Ready to Unlock the Power of Blockchain!Toptal Tech
Imagine a world where data flows freely, yet remains secure. A world where trust is built into the fabric of every transaction. This is the promise of blockchain, a revolutionary technology poised to reshape our digital landscape.
Toptal Tech is at the forefront of this innovation, connecting you with the brightest minds in blockchain development. Together, we can unlock the potential of this transformative technology, building a future of transparency, security, and endless possibilities.
HijackLoader Evolution: Interactive Process HollowingDonato Onofri
CrowdStrike researchers have identified a HijackLoader (aka IDAT Loader) sample that employs sophisticated evasion techniques to enhance the complexity of the threat. HijackLoader, an increasingly popular tool among adversaries for deploying additional payloads and tooling, continues to evolve as its developers experiment and enhance its capabilities.
In their analysis of a recent HijackLoader sample, CrowdStrike researchers discovered new techniques designed to increase the defense evasion capabilities of the loader. The malware developer used a standard process hollowing technique coupled with an additional trigger that was activated by the parent process writing to a pipe. This new approach, called "Interactive Process Hollowing", has the potential to make defense evasion stealthier.
Discover the benefits of outsourcing SEO to Indiadavidjhones387
"Discover the benefits of outsourcing SEO to India! From cost-effective services and expert professionals to round-the-clock work advantages, learn how your business can achieve digital success with Indian SEO solutions.
2024 State of Marketing Report – by HubspotMarius Sescu
https://www.hubspot.com/state-of-marketing
· Scaling relationships and proving ROI
· Social media is the place for search, sales, and service
· Authentic influencer partnerships fuel brand growth
· The strongest connections happen via call, click, chat, and camera.
· Time saved with AI leads to more creative work
· Seeking: A single source of truth
· TLDR; Get on social, try AI, and align your systems.
· More human marketing, powered by robots
ChatGPT is a revolutionary addition to the world since its introduction in 2022. A big shift in the sector of information gathering and processing happened because of this chatbot. What is the story of ChatGPT? How is the bot responding to prompts and generating contents? Swipe through these slides prepared by Expeed Software, a web development company regarding the development and technical intricacies of ChatGPT!
Product Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage EngineeringsPixeldarts
The realm of product design is a constantly changing environment where technology and style intersect. Every year introduces fresh challenges and exciting trends that mold the future of this captivating art form. In this piece, we delve into the significant trends set to influence the look and functionality of product design in the year 2024.
How Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental HealthThinkNow
Mental health has been in the news quite a bit lately. Dozens of U.S. states are currently suing Meta for contributing to the youth mental health crisis by inserting addictive features into their products, while the U.S. Surgeon General is touring the nation to bring awareness to the growing epidemic of loneliness and isolation. The country has endured periods of low national morale, such as in the 1970s when high inflation and the energy crisis worsened public sentiment following the Vietnam War. The current mood, however, feels different. Gallup recently reported that national mental health is at an all-time low, with few bright spots to lift spirits.
To better understand how Americans are feeling and their attitudes towards mental health in general, ThinkNow conducted a nationally representative quantitative survey of 1,500 respondents and found some interesting differences among ethnic, age and gender groups.
Technology
For example, 52% agree that technology and social media have a negative impact on mental health, but when broken out by race, 61% of Whites felt technology had a negative effect, and only 48% of Hispanics thought it did.
While technology has helped us keep in touch with friends and family in faraway places, it appears to have degraded our ability to connect in person. Staying connected online is a double-edged sword since the same news feed that brings us pictures of the grandkids and fluffy kittens also feeds us news about the wars in Israel and Ukraine, the dysfunction in Washington, the latest mass shooting and the climate crisis.
Hispanics may have a built-in defense against the isolation technology breeds, owing to their large, multigenerational households, strong social support systems, and tendency to use social media to stay connected with relatives abroad.
Age and Gender
When asked how individuals rate their mental health, men rate it higher than women by 11 percentage points, and Baby Boomers rank it highest at 83%, saying it’s good or excellent vs. 57% of Gen Z saying the same.
Gen Z spends the most amount of time on social media, so the notion that social media negatively affects mental health appears to be correlated. Unfortunately, Gen Z is also the generation that’s least comfortable discussing mental health concerns with healthcare professionals. Only 40% of them state they’re comfortable discussing their issues with a professional compared to 60% of Millennials and 65% of Boomers.
