How Much Do Social Media Workers Make

If you want to improve your digital marketing , you first need to understand the basic tools that many businesses rely on. Google’s search, analytics, and advertising platforms are among the most popular in this realm. Learn more about these options and more from members of the online small business community below. Learn About the Google Search Landscape Google search is one of the most important online tools for any business. If you want to make the most of it, you need to understand the current trends. This Startup Bonsai post by Nicola Bleu includes stats related to Google search. And BizSugar members shared their thoughts on the post. Get More Ecommerce Sales with These UX Design Tips The user experience of your website can dramatically impact eCommerce sales. Though each site is different, there are some best practices that tend to make a difference. Read this Mind Inventory post by Manoj Rajput for more. Learn the Basics of Google Analytics Before you can improve your

WebProNews Musk: Apple Threatening ‘to Withhold Twitter From the App Store’ Musk may be one step closer to launching his own iPhone competitor, saying Apple has “threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store.” Musk claims to be a free speech advocate. As part of his takeover of Twitter, the new CEO has significantly scaled back the platform’s content moderation. This has led to a major uptick in spam, porn, and hate content. Given such a situation could lead to Twitter eventually being removed from the App Store, and Google’s Play Store, Musk has already threatened to launch his own smartphone if that scenario comes to pass. Read more:   Elon Musk’s Next Business Could Be An iPhone Competitor It appears that scenario may be more likely than predicted, at least if Musk is to be believed. Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won’t tell us why — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022 Only time will tell if Musk’s confrontation

WebProNews Twitter Exec Fights Back, Gets Court Injunction Against Being Fired At least one Twitter exec isn’t accepting Musk’s ultimatum to commit to an “extremely hardcore” environment or quit, not without a fight. Musk sent employees an email giving them an ultimatum , requiring them to commit to long hours, had work, and an “extremely hardcore” work environment. The email only had one option, “Yes,” with a failure to select it being considered a resignation. According to The Irish Times , Twitter executive Sinead McSweeney, global vice-president for public policy, has successfully secured a temporary injunction against being fired. McSweeney says that since she chose not to reply to the email, Twitter has been treating her like she no longer works for the company. McSweeney has reportedly been locked out of all access to the company, both physical and digital. Twitter claims McSweeney was told she had accepted a severance package, but she disputes the claim. The exec

WebProNews Elon Musk’s Next Business Could Be An iPhone Competitor Elon Musk is already eyeing his next business, threatening to make an iPhone and Android competitor if Twitter is removed from app stores. Twitter is in the midst of a massive upheaval following Musk’s buyout of the company. The tech mogul has slashed the moderation team, leading to reports of increased hate speech on the platform. The situation has caused some to wonder what would happen of Twitter’s issues eventually lead to it being removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Musk has weighed in with his plans: I certainly hope it does not come to that, but, yes, if there is no other choice, I will make an alternative phone — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2022 It’s hard to imagine what a Musk-owned phone would be like. Despite his companies’ innovations, they are hardly consumer-friendly. For example, Tesla’s paid over-the-air updates are credited with being the inspiration for o

Your small business wouldn’t be where it is today without your valued customers. The holiday season and new year can be an ideal opportunity to say thank you and show your appreciation. If you’re looking for ways to say thank you for supporting my small business , here are some ideas. Why Is It Important to Thank Loyal Customers? Thanking customers can be an easy way to foster business loyalty. If you show your appreciation in a tangible way, customers may be more likely to continue purchasing from your business and interacting with your content or initiatives. Top Examples of Small Business Thank You Message to Customers If you’re looking to build customer loyalty and show your appreciation to your customers, the following ideas may help. Some may work specifically for long-time clients, while others can appeal to both new and returning customers. Here are some ideas and templates to get you started. 1. Thanks for Supporting My Small Business Expressing gratitude doesn’t have t

This is a guest post by Marleen Martinez , a copywriter and content creator specializing in the Orlando film and entertainment Industry, who is also a member of AWAI's GRO Business Incubator.   [Alternate title] The Sky Is Falling! (Pricing Nightmares of the Monetarily Tongue-Tied) Picture this: I; a frankly funny and cheerful business owner. Them; potential clients with what looks to be an exciting and challenging product or service. Everything is going great! And then the horrible money monster rears its head. My throat closes up, my palms and armpits break out in a cold sweat, and my mind blanks as I forget all the lessons I’ve learned about dealing with the money question. I blurt out a number after the fifth time I’m asked about my prices and the moment I do I know I screwed myself because the workload is too high for the amount I am quoting. But the client is insulted anyway at the amount I asked for. “You charge too much!” they say, flailing their arms about like my grandm

