Instagram’s Live Video Officially Launches For All US Users

, , , ,

instagramlive

Instagram’s live video feature is officially available to all 70 million US users. After announcing the feature in late November, the social imaging platform has announced the feature is available across America and will be rolling out globally over the next few weeks.

While it may be tempting to compare Instagram’s live video streaming to Facebook’s growing live feature, it is actually more similar to the live options available through Snapchat.

With Instagram’s live video, users can broadcast to followers in real time through Instagram Stories. However, once the stream is over it is completely gone. There is no saving or replaying old broadcasts. They disappear as soon as you end the broadcast.

How To Get Started Broadcasting

To get started streaming, you just have to follow a couple easy steps.

  • Tap the camera icon in the top left of the screen or swipe right from the Feed to open your camera.
  • Tap the new Live icon at the bottom of the screen.
  • Tap Start Live Video.
  • Once you are ready to end your stream, just tap End in the top right.

Broadcasts can last up to one hour and you can choose to notify your followers when you go live. The number in the top right corner of the screen shows just how many followers are watching, and you can pin or share comments to others by tapping and holding it. You can also turn off comments entirely if you desire.

Marketing with Instagram Live Video

The idea of marketing your business through live video that immediately disappears may seem unattractive at first. Why bother with vanishing video when you can spend time crafting marketing campaigns that last, right?

However, live video can actually be a great way to make followers feel like they are in on exclusive events and information. The function is especially great for letting your customers and fans see special engagements like product launches or milestones for your business.

You can also use live video to engage your audience in new ways with impromptu interviews or Q&A sessions that help your followers learn more about who you are and why they should be invested in your brand.

For more info on Instagram’s live video feature, check out the video below:

/0 Comments

Yahoo Releases Its ‘Year in Review’ List for 2016

, ,

yahoo_logo_detail

It’s that time of year again. The ‘best of’ and ‘year in review’ lists are rolling out as we near the new year. The first search engine to get in on the fun is Yahoo, who revealed its year in review for 2016, including search data from sister companies Polyvore, Tumblr, and Flickr.

As you can expect, the election and other major current events dominated much of the search results for the year. But, you can also see other trends that show exactly what people were interested in, like the top companies and lifestyle searches for 2016.

Yahoo’s overall top searches include:

  1. 2016 Election
  2. Donald Trump
  3. Roblox
  4. Gwen Stefani
  5. 2016 Olympics
  6. Khloe Kardashian
  7. Megyn Kelly
  8. Jodie Sweetin
  9. Kim Kardashian-West
  10. Hillary Clinton

Yahoo’s top news stories, according to Yahoo News, include:

  1. Election Day
  2. Prince Dies
  3. Pulse Nightclub Massacre
  4. Deadly Attack in Istanbul
  5. Hurricane Matthew
  6. Baton Rouge Police Shooting
  7. EgyptAir Flight 804 Located
  8. Trump Protests
  9. Clinton Emails
  10. Presidential Debates

Perhaps the most surprising part of Yahoo’s list isn’t who appears, but who is omitted. Google is conspicuously absent in the list of top companies from Yahoo Finance. Considering the list is based on the top-read stories rather than top searches, it is rather strange to see Google entirely absent.

Yahoo’s list of top companies, according to Yahoo Finance, include:

  1. Apple
  2. Facebook
  3. Twitter
  4. Bank of America
  5. Amazon
  6. Tesla
  7. Alibaba
  8. Valeant Pharmaceuticals
  9. Ford
  10. Wells Fargo
/0 Comments

Almost 80% of Local Businesses Are On Facebook

, , , ,

FacebookClick

In the age of the internet, Facebook has become one of the premier ways to advertise a local business. Now, a new report from Borrell Associates shows just how many businesses are using the biggest social platform around to grow their business.

According to the report, almost 80% of local businesses have a Facebook page, and 62% are buying Facebook ads to reach a larger audience. In total, that adds up to more than 2.5 million US businesses paying to promote their brands or content on Facebook every year, spending $1,500 on average.

For the survey, Borrell Associates quizzed a mix of US businesses – many of which qualify as small businesses. However, it is important to note that some respondents represent larger brands with annual marketing and media budgets over $100,000.

screen-shot-2016-12-01-at-3-04-20-pm-800x257

Among those surveyed, 85% said they maintain a presence on at least one social media site. The vast majority of those (96%) were on Facebook, with Twitter in second place. Surprisingly, Snapchat does not appear on the list at all.

The data also shows that online marketing of all forms have firmly overtaken more traditional advertising mediums like print or TV ads as the best source of new customers for businesses. Company website and social media were second and third respectively, only outranked by word of mouth referrals.

screen-shot-2016-12-01-at-2-11-48-pm

A significant number of the respondents were categorized as “social media mavens” by the report, because they consider social media as the absolute best channel for acquiring new customers for their business. However, these businesses are probably not who you think.

