Social Media Roundup: Aug. 23, 2016

Getting Verified Accounts on Twitter Just Got Easier

Twitter has made it easier for more users to attain verified status on the service. Verified accounts on Twitter allow users to be sure that the people and organizations they follow are really who they say they are. Up to now, verified account status has been awarded strictly at Twitter's discretion, based on the company's judgment that the account is of genuine public interest. Verified accounts have tended to belong to public figures and organizations in media, government, politics, sports, and business, among other areas. Now Twitter offers an online application process anyone may use to request account verification.

Snapchat Geofilters for Local Businesses Now Available

A Snapchat geofilter is a transparent overlay that sits on top of snaps. Any Snapchat member can use a geofilter that's available in their immediate area. This allows visitors to your business to choose a custom geofilter you've created for your location. Friends who see their snap will also see your branded business geofilter. Snapchat provides templates to help with the preparation of geofilters, which you can open and work on in an image-editing application such as Photoshop. Some things that geofilters may not include are trademarks or logos you're not authorized to use; photos of people; user information; hashtags; and drug-related content. Why bother? Writing on Inc.com, John Lincoln, co-founder and CEO of Ignite Visibility, provides 5 steps on how to get started. "And here's the best part," he says. "Your geofilter is branded."

32 Steps To Getting Your Business to the Top of Google Maps

According to Search Engine Land, 50 percent of mobile search visitors go on to visit the businesses they find on the same day. Local search engine optimization (SEO) is the art and science of making your business listing rank high on Google Maps. This infographic from Piyush Mangukiya, managing partner at 99MediaLab.com, published on the Huffington Post site, provides a step-by-step guide (32 local SEO steps, to be exact) for getting your business to rise to the top of the SEO heap on Google Maps - with customers hopefully following closely behind.

Pinterest To Debut a Visual Recognition Shopping Tool Based on Users' Own Photos

Pinterest is planning to roll out a new update with a visual recognition tool that shows shoppers items similar to physical items they've snapped photos of - and lets them buy them on the spot. The feature uses artificial intelligence-based "Automatic Object Detection" to perform the magic. Pinterest's goal is to streamline interactions between retailers and shoppers and make it easier for consumers to find and buy items that could be hard for them to describe in words. "By snapping a photo of any physical item, Pinterest users will be shown recommendations for similar products and the ability to buy it right then and there," writes Jennifer Elias, technology reporter for the Silicon Valley Business Journal.

Daniel Lieberman helps companies, organizations, and individuals use the Internet to communicate, market, and brand themselves using the most up-to-date tools and techniques. Based in Shelburne Falls, Mass., he also is the founder and CEO of Spelt Gourmet, the home of creative wheat-free cooking. Contact him at 413-489-1818 or daniel@danieljlieberman.com.