: “I have a SodaStream and really like the product. As a lover of our planet, I appreciate partnering up with a brand whose environmental values fall in line with my own personal beliefs.”
He clarified that: “You can’t burp in space. On earth – or in a gravity field – the gas in your stomach is lighter than air, so it rises opposite to the force of gravity. In space – in microgravity – there is no weight and hence the gas isn’t “lighter” than air, so it doesn’t rise. It stays mixed in with the food in your body, so it’s eventually expelled another way.”
Maryland: Avocado cookies
Forget smashed avo’ on toast, Maryland has taken the millennials’ favourite food craze one step further with the launch of its brand-new Avocado Cookie. Promising an “Instagrammable snack” like no other, the snack maker claims to have used “refined avocado powder” in lieu of flower, creating a super-food alternative to original cookies.
Hello Fresh: A bold unicorn box
What do brands think millennials love more than avocados? Luridly-coloured foods and Unicorn-themed products apparently. That’s why Hello Fresh is adding the ‘The Unicorn Box’ to its meal subscription box options. The first-of-its-kind experience contains three colourful recipe kits that will let diners eat “like a mythical creature with a box full of farm-fresh rainbows, smiles, and joy right at your doorstep”.
Honda: The polite horn
Sometimes drivers need to get the attention of others. But do they have to be so rude about it? In its mission to make roads everywhere more civilised, Honda Canada has launched a solution: the polite horn.
Origin: Sun power
Solar panel business Origin has announced it’s literally going the extra mile for customers and heading to the sun to power the entire planet, in a world first mission to capture solar power in its purest form. It says the traditional method of waiting for sunlight means we lose around 98% of its power before it hits earth. So, in order to capture the energy in its purest form, Origin has engaged some of the world’s greatest engineers to head into space to carve off a bowling ball size of the sun – which alone will be enough to power the world for the next 60,000 years.
Caring Skin: Astronaut facial
Space is a recurrent theme this year, with Singapore facial spa caring skin revealing it will be sending customers into outer space to clear blemishes and treat sensitive and inflamed skin. The 150-minute suborbital ‘pop-up’ treatment, dubbed ‘The Astronaut Facial’, is endorsed by influencers Camira Asrori and Cassandra Tan.
Google: Snakes on a map
Google prefers to celebrate April Fools’ day instead of tricking people. Last year, you might’ve seen Waldo peeking out of your Google Maps to invite you to find him on a scavenger hunt: This year, it’s revived another nostalgic game that takes people back to a much simpler, pre-Fortnite time: Snake. Confusingly, the ‘snake’ is now a train. Regardless, the twist on the 90s Nokia classic lets players ‘travel’ to different locations across the world—including Cairo, London, San Francisco, São Paulo, Sydney and Tokyo – straight from Google Maps.
Jägermeister: Introducing the Jägerbong
Just ahead of the 4/20 celebrations, Jägermeister has announced that it’s joining the cannabis market with the launch of the Jägerbong. Coming in at a clever $42, customer can light up the party with a kit which includes a 1L bottle of the aperitif they can recycle and turn into a bong, a bong carb, a hacky sack, eye drops, a lighter and grinder.
Aaron & Partners: Animals need lawyers too
UK law firm Aaron & Partners has launched an employment law service for pet influencers. Dogs, cats, fish and tortoises are just some of the species the firm hopes to work with. Standard employment contracts will be drawn up to suit the needs of each animal, including key clauses such as fixed nap times, allocated time for belly tickles or petting, and remuneration in snuggles and favourite treats.
BMW: Lunar paint
BMW has unveiled an innovative new feature that helps to “push the limits of electric driving”. From 1 April, BMW drivers will be able to add Lunar Paint as an optional extra to their i series vehicle. The product uses “revolutionary photovoltaic technology to harness the power of the moon and passively recharge your battery in the hours of darkness.” It’s what Neil Armstrong would have wanted.
Deliveroo: Crustless wonder
Delivery giant Deliveroo has revealed its plan to remove all crust options from the app, due to overwhelming anti-crust feedback from customers placing pizza orders across all of its 14 markets.
Like Tikes: Big Tikes
Kids toy maker Little Tikes will now be known as Big Tikes. The announcement reflects the brand’s “new found maturity” and is a nod to its fresh and grown-up approach. The new logo will appear across all brand channels and on social media.
