Tag Archives: tips and tricks

How To Build An Effective Hashtag Campaign

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Hosting

The post How To Build An Effective Hashtag Campaign appeared first on HostGator Blog | Gator Crossing . Hashtags have slowly become a part of the popular culture, especially the digital culture. Over time they’ve grown to become a central part of an effective social media campaign. However, if you’re just getting started with using hashtags they can be overwhelming, and frankly a bit confusing. Once you get the hang of using hashtags it will get much easier, but it’s important to know the basics so you have a better chance at running an effective campaign from the start.   What Is A Hashtag? In a way, hashtags can be seen as keywords. They allow for the aggregation of information that’s all based around a certain topic. Originally, hashtags were used by Twitter as a way to categorize their messages. Since their inception hashtags have grown across other platforms as well, including Instagram, Flickr, Vine, and more recently Facebook. For instance, if you’re posting a picture of a tasty cup of coffee on Instagram, you may tag that picture with the hashtag #coffeelove. Or, if you’re posting a picture of a beautiful sunset, you could use the hashtag #sunset. Of course, hashtags apply to more than just pictures. In order to utilize the power of hashtags for your business it’s crucial you create your own. You may be able to reach new followers by hopping on existing hashtags, but to truly create the buzz you’re looking for you’ll want to get creative. A successful hashtag campaign will help to build awareness for your brand or business, or even promote certain contests or giveaways you might be running.   Rules For An Effective Hashtag Campaign The most effective hashtags are short, sweet and inspire action. To get to that point it’s going to take a little work, but it’ll be well worth it.   1. Be Unique, But Not Too Unique When you’re creating your own hashtag you’ll want to make sure it’s unique and memorable. If you already have a company hashtag you’ll want to improvise on this to show association, but still have enough difference so it stands out. When it comes to length try not to overcomplicate things. Face it, no one will remember a hashtag that’s a sentence long, but it will also be hard to differentiate from other tags if it’s only a few letters long. Finding the right balance is crucial. Your hashtag also needs to be relevant to the campaign you’re trying to run. For example, if you’re trying to create a hashtag around an event make sure the hashtag alludes to what the event is actually about. Once you’ve come up with a unique, catchy, easy to remember, and slightly descriptive hashtag, then it’s time to move on.   2. Use It Across Multiple Channels As was mentioned earlier, hashtags are useful across multiple social media platforms. When you’re executing your campaign you’ll want to have a presence on the social media platforms your audience hangs out at. People use different social media platforms for different purposes, but your hashtag can help weave a thread back to your business throughout all these seemingly disparate networks. This will help your hashtag get more exposure across more social channels, which will increase the likelihood of your campaign catching fire. Secondly, this will help people remember your hashtag, as they’ll be exposed to it in multiple settings.   3. Always Research First You’d hate to tweet your super unique, extremely creative hashtag only to realize that another person has been using the hashtag for an entirely different purpose. This would not only be detrimental to the success of your campaign, but could also result in serious customer backlash. It’s always worth it to spend time researching potential hashtags to see what comes up. Make sure you check across multiple platforms as well. By doing this beforehand you could avoid a seriously embarrassing incident for your company.   Overall, an effective hashtag campaign is all about using a memorable hashtag at the right time, all in service of your customers. The steps above will get you going in the right direction.   Photo Credit: quinn.anya via compfight web hosting Continue reading →

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Fighting Spam On Your Social Ads