Race Affects Attitudes
As seen in previous research conducted by ThinkNow, Asian Americans lag other groups when it comes to awareness of mental health issues. Twenty-four percent of Asian Americans believe that having a mental health issue is a sign of weakness compared to the 16% average for all groups. Asians are also considerably less likely to be aware of mental health services in their communities (42% vs. 55%) and most likely to seek out information on social media (51% vs. 35%).
AI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdfmarketingartwork
Creative operations teams expect increased AI use in 2024. Currently, over half of tasks are not AI-enabled, but this is expected to decrease in the coming year. ChatGPT is the most popular AI tool currently. Business leaders are more actively exploring AI benefits than individual contributors. Most respondents do not believe AI will impact workforce size in 2024. However, some inhibitions still exist around AI accuracy and lack of understanding. Creatives primarily want to use AI to save time on mundane tasks and boost productivity.
Organizational culture includes values, norms, systems, symbols, language, assumptions, beliefs, and habits that influence employee behaviors and how people interpret those behaviors. It is important because culture can help or hinder a company's success. Some key aspects of Netflix's culture that help it achieve results include hiring smartly so every position has stars, focusing on attitude over just aptitude, and having a strict policy against peacocks, whiners, and jerks.
Ready to Unlock the Power of Blockchain!Toptal Tech
Imagine a world where data flows freely, yet remains secure. A world where trust is built into the fabric of every transaction. This is the promise of blockchain, a revolutionary technology poised to reshape our digital landscape.
Toptal Tech is at the forefront of this innovation, connecting you with the brightest minds in blockchain development. Together, we can unlock the potential of this transformative technology, building a future of transparency, security, and endless possibilities.
HijackLoader Evolution: Interactive Process HollowingDonato Onofri
CrowdStrike researchers have identified a HijackLoader (aka IDAT Loader) sample that employs sophisticated evasion techniques to enhance the complexity of the threat. HijackLoader, an increasingly popular tool among adversaries for deploying additional payloads and tooling, continues to evolve as its developers experiment and enhance its capabilities.
In their analysis of a recent HijackLoader sample, CrowdStrike researchers discovered new techniques designed to increase the defense evasion capabilities of the loader. The malware developer used a standard process hollowing technique coupled with an additional trigger that was activated by the parent process writing to a pipe. This new approach, called "Interactive Process Hollowing", has the potential to make defense evasion stealthier.
Discover the benefits of outsourcing SEO to Indiadavidjhones387
"Discover the benefits of outsourcing SEO to India! From cost-effective services and expert professionals to round-the-clock work advantages, learn how your business can achieve digital success with Indian SEO solutions.
2024 State of Marketing Report – by HubspotMarius Sescu
https://www.hubspot.com/state-of-marketing
· Scaling relationships and proving ROI
· Social media is the place for search, sales, and service
· Authentic influencer partnerships fuel brand growth
· The strongest connections happen via call, click, chat, and camera.
· Time saved with AI leads to more creative work
· Seeking: A single source of truth
· TLDR; Get on social, try AI, and align your systems.
· More human marketing, powered by robots
ChatGPT is a revolutionary addition to the world since its introduction in 2022. A big shift in the sector of information gathering and processing happened because of this chatbot. What is the story of ChatGPT? How is the bot responding to prompts and generating contents? Swipe through these slides prepared by Expeed Software, a web development company regarding the development and technical intricacies of ChatGPT!
Product Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage EngineeringsPixeldarts
The realm of product design is a constantly changing environment where technology and style intersect. Every year introduces fresh challenges and exciting trends that mold the future of this captivating art form. In this piece, we delve into the significant trends set to influence the look and functionality of product design in the year 2024.
How Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental HealthThinkNow
Mental health has been in the news quite a bit lately. Dozens of U.S. states are currently suing Meta for contributing to the youth mental health crisis by inserting addictive features into their products, while the U.S. Surgeon General is touring the nation to bring awareness to the growing epidemic of loneliness and isolation. The country has endured periods of low national morale, such as in the 1970s when high inflation and the energy crisis worsened public sentiment following the Vietnam War. The current mood, however, feels different. Gallup recently reported that national mental health is at an all-time low, with few bright spots to lift spirits.
