#MarketingTitbits – Snapchat, Google & TED Talks

1. Eight brands experimenting with Snapchat for social marketing
There’s no shortage of people who claim that marketing on Facebook and Twitter is a waste of time and money, but what would they have to say about the latest rise of businesses using Snapchat?

Opinions will always be varied, but it’s no secret that Snapchat can maintain the attention spans of users in ways that other social media platforms could never achieve. The ‘Stories’ feature on the app allows a creative combination of photo and video – here are just a few examples.

Brands like McDonalds, American Eagle, Southampton FC and Sour Patch Kids have all used Snapchat to interact with fans by revealing behind the scenes sneak peeks, giving a glimpse at new collections and running competitions.

If you’d like to see some of the experiments yourself, you can click here.

2. How can you tell if you have a Google penalty?

Have you ever wondered if you’d been penalised by Google in the past? If the answer is yes, then wonder no more. Econsultancy has asked a number of search experts to reveal the signs, so here are a few for you to check your site against.

Some tell of checking flagged messages on Google Webmaster Tools, most often seen as the most straight forward option, but also consider checking for dips in traffic or search rankings. If your website is to steer clear of penalties, it’s important that practices such as link building or the inclusion of thin content are avoided.

To read more tips on how you can protect your website from Google’s penalties, click here.

3. Here’s a TED Talk about sounding smart in a TED Talk

TED Talks are known across the world for delivering engaging speakers who present their ideas and thoughts about any topic possible, with the aim of inspiring people to learn. Such speakers have included Bill Clinton, Stephen Hawking, Jane Goodall, Bill Gates and many more.

Most TED Talks are under 18 minutes long, which could be considered a drag if it wasn’t for the audience being hooked after a few seconds. But, how do they do this? Comedian Will Stephen presents a TED Talk of his own, reiterating the fact that if you sound smart, you could talk about absolutely nothing relatable and still find viewers wanting more.

If you’d like to learn how to control your vocals as a way of engaging listeners, alongside many more tips, you can watch Stephen’s talk by clicking here.