Sherrilynne Starkie

MARCH 23, 2020

Hooray for Visme Unleashed! From time to time I get the opportunity to take social media tools and software for a test drive. Such an opportunity came my way recently when Payman Taie, the founder of Visme wrote to me with the offer to try out the newly retooled platform. As I’m always trying to make my visual content better, I jumped at the chance.

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Content Widget Project Overview 320

Sherrilynne Starkie

MARCH 2, 2020

Getting covered by the news media is essential to digital marketing success. Not only does it provide visibility for your company, product or service, it powers most content marketing and social media strategies. Whether your target audience is consumers, businesses or other stakeholders, without having earned media coverage as part of your marketing mix, you’re not realizing your full digital marketing potential.

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News Report Software Badge 404

Sherrilynne Starkie

FEBRUARY 10, 2020

People’s trust in both government and business continues to wane, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer 2020. And, although trust in capitalism is at all-time low, there’s hope. Despite there being little trust in the ethics of businesses and brands, survey respondents said that business is a great deal more competent than government or non-government organizations.

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Survey Compete Forums News 259

Sherrilynne Starkie

JANUARY 9, 2020

The Motley Fool is reporting that Instagram ads are now a significant source of revenue for Facebook, generating an estimated 20 per cent of the company’s total in 2019. That number should climb even higher in 2020, as Facebook continues to improve Stories ads. These are heavily weighted toward Instagram. Here’s why Instagram ads work: Intent.

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Instagram Report Features Engagement 195

Sherrilynne Starkie

DECEMBER 17, 2019

Earlier this year Instagram introduced fact-checking in the US to help identify, review and label false information. Starting today the program goes worldwide, including in Canada. The program means that Instagram’s partners are independently assessing information to reduce the distribution of fake news. When content has been rated as false, Instagram reduces its distribution by removing it from Explore and hashtag pages.

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Instagram News Hashtag Review 195

Sherrilynne Starkie

DECEMBER 13, 2019

Back in December 2007, the Society for New Media Research Symposium did a study into the influence of social media in PR. In the survey of 300 communications professionals, more than half agreed that social media was becoming valuable. Other key findings: 27% reported social media was a core element of communications strategies. 3% said social media had little or no value.

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Social Media Skills Survey ROI 195

Sherrilynne Starkie

DECEMBER 12, 2019

Google is now using machine learning to group top media stories in Google Search and has implemented carousels to improve search relevance and make news easy to access. Searchers now see a carousel of articles at the top of the search results highlighting relevant news. When there are multiple stories related to a search, Google is organizing the results by story.

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News Google Groups Groups 195

Sherrilynne Starkie

SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

# LinkedIn has added a new feature:“Find an Expert”. People can click a button when creating an update to launch a series of options which define the kind of expert needed. LinkedIn will then automatically add relevant # hashtags to the post to help it get more exposure. The feature is currently available within the LinkedIn app on Android and iOS devices.

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LinkedIn Hashtag Features Social Media 30

Sherrilynne Starkie

SEPTEMBER 17, 2019

Great video news for marketers! Facebook has announced new features and metrics for its Live API, Watch Parties and within its Creator Studio. “Rehearsals” via Facebook’s Live API: Page owners will be able to publish Live video only to their Page Admin and editors to test production setups, interactive features and do practice runs. Live video editing and steaming updates: A new trimming tool for Live video is coming and Live broadcast length is expanding from four to e ight hours.

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Features Video API Facebook 39

Sherrilynne Starkie

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

LinkedIn has announced that it’s rolling out Skill Assessments, a new way for users to validate their skills to showcase proficiency and boost discoverability. Early results show candidates who complete LinkedIn Skill Assessments are significantly more likely (~30%) to get. hired, according to LinkedIn’s blog. Each Skill Assessment is constructed through a rigorous content creation and review process in partnership with LinkedIn Learning industry and subject matter experts.

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Skills Badge Construction LinkedIn 39

Sherrilynne Starkie

SEPTEMBER 19, 2019

In the last five years, people have raised over US $2 billion to support the people and causes they care about on Facebook , with $1 billion of that coming from birthday fundraisers alone. By dedicating their special day to a nonprofit organization, people rally their friends and family to support important causes. Over 45 million people have donated to or created a fundraiser on Facebook — which has more than doubled since last November.

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Facebook Organization Features Social Media 37

Sherrilynne Starkie

SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

Facebook has confirmed that its ad Pixel, used to retarget audiences, has suffered an outage that may have impacted standard Pixel events from being logged. Between September 16 & 17, Facebook Pixel stopped logging events for some advertisers , causing reporting errors that, according to Facebook, may have impacted data connected to conversions, Custom Audiences and Dynamic Ads volume.