To better understand how Americans are feeling and their attitudes towards mental health in general, ThinkNow conducted a nationally representative quantitative survey of 1,500 respondents and found some interesting differences among ethnic, age and gender groups.
Technology
For example, 52% agree that technology and social media have a negative impact on mental health, but when broken out by race, 61% of Whites felt technology had a negative effect, and only 48% of Hispanics thought it did.
While technology has helped us keep in touch with friends and family in faraway places, it appears to have degraded our ability to connect in person. Staying connected online is a double-edged sword since the same news feed that brings us pictures of the grandkids and fluffy kittens also feeds us news about the wars in Israel and Ukraine, the dysfunction in Washington, the latest mass shooting and the climate crisis.
Hispanics may have a built-in defense against the isolation technology breeds, owing to their large, multigenerational households, strong social support systems, and tendency to use social media to stay connected with relatives abroad.
Age and Gender
When asked how individuals rate their mental health, men rate it higher than women by 11 percentage points, and Baby Boomers rank it highest at 83%, saying it’s good or excellent vs. 57% of Gen Z saying the same.
Gen Z spends the most amount of time on social media, so the notion that social media negatively affects mental health appears to be correlated. Unfortunately, Gen Z is also the generation that’s least comfortable discussing mental health concerns with healthcare professionals. Only 40% of them state they’re comfortable discussing their issues with a professional compared to 60% of Millennials and 65% of Boomers.
Race Affects Attitudes
As seen in previous research conducted by ThinkNow, Asian Americans lag other groups when it comes to awareness of mental health issues. Twenty-four percent of Asian Americans believe that having a mental health issue is a sign of weakness compared to the 16% average for all groups. Asians are also considerably less likely to be aware of mental health services in their communities (42% vs. 55%) and most likely to seek out information on social media (51% vs. 35%).
AI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdfmarketingartwork
Creative operations teams expect increased AI use in 2024. Currently, over half of tasks are not AI-enabled, but this is expected to decrease in the coming year. ChatGPT is the most popular AI tool currently. Business leaders are more actively exploring AI benefits than individual contributors. Most respondents do not believe AI will impact workforce size in 2024. However, some inhibitions still exist around AI accuracy and lack of understanding. Creatives primarily want to use AI to save time on mundane tasks and boost productivity.
Organizational culture includes values, norms, systems, symbols, language, assumptions, beliefs, and habits that influence employee behaviors and how people interpret those behaviors. It is important because culture can help or hinder a company's success. Some key aspects of Netflix's culture that help it achieve results include hiring smartly so every position has stars, focusing on attitude over just aptitude, and having a strict policy against peacocks, whiners, and jerks.
PEPSICO Presentation to CAGNY Conference Feb 2024Neil Kimberley
PepsiCo provided a safe harbor statement noting that any forward-looking statements are based on currently available information and are subject to risks and uncertainties. It also provided information on non-GAAP measures and directing readers to its website for disclosure and reconciliation. The document then discussed PepsiCo's business overview, including that it is a global beverage and convenient food company with iconic brands, $91 billion in net revenue in 2023, and nearly $14 billion in core operating profit. It operates through a divisional structure with a focus on local consumers.
Content Methodology: A Best Practices Report (Webinar)contently
This document provides an overview of content methodology best practices. It defines content methodology as establishing objectives, KPIs, and a culture of continuous learning and iteration. An effective methodology focuses on connecting with audiences, creating optimal content, and optimizing processes. It also discusses why a methodology is needed due to the competitive landscape, proliferation of channels, and opportunities for improvement. Components of an effective methodology include defining objectives and KPIs, audience analysis, identifying opportunities, and evaluating resources. The document concludes with recommendations around creating a content plan, testing and optimizing content over 90 days.
How to Prepare For a Successful Job Search for 2024Albert Qian
The document provides guidance on preparing a job search for 2024. It discusses the state of the job market, focusing on growth in AI and healthcare but also continued layoffs. It recommends figuring out what you want to do by researching interests and skills, then conducting informational interviews. The job search should involve building a personal brand on LinkedIn, actively applying to jobs, tailoring resumes and interviews, maintaining job hunting as a habit, and continuing self-improvement. Once hired, the document advises setting new goals and keeping skills and networking active in case of future opportunities.
