Although it might not seem so at first glance, beauty is one of the more dynamic properties throughout history. From thin to plus-size, you can see different representations of what men and women find desirable in different eras. There was a time when “extra” size was especially attractive, because it suggested wealth and prosperity, for example. Today, in a time when social media and the ubiquity of internet access has made multiple forms of beauty very apparent, the people are responding positively to many of the unique results that are emerging.

Hashtag HonorCurves

Let’s face it: up until the last few years, during which social media has exploded as a primary means of business-to-consumer and consumer-to-consumer communications, you were inundated with images of super-skinny models as the overriding standard of beauty. Although both men and women have to deal with looking at models, and then looking at their own body and feeling subpar; most would agree that this is an issue that especially affects women.

Facebook user Sara Sofia Almeida grew tired of always having to compare her body to the popular mass media images. Using the hashtag #honorcurves#, she sought to have all the people out there appreciate their bodies and realize all the amazing things it can do – swim, run, hug people, love, laugh, and enjoy life. Basically, her body positivity contribution was that you should manage your perception of yourself, and don’t let the media define you. Her post received thousands of likes and dozens of comments; the hashtag itself was created by a young lady name Honorine, and has been used nearly 300,000 times to date.

Hashtag BigFinesBreakTheInternet

Yet another movement that celebrates larger women; the Big Fines Break the Internet hashtag was started to help women feel more positive about their bodies; particularly to help combat the results of studies showing that 54% of women between 18-40 feel dissatisfaction with their bodies. The 2014 survey done by Glamour showed that body negativity was actually growing worse, since back in 1984, a similar poll showed that just 42% of women in this age-range felt unhappy. The cause? Big magazines and social media – which proliferate the message that one kind of body is attractive. #BigFinesBreakTheInternet# is seeking to help change that perception.

Dove Gets Into It

Soap and body care company Dove jumped into the body positivity fray and launched a campaign that may be the largest yet. The #ChooseBeautiful# hashtag caught on like wildfire, when it was revealed in a study that 96% of women don’t choose the word “beautiful” to describe their bodies. This social media campaign has springboarded off the success of the Choose Beautiful hashtag to launch the Speak Beautiful variant, which encourages women to talk positively about their bodies with each other, to help realize their gains in self-esteem and self-perception.

A Celebration of Culture and Modesty

Melanie Elturk is Muslim, and despite that religions staunchly conservative appearance requirements for women, she’s taken to social media to show that girls can be attractive even in conservative garb. Her Haute Hijab movement is big on Instagram, where she showcases herself and other Muslim women wearing fashionable headscarves and other accouterments.

To celebrate your business on Social Media, please contact Blast Creative today.

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Draft and Revise.  Writing is an art of precision.  A writer has the ability to shape the world in their writing, to give his or her world shape and dimension.  In a broad scale, think one sentence holds up the one before it, and, also the one that follows it.

On a smaller scale consider that every word in the sentence is responsible for holding up the entire sentence.  One weak word can denigrate the entire thing.

For most writers—suspecting them all, of course, but leaving some room for anomaly—perfection didn’t happen in a single draft.  To realize something to its conclusion takes time.  Weaknesses in the work need to be made strong, the irrelevant should be omitted, or made relevant.

A Writer Learns

A writer learns of his or her weaknesses and drafts the work again.  Of course this could end up in a continuous loop of drafting—some novelists have claimed that they will write one hundred thousand words before they find a stories beginning (this is a lot of work, considering the average novel’s length is only ninety thousand words).  But, considering the microcosm of the word to the sentence, writing is a process.

Mark Twain once said, “The difference in the right word and the almost right word is really a large matter. ‘tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”  The way to draft is up to you, it’s up to your writing process, and how you work.

Writing’s an individual practice.  However, if you are unsure of how to draft your writing, consider this process as a start.  First, write your initial draft with regard for little perfection.  Find your story.  Even if what you are writing is a school paper, when you write it out, you might find that the most interesting parts, are areas to which you gave little importance.

Once you have found your story, find the shape of it.  Finally, clean it up, polish it, give each word a reason to shine.  If you are frustrated by the time in which it’s taken you to write something, remember that every minute put into perfecting a piece of writing, should only make the writing better, or at least hopefully better.