Instead of new, high-tech start-ups or large businesses with the budget for extensive social media marketing, these “mavens” are described as being:

  • “Smaller, older, independent companies with less than $1 million in gross sales.”
  • “More likely to have a single location or be home-based than have multiple locations and slightly more likely to cater to consumers (B2C) versus only businesses (B2B).”
  • 76% manage social media themselves.
  • 57% pay to boost posts

A significant number of these companies are also looking at cutting or eliminating traditional advertising from their marketing mix in the near future.

The findings highlight that you don’t have to be a Forbes 500 company or a typical online-based business to benefit from marketing your business on Facebook. Businesses of all sizes are seeing the social platform as an enormously powerful tool for reaching new customers.

/0 Comments

Pinterest Unveils Rotating Showcases For Brands

, , ,

Pinterest-logo

Pinterest is giving business pages a makeover that highlights their boards and buyable pins – just in time for the holidays.

The biggest change is the addition of the new rotating showcase. This allows you to show off up to five of your boards and your buyable pins all in one, easy-to-view location.

kate-spade-blog-static-final

“You can use the new showcase space to highlight anything from seasonal content to your all-time best ideas – whatever helps tell the unique story of your business,” according to Pinterest.

The rotating showcase can be updated as often as you like, which means you can use it for a whole host of things. For example, you can update your showcase to put a seasonal spin on your page or share items on sale for a limited time.

That isn’t all that Pinterest is rolling out, though. The site is also making several cosmetic changes to business pages:

  • New tabs are available for organizing your boards and pins.
  • Pins you’ve liked are now only visible to you.
  • The showcase will replace your most recent pins on mobile.
  • You can now pick new board covers from mobile devices.

The company says it has also tweaked its layouts to ensure a more consistent experience from smartphone to desktop, and everywhere in between.

“The boards you showcase, the cover images you choose for each board—they look the same no matter where people choose to view your profile.”

The changes have already begun to roll out to all devices and should be available to all users.

/0 Comments

Bing’s New Chat Feature Lets Users Directly Connect With Businesses

, ,

Bing is launching a new feature specifically for local businesses to make it easier for customers to reach you at any time. With the new chat feature, users can click a link to “chat online with a representative” directly from the search engine.

After clicking the link, you are immediately connected to the business through their primary chat program. That could be a native chat service or other options like Facebook Messenger.

You can see what it looks below:

bingchat

In this case, Bing links to Facebook Messenger:

bing-kp-chat-online-messenger

The new feature makes it easier than ever for searchers to contact your business for questions and concerns. It also makes it more important than ever to make sure your business is taking advantage of online chat services to provide customer service.

/0 Comments

Google Introduces The “Google Guarantee” For Locksmiths and Plumbers

, , , ,

After months of testing a new verification in the San Francisco area exclusively for locksmiths and plumbers, the search engine has officially launched the “Google guaranteed” verification process.

If your business gets “Google guaranteed”, you get a special green badge next to your business in the search results – and customers get a few perks and protections through Google.

img_3099-760x1242

If you tap on any of the results, you are then taken to the home service ad specifically for that business, along with some extra details about what the Google guarantee really means:

img_3100-760x342

Tapping on Learn More goes even more in-depth, with a full page of details about what the Google guarantee covers and how it works:

”When you book an eligible home service pro on Google, you are protected by the Google guarantee. If you’re not satisfied with the work quality, Google may refund up to the amount paid for the job.”

What Businesses Need To Know

Currently, the Google guarantee is limited to just locksmiths and plumbers. This is because both industries have had recent issues with ad fraud and abusive advertising practices which Google is attempting to clean up.

There does not appear to be a public sign-up process for businesses hoping to be verified, and it is unclear what the verification process includes. However, this is likely to become more transparent as the verification process is extended nationwide.

What Customers Need To Know

To activate the Google guarantee, fill out this form before your first appointment. You can also call customer support at (844) 885-0761 to submit a claim or ask questions about your coverage.

Coverage

  • If you’re unhappy with the work performed, you can submit a claim and Google will cover the invoice amount up to a lifetime cap of $2,000.
  • The job must be booked through Google Home Services. Any future work completed by the same provider, unless booked through Home Services, is not covered.
  • Jobs completed before September 14, 2016, are not covered.
  • Currently only locksmith and plumbing jobs are covered.
/0 Comments

Help Your Customers Plan Their Holiday Shopping With Three New Google Features

, ,

Last year, Google gave businesses the ability to list their busiest hours on Google Maps listings so that customers can better plan their shopping during the holiday season. Now, they are taking it a step further.

live-ptindevice-sf_hlgrny7

Instead of relying on businesses to update their Popular Times listings, Google Maps will use real-time data to predict just how busy a location is right now.