A report by thenetworkone and Kurio.
The contributing experts and agencies are (in an alphabetical order): Sylwia Rytel, Social Media Supervisor, 180heartbeats + JUNG v MATT (PL), Sharlene Jenner, Vice President - Director of Engagement Strategy, Abelson Taylor (USA), Alex Casanovas, Digital Director, Atrevia (ES), Dora Beilin, Senior Social Strategist, Barrett Hoffher (USA), Min Seo, Campaign Director, Brand New Agency (KR), Deshé M. Gully, Associate Strategist, Day One Agency (USA), Francesca Trevisan, Strategist, Different (IT), Trevor Crossman, CX and Digital Transformation Director; Olivia Hussey, Strategic Planner; Simi Srinarula, Social Media Manager, The Hallway (AUS), James Hebbert, Managing Director, Hylink (CN / UK), Mundy Álvarez, Planning Director; Pedro Rojas, Social Media Manager; Pancho González, CCO, Inbrax (CH), Oana Oprea, Head of Digital Planning, Jam Session Agency (RO), Amy Bottrill, Social Account Director, Launch (UK), Gaby Arriaga, Founder, Leonardo1452 (MX), Shantesh S Row, Creative Director, Liwa (UAE), Rajesh Mehta, Chief Strategy Officer; Dhruv Gaur, Digital Planning Lead; Leonie Mergulhao, Account Supervisor - Social Media & PR, Medulla (IN), Aurelija Plioplytė, Head of Digital & Social, Not Perfect (LI), Daiana Khaidargaliyeva, Account Manager, Osaka Labs (UK / USA), Stefanie Söhnchen, Vice President Digital, PIABO Communications (DE), Elisabeth Winiartati, Managing Consultant, Head of Global Integrated Communications; Lydia Aprina, Account Manager, Integrated Marketing and Communications; Nita Prabowo, Account Manager, Integrated Marketing and Communications; Okhi, Web Developer, PNTR Group (ID), Kei Obusan, Insights Director; Daffi Ranandi, Insights Manager, Radarr (SG), Gautam Reghunath, Co-founder & CEO, Talented (IN), Donagh Humphreys, Head of Social and Digital Innovation, THINKHOUSE (IRE), Sarah Yim, Strategy Director, Zulu Alpha Kilo (CA).
Trends In Paid Search: Navigating The Digital Landscape In 2024Search Engine Journal
The search marketing landscape is evolving rapidly with new technologies, and professionals, like you, rely on innovative paid search strategies to meet changing demands.
It’s important that you’re ready to implement new strategies in 2024.
Check this out and learn the top trends in paid search advertising that are expected to gain traction, so you can drive higher ROI more efficiently in 2024.
You’ll learn:
- The latest trends in AI and automation, and what this means for an evolving paid search ecosystem.
- New developments in privacy and data regulation.
- Emerging ad formats that are expected to make an impact next year.
Watch Sreekant Lanka from iQuanti and Irina Klein from OneMain Financial as they dive into the future of paid search and explore the trends, strategies, and technologies that will shape the search marketing landscape.
If you’re looking to assess your paid search strategy and design an industry-aligned plan for 2024, then this webinar is for you.
5 Public speaking tips from TED - Visualized summarySpeakerHub
From their humble beginnings in 1984, TED has grown into the world’s most powerful amplifier for speakers and thought-leaders to share their ideas. They have over 2,400 filmed talks (not including the 30,000+ TEDx videos) freely available online, and have hosted over 17,500 events around the world.
With over one billion views in a year, it’s no wonder that so many speakers are looking to TED for ideas on how to share their message more effectively.
The article “5 Public-Speaking Tips TED Gives Its Speakers”, by Carmine Gallo for Forbes, gives speakers five practical ways to connect with their audience, and effectively share their ideas on stage.
Whether you are gearing up to get on a TED stage yourself, or just want to master the skills that so many of their speakers possess, these tips and quotes from Chris Anderson, the TED Talks Curator, will encourage you to make the most impactful impression on your audience.
