Dettmann Media podcast now on Amazon Music

The Dettmann Media podcast is now available on Amazon Music.

Stay up on the latest tips and trends in social media and digital marketing, as well as website analytics and design, and SEO.

Podcast is free to download. You can listen on the go with hands-free listening powered by Alexa for iOS and Android, and on all Echo devices.

Here is the link: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/11762a83-c822-46c2-978a-17cbb73d952f/DETTMANN-MEDIA

Also available on Buzzsprout, Spotify, iHeart Radio, TuneIn Radio and Apple, also free.

Future of email marketing, privacy

Demand for privacy, transparency and more user control is growing. Several updates by Apple and Google have worked toward addressing these demands. It poses challenges for marketing going forward.

Recently, I watched a webinar hosted by Litmus about the State of Email Marketing and its future. It touched on several important topics and things we should pay attention to. It was led by Cynthia Price, VP, marketing at Litmus, and Jessica Raggio, VP, product marketing at Litmus.

Among the topics covered was Apple's mail privacy protection policy that's slated to go into effect in September. Here is a blog related to that topic by Litmus.

One interesting takeaway I had was an emphasis on re-engaging your inactive subscribers. It was suggested to be more attentive to the inactive subscribers as it can lead to big results. It was also suggested the ROI from re-engaging inactive subscribers could be better than the ROI for new subscribers. That's because the subscribers, active or inactive, have already said they want to engage with your brand. A relationship has been set. It's almost like reconnecting with a friend.

Another key takeaway was simple: start building your baseline of data now. What are your open rates? What are the CTRs? When do you have better open rates? Who's the audience? Understand your data now so you can adjust accordingly and keep that in the back of your mind.

The webinar also provided a state of email marketing report. You can view that here.

You can see the slides for the presentation here.

Here is an article via Constant Contact about the Apple Mail Privacy Protection.

Press release from Apple.

Instagram shares algorithm secrets

We ask ourselves as marketers all the time how the different social media company platforms work, and how you can best utilize their offerings organically.

That demand has increased with implementations of tougher security and privacy measures that have made it more difficult or will make it more difficult down the road to reach people organically.

Recently on its blog, Instagram revealed tips on how its search function works.

Search on Instagram sorts through millions of accounts and posts to help users browse their interests. Outside of using hashtags (#hashtag), search is the other source for finding users and/or business profiles.

Here it is explained by Instagram:

How we rank Search results

Search is built to help you find accounts and topics of interest. It's different from Feed, Stories, Reels and Explore because your input helps us figure out what to show you. Your search tells us what you’re looking for, and it’s noticeable when the results aren’t useful. It’s important for us to get this right, so we try to organize search results by what’s most relevant to you — whether it be a close friend, a creator you love, or ideas for vegan desserts.

Let’s say you’re interested in finding pictures of space after seeing the blue moon. When you tap the search bar on the Explore page, the first thing you see is your recent searches. As you begin typing “space,” we show you accounts, audio, hashtags, and places that match the text of your search. In this case, results like @space and #space show up because “space” appears in their name.

Space search results on Instagram Search.

In addition to the text you type into search, we use information from accounts, hashtags and places — called signals — to rank your search results. The most important signals we use, in order of importance, are:

• Your text in Search. The text you enter in the search bar is by far the most important signal for Search. We try to match what you type with relevant usernames, bios, captions, hashtags and places.
• Your activity. This includes accounts you follow, posts you've viewed, and how you've interacted with accounts in the past. We usually show accounts and hashtags you follow or visit higher than those you don’t.
• Information about the search results. When there are a lot of potential results, we also look at popularity signals. These include the number of clicks, likes, shares and follows for a particular account, hashtag or place.

How we help you show up in Search

We understand that it’s important you show up in search results when friends or fans are looking for you. We want to make sure that it’s easy for others to find your photos and videos, so here are a few best practices that you can use to help show up in search results:

• Use a fitting handle and profile name. Search results are matched by text. Using an Instagram handle or profile name that’s related to the content of your posts is your best bet for showing up in relevant searches. If your friends or fans know you by a certain name, include that name in your username or profile so that you can show up when they search for you.
• Include relevant keywords and locations in your bio. Same principle here. Make sure your bio includes keywords about who you are and what your profile is about. If your account is location-specific, like for a small business, sharing your location in your bio can make it easier for people in your area to find you.
• Use relevant keywords and hashtags in captions. For a post to be found in Search, put keywords and hashtags in the caption, not the comments.