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How do you measure accomplishment at the end of a day of writing?  Is it pages, words, or time?  Ask yourself that question because it is different for all writers.  The prolific writers, the ones we turn to for advice, even for something as small as a quote, have mostly all spoken about accomplishment.  While Hemingway was in Montana he wrote most mornings, and spent his afternoons fishing for trout or hunting.  Other authors start and don’t finish until they’ve hit some predetermined goal—Steven King’s five pages every day, or the gold standard one thousand words, or Karen Russell’s goal of maximizing quality time spent engaged within her story (she’s not a word robot).     

Why do we listen, then?  Do we plan to copy Hemingway’s write-only-in-the-morning style?  Will adhering to Steven King’s prolific writing style make us as celebrated an author as the man himself?  No.  At least for the most part I believe no.  We listen to them, because being in the room at the desk alone can feel daunting.  For the most part, writing is not a team activity.  It’s just us.  There’s no one to whom the writer can compare himself against but himself.  It’s an activity that entirely self-motivated—unless of course you have a deadline or a job which requires you to write—and the reason we look to other authors for advice is that these are the people who discovered something about themselves.  They all discovered who they are as writers. 

Start easy, start a journal.  Don’t simply walk away when things get difficult—if the right word is not coming, or if you’re simply stuck staring at the screen—keep writing.  You’ll be amazed at the ideas you will find yourself capable at times of the greatest stress.  Those ideas might not flesh themselves out with perfect articulation, but they might be there.  Keep writing and determine the things that work best for you.  Consider the amount of time you need to stay focused every day, or even every other day.  Understanding what will keep you focused, keep you at that desk for those ours or those pages or that word count will, eventually pay off.    

If you need a content writer or a copywriter, please contact Blast Creative today.

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There is a famous saying that goes like this “you only have one chance to make a good first impression.” Nothing could be truer when it comes to writing headlines for your blogs, articles, eBooks or any other online content.  Without magnetic headlines, you may not be able to grab the attention of your reader and motivate him/her to continue reading past your headline.

Statistics show us that an average of eight out of ten people searching for information online will first read the headline, and out of these ten only two will be persuaded enough to read the rest of your content. These statistics, clearly answer the question “what is in a headline?” the answer being “power.” So, if you are an online content marketer or a copywriter, developing magnetic headlines is a valuable skill you should possess if you want to create clicktivism.  Below are some tips on how you can write magnetic headlines:

Start with the Headline
While the headline might seem like the most challenging part of writing (at times it is), you should always try to start your writing with the headline first. That is because the headline is the promise you will give to readers, so it must clearly communicate what you intend to deliver to the reader. Of course, before creating the headline you need to have a clear understanding of your subject matter. Once you have identified your subject matter or what the content of your writing will be, go ahead and create a headline. If you write the headline last, you will be looking for the promise within your content, instead of first making the promise and delivering it through your content.

Newsy headlines, grab attention
Newsy headlines are the type that makes announcements such as discovery, new product release, finding, invention and more.  You can use these headlines to introduce new services or products in the market and to make press releases. People are usually captivated by the concept “new” and are, therefore, more likely to read on to discover “what’s new.” Examples of newsy headlines are those that begin with words such as “announcing”, “introducing”, and “at last.”

“How To” headlines are magnetic
One of the most used headlines is “how to”, simply because this is a magnetic headline that is sure to grab and retain the attention of the reader. These types of headings answer the question, “what is in it for me,” which most readers will ask themselves before reading any content. So, if your content answers the question “how to,” consider creating a “how to” headline such as ‘How to Write Magnetic Headlines.”

The benefit headline will get your content read
A benefit headline is like a carrot dangled in front of a rabbit. The reader will immediately identify “what’s in it for them” from your headline. This kind of headline excites the curiosity of readers, and they will want to read on or click the headline for more details. So, when creating a magnetic headline identify a compelling benefit from your content, and serve it up in your article topic. For instance, “Get Your Online Business Noticed Today, With This Amazing SEO Tool.”

When it comes to writing content especially for online marketing, your headline is your lifeline; because a magnetic headline is what will determine whether your content will become a hit or miss.

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All websites need fresh content in order to stay relevant in the search engines. Here is a writing sample for the web that we did for a published author. You can hire a copywriter to do your writing for you or write about what you are most passionate about. You know your business, sit down, pick a subject and write what you know.

Fiction Story Point of Views

Every fiction story is told through point of view. The three types of point of view available to writers—first, second, and third—all have advantages and disadvantages. An author may even change point of view in subsequent story drafts to determine the best tone of voice that fits her work. Let’s examine the three different types and why and how an author would use them in her story.