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Facebook Eventful Advertising Report 42

Sherrilynne Starkie

AUGUST 8, 2019

Lots of social media news out this week and here’s a summary of the top five stories you need to know. 1. Pinterest improves organic reach for retailers. Pinterest has launched a personalized “ shopping hub” that displays at the top of users’ feeds with product recommendations pulled from retailers’ organic ProductPins and Catalog feeds. The image-based network also rolled out an updated shopping section that will display below Product Pins, highlighting Catalog content from the respe

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News Instagram Social Media Retail 186

Sherrilynne Starkie

MAY 30, 2019

Once a month or so Mark Sutcliffe invites me on the PowerLunch. It’s a show where business people discuss the current events and the news stories of the day. Yesterday I joined Mark and Live Work Play Co-Leader Keenan Wellar and we discussed: Robert Muller’s brief statement to media. Ontario high school class sizes. proposed renovations at the Chateau Laurier hotel.

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Hotels Proposal Class Privacy 150

Sherrilynne Starkie

MAY 28, 2019

Google is launching a visual refresh of the mobile search results page designed to increase transparency on the world’s favourite search engine. The new design puts a website’s branding front and center, helping users better understand where the information is coming from. Site owners can learn more about how to choose their preferred icon for organic listings here.

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Mobile Google Paid Search Engineering 150

Sherrilynne Starkie

MAY 21, 2019

Instagram is introducing new designs in Explore to improve the discovery experience. The new navigation bar features shortcuts to IGTV and Shopping followed by topic channels tailored to the user’s interests, such as Food, Art and Travel. “IGTV” and “Shop” shortcuts are pinned to the front of the bar. These changes are a boon to brands looking to build Instagram as a direct sales channel.

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Instagram Travel Features Brands 236

Sherrilynne Starkie

MAY 4, 2019

This week, more than 5,000 developers, creators and entrepreneurs from around the world came together for F8 , Facebook’s annual conference about the future of technology. At the conference, Messenger announced several new products and features to help create closer ties between people, businesses and developers. WhatsApp launched an integrated catalogue where businesses can showcase and sell their goods.

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Wikipedia Facebook Conference Groups 170

Sherrilynne Starkie

FEBRUARY 23, 2019

In 2019 we are experiencing a resurgence in corporate blogging. For the first time in nine years, a greater proportion of Fortune 500 companies use blogs compared to that of Inc. 500 companies, according to new research from Umass Dartmouth. . The blog post below was first published on July 12, 2006, about six months into my blogging journey. In reading it I can remember some of the frustration I was feeling at the time.

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Consultant SEO Communities Review 186

Sherrilynne Starkie

FEBRUARY 14, 2019

Top five social media news stories for marcoms professionals this week feature new innovations for businesses from Facebook, LinkedIn Live video and new features from YouTube and Whats App. 1. Facebook Merges Instagram Direct with Page Inbox, Allows Page Access to Groups. In the next few weeks, Facebook is rolling out Instagram Direct to page inboxes in Brazil and the United States.

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Sherrilynne Starkie

FEBRUARY 14, 2019

Canadian Living is the nation’s most-trusted magazine brand as voted a national survey of 17,000 shoppers. “Trust is vital in an environment that sees customers’ expectations increasing every day, and competition is fierce, so this recognition from Canadians that Canadian Living is their most trusted magazine brand is a badge of honour,” says Lyne Robitaille vice president, TVA Group. “Canadian Living has built that trust through authenticity, ingenuity, dedication

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Badge Fashion Travel Survey 150

Sherrilynne Starkie

FEBRUARY 6, 2019

This week’s top 5 social media news for marketing and communications professionals! We feature the new Facebook Messenger Unsend. See some how-to info for Instagram Messenger. Get information from Facebook on fighting fake news. Learn about Pinterest’s smarter search. See Ottawa’s effective street signage. 1. Facebook’s Messenger Unsend Feature Is Now Available.

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Instagram Construction Fashion Policies 186

Sherrilynne Starkie

JANUARY 28, 2019

Often when someone has a PR problem, they call people like me to help them fix it. More often than not, somebody has done something bad and has been found out. The media are reporting on it. People are talking about it online. Customers stop buying. Share prices fall. Regulators come in. And there could be about a million other bad things that come from getting a bad reputation.

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Facebook Wikipedia Reputation Price 170

Sherrilynne Starkie

JANUARY 22, 2019

This week’s must-know social media news for marketing and communications professionals includes headlines about Facebook’s attempt to clean up, support for journalism from Twitter and Google, the continuing importance of links in SEO and some new, clever features from LinkedIn. 1 Facebook’s Sandberg outlines new plans to tackle misinformation.

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Social Networking News Aggregator Journal 150

Sherrilynne Starkie

JANUARY 21, 2019

Did you take part in the latest Facebook name the 10-year challenge? The idea is for people to post their very first ever Facebook profile pic next to the most recent one. Personally I saw this dozens, maybe hundreds, of times in my Facebook feed over the last week or so, and yes, I certainly took part in it myself. I thought it was a bit of fun. Kate O’Neill a contributor to Wired disagrees.

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Facebook Meme Training Privacy 150

Sherrilynne Starkie

JANUARY 16, 2019

Congratulations to Brad Yetts, our reader competition winner. Late last year Brad entered our competition to win a copy of The Gen Z Frequency: How Brands Tune In and Build Credibility. Gregg L Witt and Derek E Baird co-authored this insightful book. It’s a comprehensive guide to reaching this highly-desirable demographic. It covers marketing strategies such as content creation, engagement and tactics such as social media, experiential and emerging technologies.