KitKat: Tea time
After four years of intense research, Nestlé has crafted the optimal blend of tea leaves for the perfect brew to accompany its famous KitKat break. This tea has been developed in the brand’s very own Teaology labs and comes in tea bags inspired by the signature KitKat range: two-finger, four-finger and KitKat Chunky to fit every break occasion.
Amazon: Audible for fish
Amazon is giving Aussies the chance to get their fish hooked on literature with Audible for Fish – a three-second audiobook designed to keep underwater friends company while their owners aren’t around. It says research has shown that marine life is stimulated by short bursts of audio, sounds a little fishy to us.
London Dungeon & HSBC: Rugby torture chamber
Organisers of the HSBC London Sevens rugby tournament have announced a collaboration with macabre tourist attraction London Dungeon. The London Dungeon has installed a replica of its infamous torture chamber within a dungeon-style sin bin at Twickenham Stadium, where players will be sent on receipt of a yellow card throughout the duration of the nail-biting two-day event.
Zava: The Meata-blocker
Following a record-breaking Veganuary, it’s the dietary trend on everyone’s lips, and from today Brits can simply pop a pill to help them lead a plant-based lifestyle. Online doctor Zava’s Meata-blockers have meat-suppressing properties, diverting blood flow so that hormones involved in creating meat cravings can’t circulate around the body as efficiently. The pills also cause a decreased sense of smell and therefore less temptation when a tasty bacon sandwich is nearby.
Foodpanda: Jetski deliveries
A new mode of food delivery via jet blades has been revealed by Foodpanda Singapore. The innovation will “shave delivery times by half”, reducing it to 15 minutes or less. Not to disappoint Singaporeans, Foodpanda will be rewarding one lucky customer with a personal jet blade session (valued at S$198) with Ola Beach Club on Sentosa, with those who include ‘fpjetblad’ into the voucher code box until 5 April in with a chance of winning.
Wilkinson Sword: Casting Ken
Wilkinson Sword has appointed Ken Carson as the face of its Hydro 5 Sense product range.
Otherwise known as Ken Doll, clean-shaven Ken now can grow a beard… in seconds.
Le Chameau: Muddy boots
Building from the insight that people want an authentic outdoor experience, Le Chameau has launched an exclusive Pre Muddé service.
Pre Muddé offers boot lovers the desirable, well-worn country look, without even stepping outside. The boots arrive in soil curated by the brand’s expert pedologists (soil specialists).
Shutterstock: AI-serviced library
Shutterstock has announced plans to build the world’s largest brick-and-mortar library. The library is to house over 250 million volumes of imagery, a full-floor of 14 million reels of film and a listening bay where visitors can enjoy over 20,000 music tracks.
AI-powered robots call Cyanotypes are to replace traditional librarians, to ensure the building is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
Construction of the building is to commence in 2020 and will be designed by the world-renowned Belgian architect, Alexandria VonPixel.
Sainsbury’s: Pink avocados
Sainsbury’s is to stock a limited edition run of ripe and ready pink avocados – a naturally grown hybrid of different avocado varieties.
The supermarket has worked closely with a supplier in Peru to grow the exclusive Rosa-vo, which will go on sale as an initial trial to gauge popularity among UK customers and Instagram hungry millennials.
Nakd: Takeaway flavours
Nakd has expanded its range of bars with a series of savoury snacks inspired by Indian Takeaways.
The Indian ‘Flakeaway’ comes in four flavours: Vindalover, Poppadom Paradise, Korm-azeballs and Pilau Nice.
Cineworld: 4DX movies
Cineworld has done the impossible and brought snowfall in London, in Spring.
To celebrate the countdown to the arrival of its 4DX screens, visitors exiting North Greenwich station were met with an unexpected snowfall.
Snow is one of the effects 4DX can stimulate in the screening room, as well as wind, lightning, bubbles, water and scent work.
Hotels.com: Pet passports
With Brexit still up in the air, 75% of pet owners do know that their EU pet passports are in jeopardy.
To ensure pets don’t miss out on the beauty of the continent, Hotels.com has launched its first European Pup fakeation. It is a themed pet stay where dogs can enjoy European destinations without leaving the UK.