First person point of view—the I point of view—gives the narrator of the story a voice. The narrator could also be a we, our, me, my, mine, us; but, for observation, let’s just consider the I, for now anyway. The I is a natural point of view for most writers, because it allows the author a natural authority to write as the character. The author’s only responsible for giving voice to one character. That character will shape the story, and other events/characters are made understood to the reader through the voice of the narrator, or during sequences of dialogue. This does provide a limited perspective, however.

Second person point of view isn’t widely used. It’s a way for the author to speak directly to the reader. For an example of this, read Junot Diaz’s story “This is How You Lose Her.”

There’s two types of third person point of view: close or limited, and omniscient. Close or limited Perspective, when it’s used well, can bring the reader as close to the character as a first person perspective—sometimes it can take us even deeper into a character. Third person close is probably used by authors as much as first person perspective. Third person omniscient enables the writer to bounce around through different characters. Third person Omniscient, while it seems like a great choice (inhabiting the minds of each and every character leads to clarity, right?) it’s also a demanding and risky choice, because each character will need to have a definite voice so as not to confuse the reader.

Perspective is a creative choice. If you’re struggling, listen to the story, put it through a few drafts, and determine what perspective the story wants.

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Some people believe that search engine optimization is dying. Not only are Google’s algorithms changing almost too fast for SEO experts to keep up, but SEO itself may soon be replaced by social media as the main source of information online. This is of course a huge exaggeration. Social media is far from our main source of information online. People still use Google, and search engine rankings and hits are still important.

That doesn’t mean that social media should be ignored, though. Social media may not be a replacement for SEO, but it does have a huge effect on it. Google’s last algorithm update included Social Media Ranking. If your business isn’t active on Social Media, you could be doing damage to your listing on Google. Here are just a few ways Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter are affecting your SEO efforts.

Social Shares and Link Building

Link building has always been one of the cornerstones of SEO, and in most respects that hasn’t changed. Google still looks at the number of links on a site to determine if it is a quality source of information, but social media has changed the way these links are being shared. These days, links are being achieved through original and compelling content that is shared across social media. For example, if someone finds an interesting article, they will be likely to post it onto their Facebook wall or Twitter feed for all of their followers to see. Many of those followers will in turn post the article to their followers, and so on. Eventually, thousands of people will have seen that article, which translates to page views for the website or blog the in which the article originally appeared.

Links that are shared via Facebook, Google+, Twitter or even YouTube will rank higher according to Google’s search algorithm. Google will assume that this content is being shared for a good reason, and it will show up near the top of a typical search result.

Social Media and Credible Sources

If your content is shared on your social networks and you have several followers, Google is more likely to see you as a credible source. This will mean that your content will always rank higher and be seen not just by your followers, but by potentially thousands of others viewers who will help build your brand and increase your social media presence.

Branding

A large part of social media marketing is branding, which definitely has an effect on SEO as well. Having your brand merely mentioned on a site is often enough to get a boost from Google, even if it is only a mention and not actually a link. In many ways, this is closer to “old fashioned” advertising in that it gets your brand’s name out even if it doesn’t technically involve SEO link building.

The thing to remember when it comes to social media and the changing face of SEO is that content is king. Social media Marketing Billings MT is all about real people reading and sharing content, so SEO experts have their work cut out for them. It’s not about keyword stuffing and other questionable techniques anymore; content has to be genuinely engaging if it is to spread across any social network.

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If you don’t know what Youtube is by now, you’ve most likely been living under a rock the last ten years. The video sharing site grew tremendously quickly and was bought by internet giant Google for $1.65 billion less than 2 years after it went live. Since then, the site has continued to expand.

Earlier this year, a new video sharing service called Periscope was officially launched by Twitter. The app was spotted by Twitter in the early development stage and the company quickly swooped in, reportedly purchasing the app for just shy of $100 million. Periscope has been called a game-changer, much like Youtube was a decade.

Businesses are paying attention and many are wondering which of the two platforms will be more effective at promoting their brand. The answer, of course, depends on your individual businesses needs. Here’s a guide to how Youtube and Periscope stack up against each other.

Youtube

Youtube has been around for a decade and is very well-established. Users create, watch, and share videos. Businesses have some great advantages when using Youtube to promote their brand.

Wide Audience

Youtube videos garner more than 4 billion views every day and it’s the third most visited website in the world. The website is particularly strong with users ages 18-34, outranking even cable television networks.