”Whether you’re rushing to pick up a last minute gift or seeking a lively bar for some festive spirit, check Popular Times for a sneak preview of what to expect when you arrive.”

In addition to this new feature, Google is giving more flexibility to stores that operate separate departments with differing business hours. Businesses can now list separate departments and service hours in their Search and Maps listings.

servicehours-indevice-02

This new feature could be particularly useful for department stores or retail stores with pharmacy, supermarket, or automotive departments.

Google is also providing shoppers with shopping behavior data like how long people tend to spend in a store so they can make the most of their time during the holiday shopping season. Along with listing your business’s busiest hours, the search engine is also rolling out a feature that lets you tell shoppers how long the average person spends in your store.

All three new features rolled out this morning and should be live on Google Maps and Search for all users.

/0 Comments

Instagram Puts Its Own Twist On Live Video

, , ,

instagramlive

Considering the success of live video on Facebook and other social media platforms, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that Instagram is trying its hand with live video. But, they have put their own twist on it.

Today, the social photo and video sharing platform announced it is rolling out live video within their Instagram Stories section. However, these videos don’t remain once you stop streaming. Instead, they immediately disappear.

The feature is already rolling out and is expected to be available to everyone around the world within the next few weeks. Users are able to share live video for up to an hour and control their streams by notifying friends when they go live and deciding whether to allow comments.

“Live video on Instagram Stories helps you connect with your friends and followers right now,” according to a blog post announcing the update. “When you’re done, your live story disappears from the app so you can feel more comfortable sharing anything, anytime.”

All you have to do to start streaming is swipe right from the home feed and tap the “Start Live Video” button. You can also see who else is live streaming in the Explore area of the app, under the “Top Live” category.

Live video isn’t the only thing disappearing on Instagram, either. The platform is also rolling out the option to have automatically self-destructing photo or video messages when sending direct messages to friends and groups.

The feature operates almost exactly like Snapchat’s well known disappearing photos, which allow users to share content in a “spontaneous, pressure-free way.”

“You can choose a group or create one in just a few taps—and you can also send to individual friends at the same time,” Instagram wrote in a blog post. “Send anything you want, from inside jokes to your worst selfies. Unlike other messages in Direct, these photos and videos disappear from your friends’ inboxes after they have seen them. And you’ll see if they replayed it or took a screenshot.”

/0 Comments

Google’s Mobile-First Index Won’t Include AMP Pages

, , , ,

Google has already begun rolling out its mobile-first index to some users, but there are still a lot of questions about how exactly the search engine’s new separate index actually functions.

One such question got a surprising answer yesterday during the Google State of Search conference, as Maile Ohye told the audience that Google won’t index the AMP version of your page in the mobile search index – even when you don’t have a mobile-friendly alternative.

Google’s Gary Illyes also confirmed the news on Twitter after the conference:

That means if you’ve been using AMP pages as an alternative to making your website mobile-friendly, the search engine will skip over indexing your AMP pages in the mobile-friendly search index. Instead, it will by default choose to index the desktop version within its older index.

There is a way to force Google to index your AMP pages in this situation using a rel alternate attribute, but otherwise Google’s index will default to your desktop versions of pages.

This is particularly surprising because Google has pushed AMP as the ultimate way to deliver content to mobile users quickly and without losing ad revenue. But, in this case it seems the streamlined design of AMP pages leaves something to be desired. It may be the lack of site navigation options is what made Google decide to favor desktop over AMP in their index.

This change will most likely only affect a very small number of websites, but it is an odd choice for the search engine. The vast majority of websites who have adopted AMP also maintain a mobile version of their site.

/0 Comments

Google’s Price Extension Ads Get A Makeover

, , ,

GoogleAdWords

Google is giving AdWords’ price extensions a makeover this week to make prices even more prominent in search results, according to an announcement Monday.

Price extensions are one of Google’s many extended ad formats designed to highlight individual products and services and allow searchers to easily compare prices.

The extension was first released in July as a simple list, similar to how sitelinks are displayed. Now, Google has redesigned the extensions to appear in a card carousel near the top of search results. You can get a preview what these cards look like in the tweet AdWords released to announce the change:

The 10 languages included in the release are English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Swedish.

While the new price extensions put the emphasis on cost, it is also useful for highlighting your brand, events, products, and related services. The ad format includes a header, description, and price.

Unlike some ad formats, price extension ads don’t direct users to a landing page. Instead, they serve as direct links to sales pages for the specific item highlighted.

The best part of this redesign is that price extension ads now take up even more valuable space at the top of search results, without costing any more than a typical ad. That means you get to make an even bigger splash without costing you anything extra.

/0 Comments