Royal Caribbean: Air space
Who says cruises can only be enjoyed on water? Not the Royal Caribbean, who has launched its first ‘cloud-class’ plane called ‘Master of the Skies.
Set to take off in 2020, the plane offers guests the chance to enjoy all the hallmarks of its cruises at 35,00 feet in the air.
When the seatbelt sign turns off, the plane turns into a dedicated entertainment zone that hosts an air-hockey table, a library of video games, as well as a whirlpool and dining area.
Subway: Listening in
As paranoia mounts around smartphone listening and ad targeting, Subway is the first brand to openly admit it makes use of covert research techniques.
In dramatic new footage released today, a Subway Sandwich Artist has been caught on camera, capturing overheard conversations in an unknown part of Great Britain. He can be seen hiding in bushes, behind a newspaper and dressed in state of the art military-standard disguises.
Benson for Beds: A royal visit
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shocked shoppers at a central London store after they were spotted testing out mattresses.
With their ‘newly born’ baby in tow, the couple were seen browsing the Benson for Babies cot mattress section.
Spam: A vegan treat
Spam has jumped on the plant-based wagon, by launching a new variation of its iconic tinned food.
With a quarter of 25-34-year-olds identifying as vegetarian or vegan, Spam is re-positioning itself towards those decreasing their meat consumption, with ‘Vegan Spam.’
Duolingo: A passive aggressive owl
Learning a language takes a lot of work, perseverance and motivation. With this in mind, Duolingo has launched ‘Duolingo Push.’
Duolingo’s Duo is an online passive aggressive owl that sends you reminders when you need to practice your language skills, but this year, Duo will remind people to practice their language skills – in person.
Duo will turn up at your work, when you are on a date when you are at the gym to make sure you practice your French, Spanish, Korean, Klingon, High Valyrian or Chinese.
Muuna: Cheesy cannabis
Muuna has introduced a new flavour to its cottage cheese range. Muuna cannabis cottage cheese is a limited-edition variety, using milk from grass-fed cows.
Muuna’s limited edition Cannabis variety features cottage cheese as a base with a sprinkle of food-grade cannabis on the bottom.
Designed to create an element of carefree relaxation, while delivering an earthy taste, its latest offering will leave customers relaxed while keeping the munchies at bay.
Isobel: Brexit stamps
As the UK still looks set to exit the EU, a series of six stamps commissioned has been leaked ahead of their official release.
Created by isobel, the six first and second class stamps capture six Brexit ‘icons’ who are presented as famous historical figures complete with a relevant line of copy.
Theresa May is presented as the lady with the lamp – the UK’s first woman of nursing Florence Nightingale, while Boris Johnson has adopted a rotund Churchillian guise.
John Berkow, leader of the house is seen donned a suit of armour as Henry V with the line “Once more unto the lobbies!”
Virgin Atlantic: A sing-a-long
Virgin Atlantic is going back to their musical roots and trialling sing-alongs on key routes.
As part of an extension to the airline’s ‘depart the everyday’ campaign, passengers will be encouraged to join the crew for in-flight karaoke from shortly after take-off.
Highlights of the schedule include a Saturday Night Cabin Fever disco on weekend flights, mile-high hip-hop during flights to LA and non-stop Sinatra on flights to New York. Start spreading the news…
Twitter redesigned its in-app camera for easier access and faster posting.
Instead of tapping twice to first compose a new tweet and then open the camera, simply swipe left from your feed.
Rolling out now to all users, the function can automatically tag pictures to specific locations or events, and allows for captions as colourful text overlay.
“We’re trying to make it really simple to go from capturing what’s happening, to getting it to the audience that really matters and getting it to the people who want to talk about it,” Keith Coleman, Twitter’s vice president of product, told Mashable.
Notably, these features apply only to snaps taken directly in the Twitter app. Attaching a photo or video from your camera roll will result in normal-looking tweets—a move that, according to Coleman, was very intentional.
Twitter’s new camera, after all, is meant to encourage in-the-moment sharing.
“If Twitter has always been sort of the microphone or megaphone in your pocket, we want it to feel like this was almost the TV camera in your pocket,” he said.
