Let’s be real for a moment. The only reason you are on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Snapchat, Flickr, Vine, and all the other social media websites on that never-ending list is really quite simple.
Come in a little closer. I have to whisper this. You’re a narcissist. It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone.
I’m not here to halt any addiction to your potential web fame; I’m here to feed it, fulfill your neuroses, and I’m here to help you stick like super glue to those unhealthy habits. Want to increase your digital fame? It’s all about visibility and engagement. Our geeks and nerds have made it as easy as ever through the development of websites and applications for us non-designers, non-editors, and non-creatives out there. So, how does one go about fulfilling the soul’s narcissistic desire for web popularity? (Hint: see picture below.)
1. Content Like they say, content is king (or shall we say queen?). Write boring material that no one cares about, and you better believe you’ll start losing your following, visibility, and engagement. So, what kind of content is worth engaging in? What’s trending and what’s old news?
Write creative content with the help of Portent’s free idea content generator. Just type in a subject—and bam—it can generate hundreds of topics for you.
Mention is kind of like Google Alerts You’ll receive daily alerts on things you want to monitor, like your company, a product, person, topic, competitor, or even you. It not only tracks mentions from the web, but it also tracks them from social media outlets, videos, and forums.
Topsy allows you to search the social web by topic via links, tweets, photos, videos, and influencers.
Klear provides some pretty nifty free tools to find social media influencers by skill or location. Engaging with influencers and the topics they are discussing ups your chance of becoming known.
2. Design The design of your profile—including your main and header photo—is very important for your brand (you!). Not a design whiz?
Canva is here to the rescue; it is a free and easy-to-use tool that goes way beyond your social media design needs. It’ll help you design not only social media posts and headers, but also e-mail headers, presentations, letterheads, blog graphics, infographics, postcards, invitations, advertisements, and many other items.
3. Hashtags Is Twitter phasing out hashtags? Who knows. But in the meantime, hashtags are still very much in and most definitely increase your chances of being heard.
RiteTag: Unsure of how many or even which hashtags you should be using or which hashtag might produce the highest engagement rates? This website allows you to schedule tweets, view influencers per hashtag and subject, and know your estimated tweet reach before it even goes live. The best part? Once tweeted, insights are available to view the average number of retweets, favorites, or times used per hashtag and tweet.
Keyhole allows you to track a hashtag, keyword, or URL in real time on either Twitter or Instagram. You’ll receive all kinds of stats on the hashtag, including who is using it, how often, and where. Other cool hashtag tools? Check out http://www.hashatit.com/ to search hashtags and http://www.hashtagify.me to view trending hashtags per subject.
4. Images
Tweets with images receive more views, clicks, retweets, and favorites. So, start adding some catchy photos with that boring text of yours.
Meme Generator: It’s now easier than ever to create your own Grumpy Cat Meme. Browse through existing memes and re-caption the image or simply start from scratch with your own original image and caption. Try Spruce with three simple steps. Choose your image and customize it with personalized text. Share, tweet, or download the image for future use.
Have an all-time favorite line from a movie or book? Turn them into pictures here at recite.com Just type in your favorite quote, choose a template, and voila! You can post to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, StumbleUpon, or simply download it for keepings.
Yes. We know Google Images exists. But what if I told you there was a website available with Shutterstock-like quality photos—for free? Check out pixabay.com with almost half a million photos, vectors, and art illustrations –and yes, for free.
But don’t forget to check out this site to get the low-down on all the perfect dimensions to use for the most popular social networking sites, including Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube. Or hey, if you’re incredibly lazy, this this amazing tool will be happy to do all the work for you.
5. Videos
Video content has increasingly become popular with social media outlets like YouTube and Vine on the rise. So, just like with any other social media trend, you best follow suit or be left behind. Not a video editor? Tools like Magisto and Animoto have got you covered. Just pick a template, select your photos, video clips, text, and music—and with just a click of a button, your video is sharable.
Finally, don’t forget to check out SharedCount. Here, you can track how many times your webpage has been shared on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and StumbleUpon.
Unsatisified with any of my suggested websites and applications? Find a stream of alternatives at alternativeto.net.