WebProNews Jack Dorsey’s New Social Media Company Off to a Strong Start Amid Musk’s takeover of Twitter, its founder is attempting to launch a second act in the social media space. Jack Dorsey has  been vocal in his belief  that Twitter should never have become a company, wishing it had remained a protocol instead. This would have allowed the the service to be used by a variety of apps and platforms, without centralized control being in the hands of a single company. According to  Business Insider,  Dorsey’s Bluesky Social website says it aims to create “a new foundation for social networking which gives creators independence from platforms, developers the freedom to build, and users a choice in their experience.” It appears the new company is off to a strong start, with a recent tweet stating it had 30,000 signups in two days for its waiting list. Wow. 30k signups for our app’s waiting list in the last two days! Thanks for the overwhelming interest, we’ll do our be

Press releases are a valuable tool for small businesses aiming to improve their recognition, credibility, reach, and revenue. No wonder, companies are investing in several PR strategies and working with press release distribution services to get the most out of their PR efforts. The best press release distribution services allow small businesses to release recent updates and news stories to a targeted audience at an affordable cost. However, with so many choices in the market, it can be difficult to choose the right one for your business. This is especially true if your business is super-focused on a specific niche. In this post, we have shared top press release distribution services to scale your PR and comms operations. 1. Cision PR Newswire Cision PR Newswire is a distributor of press releases service that helps businesses reach their target audience and gain maximum media visibility. Since it connects brands with the right set of influencers across various media platforms an

WebProNews Twitter’s Death Spiral? Employees Flee Over Musk’s Ultimatum. Twitter is in trouble as employees are leaving en masse in response to Elon Musk’s ultimatum that they commit to a “hardcore” environment. Elon Musk has stirred up one controversy after another, laying off half the company’s workforce, eliminating remote work , messing with account verification , raising the price of Twitter Blue, and putting a potential bankruptcy on the table . Most recently, according to The Washington Post , Musk gave employees an ultimatum via email, saying they would need to commit to a new way of doing things, one that “will need to be extremely hardcore.” “This will mean working long hours at high intensity,” he added. “Only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade.” Musk said that any employees willing to commit to the new way of doings things should click “Yes” in the email he sent — the only option in the email. “If you are sure that you want to be

And now for something a little different... Today’s episode of the Marketing Mentor Podcast is a short clip from the most recent Office Hours, a monthly live (and very interactive gathering) that has become the centerpiece of the Simplest Marketing Plan, the framework I teach (and sell in the Marketing Mentor Shop -- 2023 version coming next week!). In fact, on Cyber Monday, I hope you will join me and my guest (and long time client), copywriter, Bob Bly, for a free live event to launch the new "SMP" for 2023 with a one-day deal and amazing bonuses. That’s live on Cyber Monday Nov 28 at 12-1 PM ET. Sign up here Now, on to The Big Idea from Office Hours.... It has to do with the idea of embracing what's invisible. And when I say what's invisible, I mean our own growth, the growth that's happening that we don't notice, as well as the often invisible impact you're having on the world, on your market. There are things happening behind the scenes that

WebProNews Senators Want the FTC to Investigate Twitter’s Security and Take Action US senators are asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Twitter’s security in the wake of mass layoffs. Since Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, the new CEO has laid off roughly half the staff . The security team has likewise suffered significant losses, including among its leadership. According to ABC News , senators are asking FTC chair Lina Khan to investigate the social media company to ensure it is meeting its security commitments and abiding by consumer-protection laws. The senators want to ensure there are not “any breaches or business practices that are unfair or deceptive.” In particular, the lawmakers are concerned over agreements Twitter has with the government that were made in the wake of previous data security issues. According to the letter they sent to Khan, the senators expressed concerned that Musk “has taken alarming steps that have undermined the integrity

WebProNews Twitter May Roll Out End-to-End Encryption for Direct Messages Twitter is the latest platform interested in end-to-end encryption (E2EE), reportedly looking to roll it out for Direct Messages. E2EE is a common feature in most major communication apps, such as Signal, WhatsApp, iMessage, and Google’s RCS messages. E2EE protects communications, ensuring only the sender and recipient can read them. According to BGR , Twitter is working to implement E2EE in Direct Messages. While the company originally began working on the feature in 2018, it never actually implemented it. The renewed interest in E2EE was uncovered by Jane Manchun Wong, a well-known app researcher. Wong discovered references to the feature in code for the Android Twitter client. Interestingly, Elon Musk replied to Wong’s tweet with a winking emoji. There’s not official word on the feature, and certainly no release date, but E2EE will be a welcome upgrade whenever it debuts. Twitter is bri