This marks the first significant update to the social network’s in-app shooter “in some time,” Mashable reported.
See it? Tweet it! (via Twitter)
But it’s not a challenge to social media rivals Instagram Stories and Snapchat; this refresh isn’t aimed at selfies or fleeting content. Instead, it is an invitation to citizen journalists and documentarians to capture important events and breaking news.
“The first moment that pictures mattered on Twitter was when a plane landed in the Hudson,” Coleman pointed out. “If it was an ephemeral picture … it would have had a very different effect than if it was a picture that was live for the world to see that could go viral.”
(Ironically, the “Miracle on the Hudson” photo did eventually disappear from the microblogging service, Mashable said, because the company didn’t have its own photo-sharing capabilities at the time.)
Twitter did not immediately respond to Geek’s request for comment.
The camera launch comes just as Twitter’s new prototype app “twttr”—an experimental testing space initially focused on testing conversation designs—began rolling out to its first group of testers this week.
Feature Image: Twitter’s new camera is just a swipe away (via Twitter)
There are so many reasons why you should start a blog. It might be to have a place to voice your opinions, to share your ideas, develop your career or to keep friends and family updated as you travel.
Either way, writing on a blog is a great way to spend some free time and there’s even the potential to earn money off of it in the long run. However, with so many blogs and so much information out there, it can be confusing to know how to start a blog and what’s more, keep it up. Here are our top tips.
Think about what you want to write about
If you want to start a blog then your first step should be deciding what you actually want to blog about. Whether it’s food, travel, fitness or a specific hobby, there are no boundaries when it comes to blogging.
Keep in mind that if you are planning to make money from your blog or use it as part of a professional CV then it pays to pick a niche. This is because there’s so much competition out there that it’s better to narrow your focus down in order to stand out. For example rather than just doing a travel blog, why not do an adventure travel blog or better yet an adventure travel blog that focuses on doing so on a budget.
Choose your blog name
It’s best not to change your blog’s name that often because as soon as you create your site and start posting content, it will get indexed by Search Engines. Constantly changing the name of your blog will mean that it is harder for your blog to get found online.
When it comes to picking a name, try to think of something that’s relevant to your content. It’s important to keep it unique and memorable- a little humour never hurt anyone. The best ways to come up with blog names is to have a bit of a brainstorm on paper. Maybe come up with words associated with your topic and branch off from there. It’s also worth having a look at other peoples blogs to see what names have and haven’t been done.
Pick your Blogging Platform
Blogging Platforms are sites that host your blog and choosing one of these is the first step that you need to take in actually creating your blog. The most popular blogging platform is WordPress which is what the majority of sites and blogs are built on. WordPress is free and as blogging platforms go it’s pretty simple to use and visually appealing. Other popular blogging platforms include Wix, Blogger and Tumblr.
Choose your site layout
WordPress has a number of free themes available for you to choose when you first start your blog. The theme that you choose is integral to the overall feel of your blog and different ones will be suitable for different blogs depending on the type of content that you are going to be posting. Blog platforms usually let you demo a theme first so have a play around with those until you find one that’s right for you. You can always change it at a later date.
Add in your pages
Pages are important when it comes to helping people (and search engines) navigate your site so have a think about what pages you would like to include. It’s usually a good idea to have a Home, About, Contact page and then a different page for each of your main categories such as Travel, Food, Fashion etc.
Write your first post
Every writer knows that the hardest of writing is when you’re faced with that blank page and a blog is no different. When you first start a blog, be sure to hit that new post button straight away. Whether you write an introduction post or get stuck in their right away, as soon as you’ve got your first post published, you’re on your way to blogging success.
Share your content
When you first start a blog, the idea of sharing your content can be really daunting. You might feel that it’s not ready or good enough to share yet but in truth, most bloggers always feel a little like that. Blogging is always going to be a work in progress but it’s so important to share all of this amazing content that you’re creating with others from the get-go. What’s more, knowing that people are actually reading the content that you are writing is when blogging starts to become addictive.
Have Fun with it
It’s so important to have fun and continually try out new ideas on your blog. Be it new themes, a new tone of voice or even a whole new direction with it. Either way, just get creative with it and express yourself. The beauty of a blog is that’s your very own to with what you want.