See the full article and more summaries like this on SpeakerHub here: https://speakerhub.com/blog/5-presentation-tips-ted-gives-its-speakers
See the original article on Forbes here:
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/?toURL=http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2016/05/06/5-public-speaking-tips-ted-gives-its-speakers/&refURL=&referrer=#5c07a8221d9b
ChatGPT and the Future of Work - Clark Boyd Clark Boyd
Everyone is in agreement that ChatGPT (and other generative AI tools) will shape the future of work. Yet there is little consensus on exactly how, when, and to what extent this technology will change our world.
Businesses that extract maximum value from ChatGPT will use it as a collaborative tool for everything from brainstorming to technical maintenance.
For individuals, now is the time to pinpoint the skills the future professional will need to thrive in the AI age.
Check out this presentation to understand what ChatGPT is, how it will shape the future of work, and how you can prepare to take advantage.
The document provides career advice for getting into the tech field, including:
- Doing projects and internships in college to build a portfolio.
- Learning about different roles and technologies through industry research.
- Contributing to open source projects to build experience and network.
- Developing a personal brand through a website and social media presence.
- Networking through events, communities, and finding a mentor.
- Practicing interviews through mock interviews and whiteboarding coding questions.
Google's Just Not That Into You: Understanding Core Updates & Search IntentLily Ray
1. Core updates from Google periodically change how its algorithms assess and rank websites and pages. This can impact rankings through shifts in user intent, site quality issues being caught up to, world events influencing queries, and overhauls to search like the E-A-T framework.
2. There are many possible user intents beyond just transactional, navigational and informational. Identifying intent shifts is important during core updates. Sites may need to optimize for new intents through different content types and sections.
3. Responding effectively to core updates requires analyzing "before and after" data to understand changes, identifying new intents or page types, and ensuring content matches appropriate intents across video, images, knowledge graphs and more.
A brief introduction to DataScience with explaining of the concepts, algorithms, machine learning, supervised and unsupervised learning, clustering, statistics, data preprocessing, real-world applications etc.
It's part of a Data Science Corner Campaign where I will be discussing the fundamentals of DataScience, AIML, Statistics etc.
Time Management & Productivity - Best PracticesVit Horky
Here's my presentation on by proven best practices how to manage your work time effectively and how to improve your productivity. It includes practical tips and how to use tools such as Slack, Google Apps, Hubspot, Google Calendar, Gmail and others.
The six step guide to practical project managementMindGenius
The six step guide to practical project management
If you think managing projects is too difficult, think again.
We’ve stripped back project management processes to the
basics – to make it quicker and easier, without sacrificing
the vital ingredients for success.
“If you’re looking for some real-world guidance, then The Six Step Guide to Practical Project Management will help.”
Dr Andrew Makar, Tactical Project Management
Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...
Howtodominatesocialmediaandmake200daily
1. A great social media manager is, as Ron Burgundy would say: "The balls ".
It's an undisputed fact that every business needs to be active in social media. The ever-changing demands of the
modern day consumer requires brands to think fast and adapt quickly in order to stay one step ahead.
The role of a social media manager has appealed to the mass generation of socially-active internet users. It's hard
not to. Especially when some might think that you can earn big bucks from posting Facebook updates. Hardly.
Being a social media manager is kind of like being a stand-up comedian. You have to quickly understand your
audience and your engagement with them is vital. In order to accomplish this, you need to know if the audience is
laughing at your jokes and you need to know this in real-time. If you can do this, then you have already won the
crowd.
So, how do you become a social manager? More to the point, how do you become a great social manager?
The answer will be surprising to some. Firstly, you have to want it. Second, you have to love it. Third, you have to
learn it. And even if you tick all these boxes, you should ask yourself: "Am I a social person? " If the answer is no, then
becoming a social media manager is probably not for you...
So let's take a look at the stats.
● LinkedIn shows 57,910 results for "social media manager"
● Social media has now overtaken porn as the number 1 activity on the web
2. ● 97% of all consumers search for local businesses online
● 71% of consumers receiving a quick brand response on social media say they would likely recommend
that brand to others
● 93% of marketers use social media for business
● In terms of difficulty of execution, nearly half (49%) of B2B marketers put social media marketing at the
top, followed by content marketing (39%), SEO (26%) and mobile (25%)
● 77% of B2B marketers use a blog as part of their content marketing mix
● On average, 25% of marketing budgets are now spent on content development, delivery and promotion
● 78% of small businesses attract new customers through social sites
● When asked to rank their company's social business maturity on a scale of 1 to 10, more than half of
global business executives gave their company a score of 3 or below
But the statistic that is most relevant to this article is:
● Just 12% of those using social marketing feel they actually use it effectively.