Easily Re-purpose Content

Business can re-use content they’ve already created, such as blog posts or podcasts, and re-purpose them into videos to post on Youtube. Essentially, you are getting more bang for your buck.

Periscope

Periscope is the new kid on the block, so it doesn’t have nearly as many users and a lot of people still have not even heard of it. It’s based on mobile live streaming, meaning people can broadcast the video they record live, allowing them to easily share with viewers around the world. Users can follow each other and receive notifications when your stream goes live. Old videos are archived so people still have the chance to view previously recorded videos.

Gain Followers Quickly

While Youtube does offer video streaming, users must use an invite link to watch. Periscope on the other hand offers instant following and viewers can tune in to whatever they want, making it easy to gain followers quickly.

Open Market Spaces

Since Periscope is new, there are no heavy weights really and there’s room for shifting. Users can ‘like’ your content up to 500 times, meaning that good content can bring you up quickly and you have a chance to become a top Periscoper.

Works Well For

Periscope’s unique platform makes it a great place to share cutting-edge events, interactive games, situations that need instant feedback, how to’s, recipes, natural phenomena, and interviews.

Which Platform Is Best for Your Brand

Both platforms can be useful and it depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. Brands that are already well established and have the resources to pursue both should. For smaller companies, Periscope presents a great opportunity to gain followers quickly and become an established authority from the ground up. Once you are more established you can use the Periscope following to break into Youtube.

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As a business owner, your Facebook page and other social media presences make up your owned media assets, that which is controlled by your and your business’s brand. It is important to maximize the potential for new and repeat business opportunities by making your Facebook truly reflect what you are all about. This is especially true of the images you select and portray online as representative of your company. Here are 5 tips to consider that can help make your Facebook cover photo count.

Tip #1: Make Your Photo Relevant

Making your Facebook cover photo relevant is an important consideration when choosing what to put on the cover. Your cover photo is a way to communicate who you are and what you are about to those who following you. If you are in the business of making widgets, your cover photo should reflect this. Your mission is to keep the idea of your company first and foremost in the mind of any visitor; maintaining relevancy helps you keep that idea before them as customers seek to interact with you.

Tip #2: Make Your Photo a Call-To-Action (CTA)

Your Facebook cover photo provides you with a way to direct traffic to your website. Simply provide a link in the description that appears when a user clicks on the cover photo and you have created another way to bring additional traffic to your website(s). Changes in Facebook’s cover photo policy gives you the flexibility to add more descriptors and create specific CTAs that can

Tip #3: Link Your Cover Photo to Your Profile Pic

Think for a moment how the cover and profile photos look on your current Facebook page. Are they in any way related and do they provide a consistent look and message to someone viewing your page? Use photos on your Facebook cover that provides consistency in terms of message, look, branding or relate to a campaign you may be promoting for your business. If you owned a chicken farm and your company’s logo were an egg, maybe a cover photo featuring a group of chickens in the yard with information about the business would be a good way to link your company brand with what it is you are selling.

Tip #4: Stay on Message

Keep your cover photos topical and relative to your brand and messaging. If you are running sales and specials reflective of a particular season or featuring a product or service, it is certainly advisable to upload a cover photo that highlights this. However, advertising your Black Friday specials or alerting visitors of a huge 20% off sale loses relevancy when the period for such a special has past. Manage your images carefully and be sure to remove those images that may cause confusion or be otherwise false and misleading relative to what is happening to your business.

Tip #5: Let Your Cover Photo Speak to Your Brand and Image

There are many good examples on Facebook of companies who link the messaging in the Facebook cover photos to their brand. Some of these examples are as simple as placing a logo or other recognizable image of the company somewhere in the cover photo. Be sure that any inclusion of your brand image is an organic one and not something that seems inappropriate or out of place, in context with what is being communicated in the image.

Contact Blast Creative today for all of your Social Media Marketing needs!

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You have a business and you know that social media can be a powerful weapon in your marketing scheme. It’s become almost standard practice for businesses to have their own Facebook page, but what about all the other social media sites out there? The truth is there are a dizzying number of social media platforms that can be utilized for business. People are now constantly asking how do you know which one will best boost you brand. The answer’s really much easier than you think; here’s where to start.

Tips for Choosing the Right Social Media Platform

Research: You won’t find the right social media channel without doing a bit of exploration to see which one is compatible with your specific business. Think about what product or service you’re offering and what resources you have available to dedicate to social media. Though social media is largely free, it does require your valuable time.