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Hosting

The post Fighting Spam On Your Social Ads appeared first on HostGator Blog | Gator Crossing . The world of social media is supposed to be just that – social. It’s a place where people can freely speak their mind about a product, brand, or their favorite cat (we’re looking at you Grumpy cat). This can be amazingly wonderful for some advertisers, but then it can also be their worst enemy. This post will cover the negative effects of social on social (Twitter and Facebook) ads and how you can fight them.   Twitter The most common type of spam on Twitter originate from fake accounts posting affiliate links or links to their products. These users are essentially riding the curtails of legitimate advertisers in order to get some visibility for free. How effective is this for them? We don’t know. Another type of spam comes from upset users. Although we all try our best to provide the absolute best products available, there will always be someone that is unsatisfied for some reason. These users can be very vocal about their opinions on social channels, even attempting to hijack otherwise civil threads with hate comments. Fortunately with Twitter, you’ll be able to see comments on any of your posts coming through your notifications. So if you’re watching your notifications, you’ll be able to quickly identify spam. The downside is that you can’t delete any of these comments, deserved or not. You can mark them as spam, but the chance of them being removed is very slim. For Twitter, you really have two options. Leave the tweet alone and hope the spam doesn’t get noticed Delete the tweet and recreate it in the campaign The second option is one of the worst options because, as many advertisers will know, Twitter rewards engagement. So if you have a tweet that has a lot of favorites and retweets, the tweet will tend to show more often. Although, Twitter does reward freshness, so it is overall a balancing act and a judgement call.   Facebook If you’re using Facebook’s “Boost Post” option, your ads are your posts on your page and you can easily filter through the posts with comments. However, if you’re using dark posts , then this is a much more involved process. Similar to Twitter, the most comment type of spam is affiliate links, product links, and even profile or page links. On Facebook, these can be deleted and abusive users easily banned. The next type of spam essentially consists of generally nonsensical, but positive comments. Mostly these are emojis and smiley faces. There are rumors that some fake accounts are created for specific purposes and these users click / comment in order to appear active. While we can’t verify this information, we aren’t going to usually delete the positive messages. Currently, Facebook doesn’t notify page administrators of comments on ads. However, they do notify for likes, which seems slightly backwards. However, here are 3 methods of finding your comments on newsfeed and mobile ads. 1. Manually Go Through Each Campaign I generally separate ad sets by display type. This makes it easier to go through all ads in these ads set in the campaign manager. The process is listed below: Click ad name so a view of the ad will drop down Look at view of ad to see if there are any comments If there are comments, click “Ad Preview” If this has a newsfeed element, you can click “View in Newsfeed” This will open the demo in your newsfeed and you can click comments Remove spam as needed   2. Manually Save Links To Add in Spreadsheets This is a tedious process, especially for those that create a lot of ads. To start, you’ll need to complete the steps in number 1 above. Then follow these: In the demo view, hit the arrow on the top right of the post Click save post Go to your saved posts (you can get there by clicking this link ) Click the post Copy URL and put in spreadsheet Delete saved post The reason you have to delete the saved post is because you can only save one post per page.   3. Power Editor To The Rescue This is the most efficient method I have discovered thus far. If you haven’t used the power editor before, don’t worry; it’s really pretty easy for mass edits. This helps grab all the posts you need (and the post IDs), and start viewing the posts. Here’s the process you’ll need. Visit power editor ( click here ) Download your ad account Click the active section on the left for campaigns to grab just the active campaigns Select all campaigns (if you filtered ad sets by display then you can select all those ad sets) Click the export import button on the top. (Button has two arrows) Choose Export Selected or Export All Open the downloaded document Play with the data until you have the “Ad ID” of your newsfeed and mobile ads Ad ID looks similar to a:602000000000 Move these to a different document / spreadsheet / tab Do a replace with CTRL + F to replace a: with https://www.facebook.com/?feed_demo_ad= Your results will look like a string of lines similar to https://www.facebook.com/?feed_demo_ad=602000000000 If you notice in the spreadsheet, there’s a “Preview Link” column. I have not yet been able to successfully see the newsfeed links by using this. That’s why I suggest appending the Ad IDs to the URL above. This process makes it easier to run through the list in a few minutes to go through the comments. If you wish to have multiple people, you’ll need to have them listed at least as an Analyzer on the Facebook account so that they can see the demo links.   Conclusion Remember, not all of the comments and tweets on your ads are spam. Do keep an eye out for general support requests and other beneficial interactions as well. It is always important to be responsive and helpful via your social channels. If you have your own suggestions about fighting spam on your social ads, let us know the comments below! web hosting Continue reading →

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Looking Into The Past To Predict The Future: The History Of The Internet