Building a career as a mortgage lender can be incredibly rewarding — both for financial gain and satisfaction. But it can feel intimidating when you’re first starting, especially when there are other well-established professionals around you. However, there are gaps in the market that can make your unique approach to lending stand out. Start by considering why you got into the lending business in the first place. Did you have a lending experience that went awry, making the prospect of changing the lending game one that stuck? Or perhaps you love real estate and want to be part of your client’s home ownership story. No matter your career motivations, there are several ways to grow your business and thrive as a lending professional. 1. Offer the Best Customer Experience Walk through your customer’s potential paths to your services to identify opportunities for improvements and enhancements. Consider search engine discovery, referrals, and in-person exposure. Establish consistency ac

WebProNews Elon Musk Kills Remote Work at Twitter The changes at Twitter keep on rolling in, with new boss Elon Musk killing off remote work in an email to staff. Like many tech companies, Twitter embraced remote and hybrid work during the pandemic and has kept those policies in place as things have returned to normal. The writing was on the wall, however, with few tech bosses being more anti-remote work than Elon Musk. According to Bloomberg , Musk has killed remote work in his first email to Twitter staff. He said there was “no way to sugarcoat the message” and said the economic headwinds required new rules, including that all employees be in the office at least 40 hours a week. Musk he would consider any exceptions on a case-by-case basis. Musk made clear that one of the company’s primary goals should be eliminating spam/bot accounts. “The road ahead is arduous and will require intense work to succeed,” Musk wrote. In another email, he said that “over the next few

WebProNews Twitter Reportedly Letting Contract Workers Go Twitter’s personnel cuts continue, with the company reportedly letting contractor workers go over the weekend. Since purchasing the company, Elon Musk has been slashing Twitter’s workforce , laying off roughly half of the company’s employees. According to Platformer’s Casey Newton, the personnel cuts have now hit Twitter’s contractors around the world. Getting word that a large number of number of Twitter contractors were just laid off this afternoon with no notice, both in the US and abroad. Functions affected appear to include content moderation, real estate, and marketing, among others — Casey Newton (@CaseyNewton) November 13, 2022 Only time will tell if further cuts will come. Given that Musk has said even bankruptcy is on the table , nothing would be surprising. Twitter Reportedly Letting Contract Workers Go Staff * This article was originally published here

This is a guest post by  Rebekah Mays ,  the owner of  Thrive Copywriting . She helps sustainable and purpose-driven brands grow their leads and sales through SEO content strategy and writing. You can learn more about her and her growing community of conscientious marketers at  www.thrivecopywriting.com . Bamboo.   It’s one of the fastest growing plants in the world. Some bamboo species can grow up to three feet in one day. Crazy, right? But bamboo doesn’t start out this way.   In fact, the first year a bamboo plant is put into the ground, nothing much seems to be happening.   To the naked eye, the growth is invisible. But the growth is there. It’s just underground, while the plant’s root system is developing. Each year, the new bamboo plant puts out new “shoots.” Each of these shoots puts out new shoots of their own. A few years later after planting, a whole bamboo grove has formed. By then, the growth is visible and obvious to everyone who walks by. Under the surface In the

Happy Hanukkah to all of our small business friends! As the holiday season approaches, Hanukkah reminds us to celebrate perseverance and hope. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of 47 Hanukkah messages for small businesses to use in their holiday marketing efforts. Let’s get started! Hannukah: The Festival of Lights Explained Hanukkah, also known as the Jewish Festival of Lights, is a holiday that celebrates the victory of the Jewish people over their oppressors in ancient times. The happy holiday greeting “Hanukkah Sameach,” meaning “Happy Hanukkah,” is commonly exchanged among friends and family during this time. During Hanukkah, a menorah with nine candle holders is lit each night for eight nights, with one candle lit on the first night, two on the second, and so on. In addition to lighting Hanukkah candles and giving gifts, traditional foods such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) are eaten. With its rich traditions and symbolism, Hanukkah offers a chan