Being a social media manager brings with it some key benefits within a freelance setting. The most recognisable
being the fact that you are your own boss. You make the decisions and answer to no one. You send the invoices and
you set the policies. Heck, you could sit in your underpants all day on the computer if you wanted to.
The other is money. It is an in-demand role, but one that companies are still struggling to come to terms with. Some
companies realise and understand the value social media could bring to their enterprise and are willing to invest
heavily in robust social media campaigns. Being your own boss, you can decide how to set your costs and price
accordingly.
Another attractive reason is the low barriers to entry. With low start-up costs and plenty of online resources (like this
one!) to rapidly decrease the learning cure, anyone can launch a freelance social management business within a
short space of time.
I'll tell you my story shortly but first, let's explore the essential skills you'll need to become a great social media
manager..
Fundamental Skills:
Marketing Knowledge
You should have a good grasp of the basic marketing principles. Some education in marketing would be beneficial,
but otherwise you can find many quality resources online.
Experience
3. Your experience doesn't necessarily have to be limited to life experiences. Have you managed your own social media
profiles for a while? Do you know how to effectively maintain your own social accounts and understand what clients
expect?
Sociable
I touched on this at the beginning of the article. If you are not a sociable person - someone who doesn't like
communicating much and isn't very outgoing, then becoming a social media manager just isn't for you. Sure, you can
hide behind a keyword and monitor for a while, but clients will usually want to meet, speak on the phone, or have
Skype sessions at some point.
Project Management
You don't have to have a Prince2 certificate, but you do need to be able to manage projects and your time well. It's
typical for social media manager's to work with multiple clients at any one time. Keeping tabs on everything is
important so that it doesn't get overwhelming.
Technological
Social media exists online. Therefore, you need to have a certain degree of computer literacy. Having good
knowledge of social technology will enhance your services and ensure you are keeping up to date with the latest
social trends and developments.
Interpersonal Skills:
Communication
It kind of goes without saying that if you're going to be representing a company and engaging with their customers,
then you will need to have strong communication skills.
Personality
Companies tend not to want to hire people with no personality to act on behalf of their brand. It doesn't resonate well
with them, or their audiences.
Responsiveness
4. I've touched on this a few times - social media is very fast-paced. Imagine if one of your social assignments was
largely focused on customer service and you didn't respond to customer complaints or queries for weeks. People
online want rapid responses. Being able to fulfil these needs can stand your client (and you!) in good stead.
Entrepreneurial
To become a social media manager in a freelance capacity, you have to be a self-starter. You should be willing to go
the extra mile and take a few financial risks along the way. If you don't land a job that pays enough in one month, how
will this affect you?
Multitasking
A great social media manager must be able to effectively carry out a wide range of tasks.
Organisation
You should always be very well organised when delivering social media management services. I use all kinds of
traditional tools like calendars, white boards and task lists to keep myself organised. I also use many online
organisational tools, such as: Thunderbird for accessing all my email accounts in one place, Dropbox to easily share
documents with clients and bookmarks to keep track of all the websites I frequently visit.
Strategic Thinking
Being able to think campaigns through before they happen and sometimes thinking outside the box when needed,
are great asset to have as a social media manager. Clients tend to want to know how you will do something before
letting you do it, so being able to present a clear and concise strategy is essential.
Flexible (with travel)
Contrary to popular belief, a freelance social media manager has to leave his office sometimes! If this is a problem for
you, then you should think about starting another profession. Nearly every sizeable project I undertake involves
multiple meetings with the client. You should have reasonable pitching skills, as you may be required to sell your
services face to face too, before being hired. You may even opt to take on in-house work.
Wider Skills:
Copywriting
Every good social media manager is a great writer. Writing forms the foundations of many aspects of online
marketing, be it creating ads, writing blogs, engaging with customers, scripting sales copy or writing press releases.
Graphic Design
Pretty much all social media platforms provide the functionality to customise the interface and incorporate your own
branding. If you are sharp with Photoshop (or similar design software), then you are in a good position to offer these
5. services as part of your social media package. Similarly, creating content such as infographics, banners or images is
standard practise for a social media manager.