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Case Study Study Social Media Strategy 170

Sherrilynne Starkie

JANUARY 3, 2019

The first Top Five must-know social media news of 2019 for communicators and marketers! We include New Year’s predictions and resolutions. We also feature stories about Cookie Monster on Twitter, Facebook Messenger’s dark mode tests and news about possible IPOs. 1. 10+ Marketing Predictions for 2019 From Top Marketers. Marketing gurus Seth Godin, Mitch Joel, Mari Smith, Michael Stelzner offer their predictions for 2019.

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Social Media B2B Analytics Newsletter 150

Sherrilynne Starkie

DECEMBER 21, 2018

According to Edison Research, Canadian podcast audiences tend to spend more than six hours weekly listening to their favourite shows. Podcasts great way to keep on top of social media and industry trends and news. A lot of podcasts are motivational and educational, others are just very entertaining. Here’s a list of the podcasts I’ve been listening to this week: The mindset and discipline to build a brand and business — Lewis Howes on the School of Greatness Podcast.

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News Software Analysis Influencer 170

Sherrilynne Starkie

DECEMBER 13, 2018

This week’s Top Five social media ‘must know’ news stories includes new Facebook search ads, Instagram’s audio messages, Google’s For You tab, YouTube’s Stories and news from Pew Internet Research on media consumption habits. 1. Facebook tests search ads in results pages, Marketplace. Facebook is testing search ads in its search results and Marketplace, according to industry reports.

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Social Media Video YouTube Instagram 150

Sherrilynne Starkie

DECEMBER 4, 2018

When the government announces new funding for a children’s charity there is usually a news release, a press conference and a photo opportunity of some description. The media will break the story. The political opposition will provide a critical soundbite. Spin doctors will provide colour and context. This is how it’s done, right? Source: Facebook. Nope, not anymore.

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Education Hosting News Conference 341

Sherrilynne Starkie

NOVEMBER 15, 2018

The top five must-know social media news stories of the week feature a Google’s new app for small businesses, LinkedIn’s Top Voices list, Facebook welcoming in French regulators, Pinterest’s UX improvements and Instagram’s new time tracking feature. 1. New Google My Business app now available. Google has released an easy-to-use, free tool to helps small business owners reach more people online and connect with their customers through Google.

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News Social Media Health Care LinkedIn 150

Sherrilynne Starkie

NOVEMBER 12, 2018

Here’s a great Instagram infographic! Since 2016, Instagram Stories have been a defining feature of the platform in engaging its 300 million daily users. With this feature users capture, modify and post related images and video content in a slideshow format. On average, users under the age of 25 spend around 32 minutes per day on Instagram. Those in older age groups spend more than 24 minutes per day.

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Instagram Groups Groups Features 230

Sherrilynne Starkie

NOVEMBER 8, 2018

This week’s top five social media must-know news stories feature important retail trends for the run up to the holidays. Google My Business, Snapchat, blended retail, Facebook and Google Assistant all feature. 1. Google My Business rolls out new feature. Google My Business added the ability to announce the date a new business is opening directly in Google Maps and changed how it manages businesses that are within specific service areas.

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Retail Trends Survey Small Business 150

Sherrilynne Starkie

OCTOBER 30, 2018

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for a month, you’re aware that cannabis is now legal in Canada. Marketing and communications professionals are fascinated to see how the promotional aspect of a new, but highly regulated, industry rolls out. Ironically, the burgeoning industry was working with looser regulation before Pot Legalization Day on October 17 th , 2018.

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Marketing Exercises Retail Reputation 186

Sherrilynne Starkie

OCTOBER 25, 2018

Top 5 must-know social media news for the week includes stories about a new Messenger, Soundcloud’s Instagram integration, YouTube’s changed engagement metrics, the fight against fake news and Snapchat’s power with youth demographics. 1. Facebook launches Messenger 4. Facebook is rolling out a new, simplified version of Messenger: Messenger 4.

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News Research Facebook YouTube 225

Sherrilynne Starkie

OCTOBER 23, 2018

Did you know that one daily post to Instagram is the key to growing a massive following? Your follower growth rate can almost double by posting seven times a week. Consistency is crucial. The best results come from regular posting. Instagram is more than just a photo sharing network. Hundreds of millions of people share video-based stories every day.

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Instagram Feed Feedly Publishing 218

Sherrilynne Starkie

OCTOBER 22, 2018

Sometimes getting the first, or lead, paragraph right is the hardest thing about writing a story. Whether it’s a blog post, a short video or podcast or even an opinion column, get it right, and the rest of the content will flow. Remember there are seven main lead sentence styles that can set the scene to draw audiences in. Try writing one or two of these then choose the one that you feel works best.

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News Statistics Survey Report 199

Sherrilynne Starkie

OCTOBER 17, 2018

This week’s must-know social media news includes the YouTube outage, a religious stance on women and social media, Coke’s misstep in New Zealand, Snapchat’s new original programming and Google’s shopping insights. It’s news to keep marketing and communications professionals ahead of the curve. 1. The night that YouTube went dark.

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YouTube Focus Group Google Newsletter 199