Radio by the people. That’s how the newest social media app, Anchor, is being pitched to the public since February 2016. Currently only available on iOS, Anchor is tapping into the newest, quickest, and most personal way internet users are using social media, today – voice. The question is: how will the “world’s first true public radio” affect social media marketing?   

If you went to the coffee shop this morning and didn’t post a picture on Instagram, did it even happen? Whether you like it or not, social media has quickly taken over our lives whether you work in social media marketing or not. Everyone now has the power to voice their opinion on any topic at any time on any social media platform, and businesses are under more scrutiny than they were a year ago.

Some of the biggest news in Pittsburgh this December was the release of Penguins Head Coach Mike Johnston. After less than satisfactory results, though not a terrible standing in the NHL Metropolitan Division, Johnston was relieved of the position on Saturday and replaced with Mike Sullivan from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Though there is no solid answer of whether social media affected the decision, we can’t help but wonder if the fans’ outrage over Johnston’s performance as Head Coach played a roll.

Earlier this year, there were 1.4 billion active Facebook users around the world. The easy access to so many users’ timelines makes Facebook the perfect place for businesses to engage with their audience. Over the past few years, businesses using Facebook have begun holding interactive promotions and contests as a way to engage with their audience, grow their customer base, and inform their customers of important events, sales, and giveaways. With so many businesses holding these promotions, how do you stand out?

I may be biased when I say that Pinterest is the greatest thing to ever happen to the internet – maybe slightly over exaggerated – because I fit Pinterest’s target demographic pretty spot-on (a 24-year old female college graduate, living in a suburban/rural area in a home that could use a facelift). Pinterest’s demographic has always been made primarily of women, about 81% of their users, though the men of Pinterest have finally reached double digits with 19%. With the scrapbooking/planning platform expected to reach 47.1 million users this year, we can expect that the “Buy It” button is going to be a huge hit with users. With that being said, do e-commerce businesses have anything to lose by jumping on the Pinterest “Buy It” bandwagon?

One of the first social media channel that brands often adopt is Facebook.  Everyone has Facebook.  If Facebook were a country, it would be the most populous nation on earth according to the Huffington Post.  In a 2012 marketing report by Hubspot, 42% of marketers report that Facebook is critical or important to their business.  That number is expected to be higher today.

Facebook is taking big steps in attempting to rid itself of a growing nuisance that has been leeching off of them for years. If you’ve done business through Facebook, namely if you’ve advertised with the social media platform, you may have noticed your business – or other businesses – hitting sky-high “likes” in a short amount of time. Wanting to emulate those results, maybe you’ve tried to re-construct your advertising strategy to match those of "successful" competitors' pages.