How we help keep Search safe

We avoid showing you accounts, posts and hashtags that go against our Recommendations Guidelines in search results. We do this in a few ways. Accounts that post spam or violate our guidelines may appear lower in search results, and you may have to search their full username to find them. We also balance searches for sensitive topics with additional safety measures to make sure we don’t show you related content that could be harmful. Accounts, hashtags and posts that violate our Community Guidelines are removed from Instagram entirely, which prevents them from showing up in Search.

We will continue to make search safer with features like information pop-ups for sensitive searches. These pages provide links to verified resources for additional support.

How we plan to make Search even better

Search was originally created to help you navigate Instagram. We are soon launching a series of improvements designed for inspiration and discovery. These changes make Instagram Search more than just a way to find accounts and hashtags. We’re moving towards a full search results page experience that makes it even easier to go deep on your interests.

The keywords you can use to search for content is expanding. We’re currently focused on getting keyword search results right in English, and will add support for other languages in the future.

We’re also making search results better for exploration. For example, your search for “space” will show you space-related photos and videos, too. This is especially helpful when you don’t have an exact username or hashtag in mind when searching for a certain topic.

We design all of our features to help you find the things you love. We are constantly working on improvements to help you discover entertaining things to share with your friends, and we look forward to showing you more about how Instagram works in upcoming posts.

Here is a previous related blog post by Instagram about its algorithm.

Featured in Biz Times article

Back in December, I was asked to contribute to a feature in the Biz Times out of Milwaukee. Today, I finally found that piece.

Check it out here. (Page 33) 

NEW PODCAST: Facebook outlines privacy-focused approach in advertising

According to an article posted Aug. 11 by SocialMediaToday.com, Facebook has backtracked on its opposition about user data tracking, the social media giant said it will work to adjust its systems to help advertisers achieve their goals.

Other topics discussed:

• Hootsuite unveils optimal planning feature.
• Hootsuite acquires chatbot company Heyday.

Podcast now available for free on Buzzsprout, Spotify, Apple, iHeart and TuneIn Radio.

Download Podcast

UW-Parkside Customer Service certificate program committee appointment

I'm excited for this opportunity.

I've been appointed to serve on the Advisory Committee as an observer for the University of Wisconsin-Parkside's Customer Service Certificate Program.

UW-Parkside's certificate program committees "consist of accomplished experts who offer innovative advice and dynamic perspectives in their areas of focus. The committee works collaboratively to provide constructive feedback and strategic direction, guide quality improvement, and assess program efficacy. As a partner of the committee, your role is to support (the) faculty and program managers in delivering relevant offerings and strengthening the fundamental mission of the UW-Parkside Certificate Program."

I'm really excited to work with this committee.

Click here for more about the program.

Creating location on Instagram

Hashtags are the number one way for users on Instagram to find posts related to a particular topic. Tagging a location is also an effective way to reach users, especially ones who don't already follow you.

You can find the location tag, also called geotagging, underneath the profile name.

When you click on it, it will show all posts with that tag. They're organized by most popular, or top, and by recent. Users can scroll through each and find any and all posts with the location tag. Then, when someone taps on a post inside either of those options, the user profile will come up, connecting you with a potential customer.

You can also share posts with the same geotag if you're goal is to build more user-generated content.

Creating a geotag

Note: You'll have to do this from mobile.

• Log in to your Facebook account or your business' Facebook account.
• Tap to "add a post."
• Tap "check in."
• Scroll to the bottom of the list to "Add a new place" and tap/click.
• Fill in the information.
• Tap "Save custom place."

You're all set!

Facebook outlines privacy-focused approach in advertising

According to an article posted Aug. 11 by SocialMediaToday.com, Facebook has backtracked on its opposition about user data tracking, the social media giant said it will work to adjust its systems to help advertisers achieve their goals.