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Hosting

The post Looking Into The Past To Predict The Future: The History Of The Internet appeared first on HostGator Blog | Gator Crossing . In a digital era where connectivity and technology are terms as ubiquitous as food and water, it’s easy to take the Internet for granted and not pay it any more mind beyond your latest tweet. In fact, relatively few people really understand what the Internet is, no less the origins of the world wide web or how it has grown over time to reach its current capabilities. Although this information might strike you as irrelevant, it might be wise to take minute and learn the basics just as you should understand the fundamentals of a car, considering that the Internet will undoubtedly be the tool that defines the 21st century.   Birth of “The Net” Conceptualization – The Internet was conceived in 1962 by J.C.R. Licklider of MIT as a “Galactic Network” that would connect a group of computers so they may access data and programs regardless of where a single computer was located. Experimentation – After MIT researchers Leonard Kleinrock and Lawrence G. Roberts expanded upon Licklider’s idea and theorized the feasibility of such an invention, they managed to successfully link two computers from Massachusetts to California via a low speed dial-up telephone line in 1965. Development – By 1968 the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, guided the technology and its development under the project name ARPANET and honed the boarder aspects of the project, such as its structural and technical parameters, architectural designs, and key components like the Interface Message Processors (IMP). Inception – After the very first host computer was connected to the first node at UCLA in 1969, the Stanford Research Institute connected and host-to-host messaging was born. Following this with the addition of two nodes that dealt with application visualization projects, four host computers were connected to ARPANET. Sophistication – As more and more computers were added to the network, function and utilization was the focus for improvements. Software was subsequently devised and the Network Control Protocol (NCP) was implemented, thus leading to the need for more applications. In 1972, the budding network saw its culmination in the construction of the ultimate coordination tool– electronic mail. Integration – Soon the ultimate goal of ARPANET turned to incorporating other separate networks through the foundational idea of Internetworking Architecture where they may be independently designed for a unique interface. This would be referred to as “internetting” and throughout the late ‘70s and early 80’s there would be extensive development of LANS, PC’s and workstations that would not just lead to more networks, but to more modifications of the initial model. Evolution – As the Internet grew, so did the progressive management issues; in particular were the router insufficiencies, the transition to the Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol, and problems regarding a single table for every host after they all were assigned names for easier public use. This latter was accommodated by the creation of the Domain Name System (DNS) that would mitigate the task by properly distributing hierarchical host names into Internet addresses. Mainstream – By the mid 90’s, the Internet was a respected and well-supported technology that was embraced not only by those in the research communities, but the mainstream masses for personal communicative uses too.   What Brought About the World Wide Web Documentation – One of the key factors in the successful building of the Internet into what it is now was the free promotion and sharing of research and data. The new, dynamic, and real-time exchange of knowledge was critical to the concept of an online, interconnected community. Community – Though the Internet was established by those in academia, it was the efficient transmittance of ideas that allowed the common man to become engaged and help build it with his public presence. By creating a widespread community, they also created a widespread dialogue and their peer-to-peer relationships helped drive the technology forward. Commercialization – As vendors began to supply the network products, and the service providers the internet connections, we have seen a shift in the popular demand that now treats the technology much like a physical commodity due to the systemic use of browsers and search engines and the World Wide Web for commercial purposes.   Tool of The 21st Century What once began as a data communications network and evolved into a global information infrastructure is now a technology that manifests itself in every person’s life. It dictates how we communicate as a society, how we learn, and how we will continue to evolve. You should take credence in the fact that knowing this brief history will help you understand the trajectory we are all on as a globalized, interconnected people. web hosting Continue reading →

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What Is A Dark Post On Facebook?

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Hosting

The post What Is A Dark Post On Facebook? appeared first on HostGator Blog | Gator Crossing .   The featured image on this article is not a post that you will find anywhere on the  HostGator Facebook Page .  But yet many people have seen it. How? The answer: Dark Posts.   Dark Post – What Is It? According to the definition from Google, a dark post is the following: An  unpublished post  is a status update, link share, video or photo that was never meant to be shared as an organic post. Staying true to its name, it’s never published but is only surfaced as an ad. Basically, it’s a Facebook post that you control exactly who sees it through ads. If you have seen the main image on this page on Facebook, then that means you have seen one of our dark posts targeting you.   Why Dark Post? The purpose of these posts are to create a message for a specific goal without cluttering up the newsfeed for those who would see it as irrelevant. For example, if you’re trying to sell your services and all of your followers already use your services, then it wouldn’t make sense for them to see an ad on their newsfeed for your services. However, you still want to post a message for selling your services to drive sales. This is where dark posts come into play. You can create a dark post with a message to sell your services and use that to advertise to your target market.   How To Create A Dark Post On Facebook Facebook has a video on creating dark posts and you can find it  here . Unfortunately, this video is very outdated. The power editor no longer looks like it did in the video. This walkthrough will show you how to create a dark post so that you can  put Facebook to work for your business . Please note , we will be using Google Chrome because the power editor doesn’t work in other browsers.   1. Visit the Facebook Power Editor.  https://www.facebook.com/ads/manage/powereditor/   2. Click “Download to Power Editor” and choose the choose the advertising account you wish to download. For many of you, there will only be one option. For those who manage accounts for multiple clients, make sure you select the correct account. You don’t want one client paying for the ads of another.   3. Select the + sign under Campaigns.   4. Determine the Campaign Name, Buying Type (I always choose auction), and the Objective. The Objective is what you’re trying to achieve with your ad (Generate leads, get website traffic, increase page likes, etc)   5. Now that you’ve created your Campaign, click the Ads tab   6. Click the + sign again to create an ad   7. Select the campaign you just created, create an ad set, and then name your ad. (You can also create your campaign from this point if you’d like)   8. In the Creative tab, you can choose the Facebook Page that you wish to use for the ad and the post.   9. Once you’ve selected the page, under Page Post, click the + at the right.   10. From here you can choose the Post Type: Link, Photo, Video, Status, Offer. For this example, we’ll create a Link. I’ve set one up just for this article.   11. Be sure to choose the option “This post will only be used as an ad”. It should already be selected but make sure it’s there.   12. Review your post.   Now that you’ve created your post, you can begin to use it for your ads. This article does not cover how to create ads and how to target customers but the opportunities are virtually endless. To get started, check out this article on  basic Facebook ads . Be sure to come back to the blog as we will add more articles about more advanced Facebook methods such as targeting and optimization.   Hopefully we have shed light on what a dark post is and you have found this information valuable. If you have any other questions about Facebook, please let us know in the comments. We will be more than happy to write about what you want to know. web hosting Continue reading →