Advertising
Every social media manager should have sound knowledge of advertising. Be it Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising or
banner advertising, you should know the ins and outs of each discipline and understand how to optimise each format.
PR
Public relations is closely tied to social media marketing, in the sense that both involve managing the spread of
information between a business and the public. You may start out not needing to have a deep knowledge of PR, as it
is typically managed by larger brands who have an interest in persuading stakeholders, investors or the public to
maintain a certain point of view.
Statistical
Everything in marketing should be measured. You should periodically measure and analyse your social marketing
performance and produce reports to your clients to demonstrate your value.
SEO
Understanding how social media affects search engine optimisation will ultimately improve campaign performance. In
2012, there was an average of 5,134,000,000 searches on Google every day. If you think SEO doesn't matter to your
social activities, think again.
Traditional Marketing
Even though you generally won't be involved in traditional marketing practises while undertaking a social media
management role, you should understand how both forms of marketing affect each other and how each can be best
leveraged to complement the other.
Video Editing
This will probably be the least used of your wider skills, but nevertheless it can assist you in your social marketing
positions. I've had a few clients that required presentations or demonstration videos to be edited before being used
within their social media campaigns. I'm for sure no expert, but having a reasonable level of knowledge in using
Windows Movie Maker (or similar video editing software) can turn that video file straight from the camera into a
beautiful, YouTube-ready video.
Even if you possess all the necessary skills to become a social media manager, there is still scope to improve your
services by using different social tools and software. I'll quickly recap on two different pieces of software I use that
may help you in becoming a great social media manager:
6. ● Hootsuite: I wrote an in-depth review of Hootsuite on my blog that also includes a video tutorial which
should provide all the information you will need to know about Hootsuite.
● BuzzBundle: This is my favourite and most valued piece of software I've ever used. I use it mainly to
find keywords around my content subject from across a huge range of blogs, forums and social sites
and stream all this information back to me in one interface. I can then see who is discussing my topic
and jump straight into the conversations to add my two cents.
What You'll Be Expected To Do...
So, what does a social media manager actually do? As you can probably tell by now, the role of a social media
manager is diverse. It's not a case of "Well, I post updates to Facebook." Here are a few general activities that social
media managers will be expected to execute:
Strategy
You will be required to formulate campaign and platform specific strategies that meet the business objectives. You
will create actions plans, content calendars, set metrics and KPIs, undertake various research activities and perform
different types of analysis.
Content Creation
Content creates the foundations of any marketing campaign. How you decide to execute your campaigns will depend
on the different forms of content you produce. As you would have no doubt already heard from someone, content is
king. Believe them.
Community Management
Managing accounts also means managing communities. You should be the go-to person when representing brands
in social domains and continually reach out and engage with your audiences. You will need to constantly strengthen
social relationships in order to develop long-lasting followers.
Audience Building
Marketing to the same people over and over will not widen your scope and social reach. You should be increasing
readership and your level of influence within your target audiences.
Customer Service
Many companies use social media as an instant channel for customer service. You will have to be responsive and
helpful in your social activities, regularly being the first point of contact. You will be representing the brand and
managing their customer perceptions.
Measurement
7. Every effort that consumes investment will need to be measured and analysed. I'vve previously written tutorials that
demonstrate how you can set up your Google Analytics account on my blog.
Reporting
Once your efforts have been measured and analysed, your clients will want to understand how their investment has
performed. This can take the form of visual aids for meetings or digital reports. Reporting is a key ingredient of any
social media manager in order to prove your worth and demonstrate the value you have added to the business.
How I Became A Social Media Manager
I've been active in social media since July 2007. This was before the time of all the latest social marketing tools and
software that nowadays are ingrained into all social marketers everyday life. Resources or tutorials weren't as widely
available that could help speed up the learning curve.
I did find an online course that looked pretty good in teaching me how to turn my social skills that I had been
practising on my own accounts into a fully fledged business. I invested £600 on this online course to learn the basics
and now that some years have passed, I can look back and say the value wasn't all that great, but the ideas were
there. It pushed me to think outside the box and motivated me to start my trajectory towards becoming a social media
manager.