Don’t Get Sucked into What’s Popular: There are new social media channels popping up all the time. Don’t get tempted to sign up for every single site just because it’s popular. Stick to what is most relevant and effective to your business. It’s better to have solid social media campaigns on one or two channels than mediocre attempts on many.

Develop a Social Media Strategy: Create a clear and implementable plan before choosing which network you’re going to be using. By drawing up a plan, you’ll be able to stay focused and work out which strategies will be most effective to get things done.

Stick With It: Social media can become time-consuming and frustrating, but don’t let it get you down. Be consistent and over time the results will start to come in.

Go Where Your Audience Is

Knowing your audience is the key to all marketing success and it rings true for social media platforms. Don’t spend hours on LinkedIn if you’re trying to sell food recipes, try a more visual platform like Pinterest. Many businesses are trying to be on everything popular, but it’s much better to strategically plan where and what you’re going to post to be the most effective.

Here’s a rundown on the major social media platforms and what audience they serve.

Facebook

This is the one network that everyone is on and should be on, with some 1.15 billion users (1 million active users). It’s pretty much a guarantee your audience is here at least part of the time so make a mini website via Facebook if you haven’t already.

LinkedIn

For a more corporate or professional social media experience choose LinkedIn. Think services like coaching, consulting, copywriting, web development, business development, recruitment, and so on.

Twitter

Twitter now has 450 million users, 65% of whom are female and split in the ages of 25-34, 35-54 and 45-54. It pays to tweet often and make copy that’s catchy and intelligent, not to mention 140 characters or less.

YouTube

If you’re looking for a younger (majority 18-34) audience, Youtube boasts 1 million unique visitors each month and can be a powerful video marketing tool.

Pinterest

While it began as a tool for artists and creatives, Pinterest has found plenty of room for people selling products and services, given they’re attached to great images. There are 30 million users here, 80% female, with the largest audience 45-54. It can work well for mediapreneurs, entrepreneurs, artists, creatives, service providers and e-commerce related brands.

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According to Pew Research Center, half of young adults 18-29, who use the Internet use Instagram. Even more staggering, half of these users engage with Instagram on a daily basis. If you want to reach millennials, you can’t afford to overlook the value of Instagram. This social media platform is mainly for photos, but don’t feel limited. Using Instagram is a bit different than Facebook or Twitter, and here are some tips for getting the most out of your business account and reaching your customers.

Know Your Followers on Instagram

Instagram has different demographics than Facebook or Twitter. It’s important to know who you’re reaching through this social network platform. Instagram is more popular with teens and young adults, who love visual information. If your product isn’t relevant to them, you could have one million followers that don’t convert into sales.

Do Your Research

Begin your Instagram approach by getting a personal account and using it. Look at your competitors and other businesses that have a large following to see what they’re doing right. Figure out how to tie Instagram marketing into your overall business plan. Make sure you can commit to regular posts to engage your followers. One to three posts every day is fairly common among businesses. Although you won’t alienate your followers if you post more often, they may not pay attention if you post less. Learn how Instagram uses hashtags, to find out what’s trending, gain new followers, and to stay relevant.

Be Authentic

Instagram is very visual, and because it’s growing in popularity, your message has to be creative and true to your business. Comment on other photos that you find relevant and engaging, even if they aren’t your followers. Just as when you’re dealing with customers in your store, you may have to make the first move. Watch coming across as gimmicky and unprofessional, because you’ll lose followers.

Take Advantage of Technology

Use the analytics of Instagram to find out which of your posts get the most engagement. The technology is there to help you use the platform to your benefit. There are programs that let you schedule posts, which means you don’t have to remember it each day. If you post from your smartphone, use a watermark program to protect your photos and identify them. Take advantage of different software that makes it much easier to use Instagram.

How Do You Measure Success?

With any social media network, you only get what you put into it. Know the goals of using Instagram and have a way to measure your success. If you don’t get the results you want at first, look at what you’ve been doing. See which of your posts get the most likes and comments and analyze your photos. Tweak your campaign to see if things improve. If you aren’t getting the results you desire, maybe Instagram isn’t your market, but don’t give up right away.

If you are a business owner in any of these genres, financial, photographers, dentists, hotels, restaurants, construction, HVAC, hardware stores, real estate, or any business owner and want more information on Instagram or Social Media Marketing, please contact Blast Creative today!

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