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Beyond Web Hosting: The Content Delivery Network

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Hosting

The post Beyond Web Hosting: The Content Delivery Network appeared first on HostGator Blog | Gator Crossing . Have you ever wondered how some of those more popular web sites manage to deliver their content to you so quickly and so reliably – no matter where the company is located and no matter where you happen to be connected? In many cases, the answer is not one gigantic server with huge Internet bandwidth. It’s more likely to be the use of a content delivery network (CDN). If your own web presence is starting to generate serious interest and traffic, especially from different parts of the world, it may be a solution that makes sense for you in order to supply your content to a growing number of fans or customers.   Like Web Hosting but Multiplied Up A CDN works in a similar way to a single web hosting installation, but replicates your website data on multiple servers. These servers are distributed geographically to increase proximity with visitors to your website. Some CDNs focus on certain regions. Others claim worldwide coverage – the biggest CDNs can have thousands of servers, all automatically configured to serve the end-users that are the physically closest to them. Smaller distances mean fewer hops, less latency and faster overall transmission. Higher numbers of servers mean that end-users are less likely to see delays when trying to access a very popular site, because the load is shared out between the replicating hosts.   What do CDNs Do Best? CDNs can work well with static web content, including text and images. However, their effect is often most noticeable in video transmission. When videos are streamed from a local CDN server to a user, latency can be minimized and good video replay quality can be achieved, with the stop/start or jitter that occurs when large numbers of remote users all access the same central server. Other benefits include resilience of content delivery in case part of the Internet experiences problems, and robustness against attacks such as denial of service. For example, if you think you’d like to be the new YouTube or Vimeo on the net, a CDN could be a useful or even essential part of your plan.   Smart Technology Some CDNs are smarter still. Not only do they recognize which users should be served from which local node when they type in the domain name of the website in question, but they also intelligently compress and pre-load data. The compression techniques can be high-performance yet without loss (important for transferring many large data files). The pre-loading relies on a statistical analysis of which website content is the most popular or most frequently downloaded in a given sequence. The CDN node will send the next webpages in the sequence at the same time as the first webpage requested by the user. If the user then navigates to the next page in the sequence (which has a good probability of happening), the content is already present on the user’s computer and ‘flashes up’ immediately.   When Would You Start Using a CDN? If you currently attract so many users to your site that performance and/or network bandwidth are becoming bottlenecks, CDNs may be worth investigating. They may be a less expensive yet more effective option compared to trying to beef up your central web hosting. A ‘CDN aggregator’ company may be able to help by modeling your traffic and your requirements, and identifying the best deal among the CDNs available. Such aggregators may even offer a dynamic ‘mix and match’ service, continually selecting the most favorable CDN for your requirements. This often assumes of course that you accept to sign up with the aggregator as the intermediary for providing this service.   ***** Author Bio: Natalie Lehrer is a senior contributor for CloudWedge . In her spare time, Natalie enjoys exploring all things cloud and is a music enthusiast. Follow Natalie’s daily posts on Twitter: @ Cloudwedge , or on Facebook .   Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ttdesign/343167590/in/photolist-wjPLA-7Be85n-rbCWW-aQf21D-7KjZjr-7zDWzv-6aw5Lh-8MDbrZ-5KpNhE-7XMuAD-6cGrgu-89Tw5Q-6nt5X1-5LVP4E-84s4zk-hQ5CiF-7BS33u-ELx7g-9zVHaR-7YQdNq-fqcg29-gRu2rU-ht66k-6HPouy-6z8pej-jkgYmp-7H54Kk-8ZVktv-6B3s58-8MtWqu-dbvTz6-fD4Ngx-8fPKrA-7WBuA2-89TsG5-4RDokh-cjL6F5-bccJFK-6whmkD-nqmnkC-7znbaU-5y9Lmn-8WgR9s-eVRB9u-3XBxv-dN9oWd-cnJHKG-7Rb4Yp-9mg1XN-cjKJeu web hosting Continue reading →

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