The article quoted Facebook, saying, "With Apple and Google continuing to make changes via their browsers and operating systems, and with the changing privacy regulatory landscape, it’s important to acknowledge that digital advertising must evolve to become less reliant on individual third-party data. That’s why we’ve been investing in a multi-year effort to build a portfolio of privacy-enhancing technologies and collaborate with the industry on these and other standards that will support this next era."

The challenge of advertising and user privacy has come to the forefront after Apple's iOS 14.5 update in the spring. Facebook and several marketers said not having the capability of understanding user behavior will put more irrelevant ads in front of people.

Read more of the article here.

Hootsuite unveils optimal planning feature

Hootsuite has released a new feature aimed to help users, social media strategists, better determine best days, times to post.

The Hootsuite Planner, which helps users post multiple posts across several platforms at once, now uses past engagement results to recommend the best times to publish to social media accounts. The idea is to help you reach your audience at the most optimal times to maximize your social media performance.

This is always a tough question to answer in social media marketing because the "recommendations" change so much for so many reasons. It varies by platform, industry, etc.

Dettmann Media acquires client

Dettmann Media is excited to announce it has been hired to lead the social media and digital marketing strategy for Five-Star Complete Asphalt Services in West Haven, Connecticut.

In the deal, Dettmann Media will create, moderate and analyze social media and digital marketing initiatives and content to expand Five-Star Complete Asphalt Services brand awareness and reach. 

With more than 30 years in the asphalt and paving industry, owner Dustin Morgan has experience in both the manufacturing and application sides of the business. This combination of skills sets him apart as a complete, well-rounded contractor.

Five-Star Complete Asphalt Services offers free quotes for seal coating, crack filling and patchwork repair throughout southwestern Connecticut. It also offers discounts to seniors and veterans.

To learn more about Five-Star Complete Asphalt Services, visit Five Star Complete Asphalt Services.

If you're interested in the services provided by Dettmann Media, which include social media/digital marketing as well as data analysis and website functionality, send an email to: dettmann.media@gmail.com.

Hootsuite acquires chatbot company Heyday

Hootsuite announced Tuesday its acquired Heyday, a Montreal-based conversational AI platform that enables brands to deliver personalized customer experiences.

“Social is the new interface of commerce and customer care,” said Tom Keiser, CEO of Hootsuite, in a press release. “Modern day brands have to manage a multitude of daily interactions and conversations at scale—which is impossible to do without AI automation. With the acquisition of Heyday, Hootsuite will now give AI capabilities to marketing, sales and support teams globally so they can deliver exceptional experiences at scale.”

The adoption and use of social media has increased dramatically since the start of the pandemic, the release said. Hootsuite’s Digital 2021 Report found more than 4.2 billion active social media users are spending on average two hours and twenty five minutes a day on social and messaging platforms.

A study by Edison Research found that 39 percent of social media users expect a reply from companies within an hour, yet the average response time is five hours, the release said.

“Hootsuite believes in the power of personalized marketing and frictionless customer experiences that build trust and relevance,” Keiser said. “The new generation of shoppers want to engage with brands by making purchases and receiving real-time customer service on social. The relationship starts and ends on social, so we're excited to offer brands a better way to deliver successful customer experiences at scale.”

Hootsuite hopes this acquisition will develop deeper relationships with potential and current customers.

“We created Heyday’s conversational platform to make buying from a brand as easy as messaging a friend,” said Steve Desjarlais, Co-Founder of Heyday. “Together with Hootsuite, we will bridge the gap between physical and digital brand experiences by leveraging social and messaging channels as the anchor and golden thread of the customer journey.”

According to the release, Heyday "is an AI-powered customer messaging platform that enables brands to deliver personalized customer experiences through 1:1 conversations on social and messaging apps. Heyday integrates seamlessly with branded websites and apps, e-commerce platforms, product feeds and order tracking management systems to meet customers with always-on virtual support and personalized recommendations that boost engagement and conversion. Heyday’s conversational platform is powering brands globally, across four continents in multiple languages, trusted by iconic brands like Lacoste, Decathlon, Cirque du Soleil, Danone, Rudsak, Jack & Jones (Bestseller), and many more."

Learn more about Heyday at https://www.heyday.ai/.