Challenge yourself
Blogging is a fantastic opportunity for you to really push yourself out of your comfort zone. Get inventive with it, share your thoughts and watch online tutorials so that you can create something you’re really proud of. Having a blog can push you to seek adventures and new experiences that you can write about and in doing so,blogging becomes really addictive.
There’s always more to know when it comes to blogging but it’s a learn as you go kind of thing. Every successful blogger started off with an empty site so don’t let that blank page scare you. The best way to start a blog is to do just that and before long, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.
Experiencing a decline in Web traffic and social-media reach? Here’s how to fix it.
It happens almost every year without fail: organic reach on social-media posts drop, and Google comes out with yet another algorithm change that causes a decline in Web traffic.
The reasons for these updates are pretty simple. For social-media platforms, it boosts revenue because it forces users to “pay-to-play” if they want to see any sort of business results from the platform.
For Google, the company wants to provide users with the best possible answer to any question they search for, so the old-school way of “gaming the system” in terms of search engine optimization “hacks” is becoming less and less viable – causing many innocent casualties along the way.
The good news is there are ways to easily combat this decline for every entrepreneur from small-business owners to startup founders. Here’s where to start.
Web Traffic
1. Create pillar content.
We’re now seeing the pendulum swing in the opposite direction when it comes to content consumption. Now that people are getting overwhelmed with too much online content, they’re looking for more thorough, in-depth content to avoid toggling between 10 different articles to find the answer they want.
This is why pillar content has grown so much in popularity in recent years. Defined, pillar content is a long-form, in-depth piece of content on one topic that could technically be disassembled into a handful of standalone pieces. If you haven’t begun creating pillar content yet, it could be the secret weapon you’ve been looking for against Web traffic decline
2. Optimize your site for mobile.
With 52 percent of all Web traffic now coming from smartphones, Google has made it clear websites should now be optimized for mobile. If you haven’t already, begin browsing around your website on your phone to see where you need to make key changes to enhance your user experience on mobile.
3. Always keep user experience at the forefront.
In everything you do, be sure to keep user experience at the top of your mind. With all of the competition online today, it isn’t enough anymore to only have great content. Your content also needs to look good and load fast. This is why having stunning graphic design and great photography in your blog content and on your site goes such a long way.
4. Have a specific focus for your website.
The days of keyword-stuffing and trolling for traffic are long gone. Today, Google wants its users to be directed to the very best websites in any niche the user is searching for. If you’re a bike repair shop, then be sure your entire website and blog is filled with bike-related content, as opposed to unrelated topics. Write about your hobbies on your own time – on your website, you’ve got to stick to your niche.
Social Media
1. Know that you’re going to have to spend money.
The first thing you have to realize is, nowadays, in order to succeed on social media, you’re going to have to invest money into it. The days of free social media have come and gone – and with the precedence Facebook is setting with their pay-to-play business model, it’s unlikely the trend of slashing organic reach will slow down.
2. Hop on new features early.
One of the savviest things you can do to combat lower organic reach is hopping on the new features social-media platforms release early. For reference, an example of a new feature would be Facebook rolling out Facebook Live or Instagram rolling out Instagram Stories.
On top of the benefits of having less competition for attention earlier on within these new forms of content, they’re also given priority in terms of organic reach because the companies want more users to become familiar with them. This happened when Facebook launched both native and live video, when LinkedIn rolled out video, when Instagram launched Stories, and more.
3. Social media is no longer a volume game.
Across the board, social-media platforms have adopted an engagement-based style of algorithm, which selects the content it will display based on engagement as opposed to strictly sticking to chronology. Because of this, sharing on social media is no longer just a volume game – it’s a quality game. The highest quality content rises to the top of news feeds.
To start, be mindful of the content you share. Put your all into every post you publish, measure which content is performing best, then double down on the style that is.
As an entrepreneur, it can be daunting to see a decline in Web traffic or organic reach on social media. But it certainly isn’t impossible to reverse. In the coming year, begin fighting against the algorithms by applying the tips laid out in this article. Best of luck.
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At Business in China you will work on a range of China focused client projects as well as some exciting internal projects inc. digital magazine publication, video production, website and social media management.
