Social Solutions

What do you do when a tool or a platform you have been using for your marketing disappears? Well, hopefully you didn’t put all your eggs in the Vine basket, because that is exactly what is happening. Twitter announced the demise of this popular 6-second video feature. We can speculate why, but the real issue is what do you do when you lost a valuable resource? Are you prepared to shift gears or do you already have a comprehensive social media plan in place that it would only represent a speed bump on the road to success?

For a long time, users and viewers have questioned the validity of endorsements on LinkedIn. Who are these people? Why are they endorsing me? Is this feature helping or hurting my reputation. Well the answer lies in the middle. Chances are you will be pleased with the new ‘endorsements that matter’ enhancement that LinkedIn just rolled out. Want to know more? Have a listen.

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. What on earth are we talking about? Well mixing politics with social media, of course. Facebook announced a new feature this week allowing you to publicly endorse your Presidential candidate on your profile and page. But before you hit the button, tune in to Social Solutions for some sobering things to consider.

Have you heard about Workplace by Facebook. Truth to tell, it’s Facebook at Work with a new shade of lipstick, but something to consider because your employees are already using social media at work and this may be a solution or a curse to this potential time waster. And if you think Virtual Reality (VR) isn’t here to stay, then you haven’t heard about Oculus Touch (ships Dec 6 just in time for Christmas).

What do we love about Craigslist? It’s free! What do we love about eBay? It’s the world’s largest garage sale! And what do we love about Facebook Marketplace? The over a billion users and a new way to spike engagement along with sales! That’s just the tip of today’s Social Solutions iceberg.

Just when you thought you had it figured out, Twitter yet again changed the rules! But the good news is they keep stretching 140 characters without really changing the maximum. How? Tune in to Social Solutions with Ken Herron and Carol McManus and we’ll explain. Other hot topics on deck for today include the uproar over iOS 10 and making sense out of why there are now TWO Apple App Stores instead of one. Unnecessary or a bonanza for marketers? Have you checked out the facelift on LinkedIn Publisher? It is getting better all the time and now a must use tool in your social media arsenal – professionals, you no longer have to take a back seat to Facebook addicts.

Karen is the author of the upcoming book 47 Mind Hacks for Writers and is the co-founder of Bookthority.com, where she helps authors to make their businesses more profitable. Helping authors for more than eight years, Karen works with everyone from first-time writers to an established, five-times New York Times-bestselling author. Her mission is to break down what works for authors and put it into practical steps to help them to build profitable, engaging businesses they and their fans love.

Today was another big announcement from Apple with the anticipation an insider leaks about the new Apple Watch and the iPhone 7 but did the hype live up to expectations? And what do these introductions mean to your business That’s how we start today’s Social Solutions Show. But get ready to learn about Peek-a-moo. Instagram has introduced zoom for photos and videos and this is already a game changer for smart marketers. Are you up to date on what your Likes are expecting from your Facebook posts? Then you already know it’s R.I.P. time for text and images – it truly IS all about video.

Tons to talk about today including the return of Ben Forta, our returning guest from Adobe to bring us up to date on all the latest news and innovation to make you more productive. In addition to Ben, we’ll tell you about the Amplify Publisher Program on Twitter and share some new research on what things brands do that social media users find most annoying.

No, we haven’t lost our marbles and you are listening to The Social Solutions Show! But we are betting you haven’t considered the possibilities for marketing your business and yes, using Twitter stickers to take part in this special day of honor on August 26th.

With all the good things that Twitter is introducing to make it a richer experience for users makes you wonder why the naysayers keep re-writing their eulogy. Twitter is alive and well and users are going crazy about some of the coming options. Today, Social Solutions will focus on the future and why this site is so essential to a comprehensive marketing plan for business.

The Rio Olympics may only be at the mid-point, but we are already awarding a gold medal in tweeting to Saturday Night Live comedian and Ghostbusters actor Leslie Jones. Listen to today’s Social Solutions show with Ken Herron (@KenHerron) and special guest co-host Paul Andrews (@vanillaweb and @businessbunker) live on http://ckcglobalmedia.com/ckc-global-media-ken-herron-carol-mcmanus-radio-hosts to learn how sharing her passion and being herself got her booked on a flight to Rio to provide what is sure to be color commentary on the games, and cheer on Team USA.

There are stories and then there are ridiculous stories. This one falls into the ridiculous category. Did you even know that there is ban by the USOC with threats of litigation on any company using #Rio2016 or #TeamUSA unless you are an official sponsor of the Olympics. Seriously? And that’s not where this week’s controversial topics end. Instagram in on the hot seat for copying Snapchat Stories.

Hats off to Instagram and its support of Taylor Swift and other high-profile celebrities manage online bullying. It is a fact that none of us has the power to stop bullying completely, but new tools will go a long way in helping to block unwanted posts. While not available to the general population it is a step in the right direction. Special guest, Višnja Prodan, an Istrian Truffle Hunter will share how she is using every social media channel available to promote her family business in a remote area of Istria, Croatia. When you hear her story, you will know there are no excuses for you!

There is always something happening in the social and digital space but it’s been awhile since something this BIG has come along? Unless you have been completely unplugged for the last week, you no doubt have heard about Pokemon Go? Is it silly, a waste of time, dangerous, or perhaps the biggest marketing opportunity to present itself to small business in a long time?

Maybe you feel it’s just you and there is a target on your back when it comes to unwanted calls, spam emails, and phony invitations to connect on Facebook. The good news is it’s not just you. The bad news is this has become a pervasive problem with no universal solution. What that means is it is up to each of us to manage our own security.

If you have young children in your life, you already know the popularity of stickers. They put them on their books, their walls, their lockers, their shoes, even their bodies. But now the adults have stickers as an option on Twitter. But don’t think this is just a fad or a meaningless game. The power to connect with and be seen by your exact perfect target audience has just exploded. We’ll explain everything on today’s Social Solutions Show.

If there is any remaining doubt in your mind concerning the importance of video in your online marketing, then today’s Social Solutions Show will put it to rest. Biggest news to share is that Twitter is now offering longer videos – here’s a surprise – 140 seconds in length. I guess they figured we would remember by association of their character limit.

It seems the question on everyone’s mind is WHY did Microsoft spend so much money for LinkedIn and what are they expecting as the justifiable outcome? We will also take a moment to share our thoughts on proper social response and etiquette when a tragedy strikes before it turns into a marketing disaster for you.

Today’s Social Solutions Show will follow that up with the latest trends in social media migration; the astounding success of SnapChat in spite of all the naysayers; Premium Insights from LinkedIn and what that really tells us about their priorities; and why a simple change from “pin it” to “save” has dramatically increased activity on Pinterest.