WebProNews Elon Musk Says a Twitter Bankruptcy Is on the Table Elon Musk has dropped a bombshell on employees, saying a Twitter bankruptcy was not out of the question. Since his purchase of the social media platform, Musk has conducted mass layoffs , fired top executives, let much of the moderation team go, made an utter mess of the platform’s verification system, killed off remote work and, to top it all off, is now saying the company could go bankrupt. Zoë Schiffer, Platformer’s Managing Editor, shared the news via Twitter: Wow. Elon Musk just told Twitter employees he’s not sure how much run rate the company has and “bankruptcy isn’t out of the question.” — Zoë Schiffer (@ZoeSchiffer) November 10, 2022 While the company hasn’t made a profit since 2019, things seem to be taking a major downturn since Musk took over. The company has lost some of its biggest advertisers over concerns about an increase in hate speech since Musk’s purchase, raising further doubt a

WebProNews Mastodon Experiences Massive Growth After Musk/Twitter Deal Decentralized, open source social network Mastodon has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition. Mastodon is a social media network popular in open source circles. The network is open source itself, as well as decentralized. This puts it more inline with what Jack Dorsey believes Twitter should have become. It appears many users may agree with Dorsey, as Mastodon has seen a tremendous uptick in users since Musk took over Twitter, passing 655,000 users. https://twitter.com/joinmastodon/status/1588168057893318657?s=20&t=LZ-ZzmZRUZ3BqqBxEUWoBA Users interested in making the move can learn more here . Mastodon Experiences Massive Growth After Musk/Twitter Deal Staff * This article was originally published here

WebProNews Twitter Loses Oreo Maker Over an Increase in Hate Speech Twitter continues to lose advertisers in the wake of Elon Musk’s takeover, the latest being Mondelez International, the makers of Oreo cookies. Musk has claimed to be a major free speech proponent. In one of this first moves as Twitter’s new owner, the tech mogul slashed the moderation team. As a result, there has been a significant uptick in hate speech on the platform and it is scaring advertisers away. “What we’ve seen recently since the change on Twitter has been announced, is the amount of hate speech increase significantly,” Mondelez CEO Van de Put told Reuters . “We felt there is a risk our advertising would appear next to the wrong messages. “As a consequence, we have decided to take a pause and a break until that risk is as low as possible,” he added. General Mills, United Airlines Holdings, and various automakers have also suspended advertising on the platform in a blow to Musk’s attempts t

WebProNews Elon Musk Plans to Suspend Impersonating Accounts on Twitter Elon Musk says Twitter accounts that impersonate others will be permanently suspended unless they are clearly marked as parody accounts. Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying “parody” will be permanently suspended — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 6, 2022 Musk makes clear that, while Twitter previously warned impersonating accounts before suspension, they will no longer receive a warning since the platform is “rolling out widespread verification.” It seems that Musk’s threats may be in response to celebrities changing their names to “Elon Musk” and mocking the tech mogul’s actions, including laying off much of the content moderation team, laying off workers, and charging more for Twitter Blue. Needless to say, Musk is already being criticized, especially given his adamant pro-free speech stance. Elon Musk Plans to Suspend Impersonating Accounts

WebProNews Twitter Users Fleeing the Platform Following Musk’s Buyout Twitter has a retention problem, with more than one million users leaving the platform. Musk’s Twitter takeover has been rocky, to say the least. Some of its top executives have been fired or resigned, content moderation has been scaled back, and major changes have been made to the verification process . Amid the changes, it appears the platform is dealing with a mass exodus, according to MIT Technology Review . Citing data from firm Bot Sentinel, some 877,000 accounts were deactivated. What’s more, an additional 497,000 accounts were suspended. This is roughly twice the normal number for the period analyzed. Read more: Mastodon Experiences Massive Growth After Musk/Twitter Deal “We have observed an uptick in people deactivating their accounts and also Twitter suspending accounts,” says Christopher Bouzy, Bot Sentinel’s founder. “We believe the uptick in deactivations is a result of people ups

If your palms sweat when someone asks, “What do you charge?” this episode is for you. In Episode #458 of the Marketing Mentor Podcast , I had my third in what is clearly now a series of chats with writer and coach, Austin L. Church , who has some very interesting ideas about the limiting beliefs we hold about money and how it affects the pricing of your freelance services.   We both agree that money is complicated, especially for creative professionals trying to earn a living from their creativity. But it doesn’t have to be that way and in this encore episode, Austin shares his take on pricing your creative services. (BTW his take is similar to mine – but different enough that you’ll learn something new, which is the point, right?)  I forgot to ask Austin about a baby step so I’ll give you mine – use practice prospects to get in the habit of practicing this conversation when the stakes are low. That way, you can, little by little, let go of this heavy money baggage and ask for (a