Responsibilities:
Your responsibilities will be all-encompassing and will include market research in Ireland and China, assisting in developing Chinese marketing plans, Chinese social media marketing (wechat, weibo, youku), online and offline marketing & PR, and assistance with general office administration, etc.
This is an excellent opportunity for the right person to gain excellent hands-on marketing experience in a small progressive and dynamic company.
Our office is conveniently located in the Guinness Enterprise Centre, beside the Guinness Storehouse, in the heart of Dublin and close to all transport links.
Requirements:
• Fluent Written & Spoken Mandarin & English
• Experience of English-Chinese translation
• Relevant Marketing/Business Qualification
• Knowledge & experience of Chinese Social Media & ecommerce (inc. Weibo, WeChat, Youku etc) & Online marketing channels
• Experience in Chinese travel agents/Chinese tourism sector of benefit
• Good understanding, knowledge of and contacts in Chinese market
• Interest in Ireland, marketing, tourism, magazine/website article writing
• Excellent Communication & Computer Skills
• Very strong attention to detail
• Strong Initiative, Ambition & Self Motivation
• Willingness to commit to internship
How to Apply:
Please email your CV with full details of any previous relevant projects &/or work experience and your role and responsibilities.
What date are available to start the internship?
What is your current visa? Student or Graduate, and expiry date?
BEcause Experiential Marketing, 10 Lad Lane, Dublin 2
Managing operational and administrative functions to ensure specific projects are delivered efficiently. Providing leadership, motivation, direction and support to your team. Travelling to on site inspections and project management.
Brandface are looking for hard-working, fun-loving drivers for promotional campaigns, events and brand activations. We have a huge range of fun and exciting campaigns, and we are looking for great people to assist with the logistics around these events and activations.
Flexible hours to suit your schedule. Lots of work available for the right candidates. Even more work available for those keen to work on brand activations themselves.
Opportunity to earn great money, working on some really fun campaigns.
Requirements:
Van driving experience
Full Drivers Licence
Must be 25+ years of age
Promotional/Event experience is advantageous, but not essential
House of Ireland is one of Ireland’s leading retailers of Irish and international luxury giftware, crystal, clothing, jewellery, china and linen. With our flagship store on Lower Grafton St. in the centre of Dublin and travel retail stores in Dublin Airport and in Belfast City Airport, House of Ireland showcases over 200 internationally recognised brands including Waterford Crystal, Belleek, Newbridge Silverware, Barbour and Swarovski.
Digital Marketing – eCommerce – PPC Executive
We are looking for an experienced Digital Marketing executive to join our e-commerce team. You will work with a Web Developer and Front-end Digital Media Designer to grow House of Ireland’s online sales across all channels. You will work closely with our Senior Management team in terms of our overall e-commerce development. We are looking specifically for dynamic candidates with strong PPC & SEO skills and experience who have the ability and desire to manage House of Ireland’s Digital Marketing efforts to increase online sales internationally.
Responsibilities:
Build online sales through House of Ireland’s website, Facebook, Amazon, Google Shopping, eBay & other 3rd-party channels.
Develop and implement Digital Marketing campaigns using PPC, Display Advertising, Remarketing, Google Shopping, Email, Video, SEO and Social Media Advertising (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter etc.).
Measure and report on campaign performance using Google Analytics and social media analytics.
Manage website content appropriately for SEO, produce ad content for PPC campaigns, develop blog content and manage product database (images, descriptions and product findability).
Manage contact database and increase subscriptions through web-marketing initiatives.
Collaborate with Graphic Designer/Front-end Digital Media Designer and Web Developer to develop content for frequent email marketing newsletters and improve overall website performance and UX.
Ensure a consistent multi-channel approach between digital and in-store marketing/PR.
Skills and Experience Required:
Third Level Degree or Masters in Digital Marketing or a related field.
A Google Adwords Certificate in Search, Display and Shopping would be advantageous.
A minimum of 2 years experience in Digital Marketing.
“Hands-on” demonstrable expertise and experience in use of Digital Marketing tools, in particular: PPC, SEO tools, Google Shopping, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Webmaster Tools and eCommerce Link Building.
Excellent knowledge and experience of PPC advertising through Social Media and measuring impact of advertising campaign.
Excellent communication skills and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
