Social Media Roundup: Jan. 24, 2017

Two Guides To Making Instagram Ads Work for Your Brand

Instagram ads are catching on. Instagram offers three main types of ads to brand marketers. Photo ads let them tell their stories with engaging imagery. Video ads can be up to 60 seconds long. Carousel ads let users swipe to see additional information, and a call to action button takes them to a website to learn more about the services and products on offer. This primer from Hootsuite by Sydney Parker teaches the basics of advertising on Instagram, and has links to more information for when you're ready to get down to business there. Want more? Take a listen to "Instagram Ads: What Marketers Need To Know," a 36-minute podcast from Instagram expert Jenn Herman, accompanied by an article by Social Media Examiner founder Michael Stelzner.

Tip: Using Twitter Lists To Reach Specific Audiences

One of Twitter's most useful underused features is Lists. This January "Tip of the Month" from Firebrand Social Media discusses how consumer marketers can use Twitter lists as a way to focus on a particular segment of Twitter users - which you define. The advantage over your regular feed is that your list is limited to only Twitter users who are interested in a particular subject, location, or other subject of your choosing. Lists can be shared publicly, too. For a local business, creating a list of the profiles of other local business owners and other influencers in the community is a great way to network locally and build new connections.

6 Tips for Polishing Your Pins and Generating (P)Interest

If your social media strategy includes Pinterest, you must learn how to make your Pins attention-grabbers for the users you're trying to connect with. Social media expert Peg Fitzpatrick provides 6 tips for doing exactly that in this introduction to making your Pins stand out in the crowd. Three examples:

1. Choose the right-sized images. Long, tall images fill the most visual space in the Pinterest feed.
2. DON'T SHOUT! Be subtle with your branding.
3. Be unique, be yourself. (After all, isn't that the point?)

Wendy's Shows Online Spine, Bites Back at a Twitter Troll

A Twitter user named "Thuggy-D" tried to put Wendy's (@Wendysfeed) on the spot, claiming that they use frozen beef in their stores, not fresh as they advertise. Thuggy asked how Wendy's could possibly get fresh beef to its restaurants if it weren't shipped frozen. Wendy's Twitter team swung into action and out-flanked the troll - using actual facts - to remind the tweeter about a little invention called "refrigeration." After the dust settled, the critic not only deleted the posts, but reportedly their entire account.

What Facebook Sees in Your Photographs

Curious about what your Facebook photos reveal to the online giant? Yes, Facebook actually "looks" at your photos using advanced image recognition algorithms to "see" what's in them. This article by Amit Garwal posted on Digital Inspiration explains how you can get a look at the metadata the photos generate (e.g., the number of people in group photos). Facebook claims the main purpose of the scanning is to provide descriptive captions for its visually impaired members. But given Facebook's intense interest in their users' social networks, personal information, and interests, you might think they can find a few other uses for automated image recognition.

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. Visit danieljlieberman.com Contact him at 413-489-1818 or daniel@danieljlieberman.com.