So before I had decided to turn my love for social media and networking into a freelance opportunity, I attended
Brunel University where I completed my BSc and MSc in Business Management. It was at this time when I jumped on
board with the poker boom and started playing online cash games and tournaments. Poker really helped me to
develop my own time management, money management and analysis skills. I always knew I wanted to start my own
business so this was a good platform to get my feet wet. Throughout my time playing poker, I was always engaged in
online social discussions and even wrote a few guest posts for poker sites.
Before I knew it, I was a fully-fledged freelance social media manager...
So to kick-start my freelance social media work, I joined a bunch of freelance sites like Elance, oDesk and
Freelancer. I still use some of them today.
After a few years of freelancing on small one-off projects and developing my social marketing acumen, I was hired by
an online business services company to run their social media campaigns, as well as handle all their own clients
social marketing campaigns. I still work with them today, which just shows the power of forging good working
relationships.
I managed to attract clients in most months for the next few years and each project ended up being pretty diverse
from the next. This allowed me to develop wider skills that I have since found almost a necessity in order to provide a
well-rounded social media marketing service. I mentioned some of these wider skills required to become a great
social media manager towards the middle of this article.
8. I also kept maintaining and building my own social media profiles. It's important to practise what you preach and
showcase your expertise on your own domains. My social profiles have regularly attracted clients, which keeps work
coming in and builds up my networking potential.
I have been writing on my blog for a few years, but only recently updated my site. My own social activities also serve
to build traffic to my sites, where I generate passive income. I like to "listen" to the social environment and engage
with people who are already looking for my content. This serves well in building and strengthening connections, as
well as attracting targeted traffic.
I have also been a keen guest blogger. I believe that writing articles for other relevant blogs only serves to increase
your scope and exposure. Once or twice, I have had my articles featured by online magazines and publications,
which was always nice.
Keeping my ears to the ground and getting myself 'out there' was one of the things I promised myself I would do,
even though I knew the vast majority of my time would be spent in my home office. I tried to regularly meet up with
business connections and clients to make sure they could match an online persona to a real life face. The vast
majority of the time, I even managed to remember my business cards!
A strategy I've always tried to employ while freelancing is to try and turn one client into three. What I mean by that is
word of mouth is the most powerful advertising there is. People do act on solid recommendations that their friends
make. I found that taking as basic an approach as asking clients at the end of projects if they knew anyone who could
benefit from social media marketing, worked out surprisingly well.
As social media is such a dynamic environment with start-ups booming and busting every few months, I knew that it
was essential to keep up to date with social developments. Every so often, a client would ask me to set up profiles or
campaigns on sites that some social media managers would have never heard of. Keeping tuned in enabled me to
have at least some knowledge and experience in using these platforms, which dramatically lowered my learning
curve and ultimately lead to better performing campaigns.
Around a year and a half ago, I decided to broaden by service offerings and set up a web design company with my
business partner. "Thinking Forwards" was born in the summer of 2012. Websites and social media go hand-in-hand,
so this enabled me to up-sell my services both ways.
So that brings me loosely to where I am now. Just to be clear; I have never used paid advertising or SEO for my own
benefit while being a social media manager. My progression came solely through content marketing and guerrilla
marketing tactics.
To Summarise On How I Became A Social Media Manager:
● Joined freelance sites
● Practised what I preached and actively maintained my own social media profiles and blogs
● Kept consistently networking and building my contact lists
● Continually created my own content on my own sites
9. ● Took my content straight to prospects
● Proactively kept asking if people needed my assistance
● Guest blogging and featured articles
● Attended networking events and met up with clients and business contacts
● Tried to turn one client into three
● Kept up to date with new social networks and developments
● Started other initiatives where social media services were complementary
● Never turned down any work or networking opportunities
● Worked long hours, sometimes for small rewards, to build reputation, authority and presence
I thought I would leave you with some final advice from things I have learnt from my own experiences being a social
media manager.
Remember that...
● Sometimes you won't be right for a project, even if you think you are
● It's OK to work for less than your desired amount, if the benefits warrant it
● You won't win every contract, so don't beat yourself up if you get turned down
● Things change really quickly in social media, so you will have to continually adapt
● You never know as much as you think you do!
Starting a career in anything takes time and effort. If you think it's easy to become a great social media manager, then
think again...
I wish you all the best in your future endeavours!
You can start making $200+ daily helping different business managing social media
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Stuart_J_Davidson/1298568