7 Ways to Use Facebook to Save Money | Dramel Notes

You might think of Facebook as just a way to keep in touch with your friends and family, but it’s become much more than that.

So much more, in fact, that it can actually be a fairly useful financial tool.

We’ve already told you about how the things you do on Facebook can cost you money, but today we’ll look at how Facebook can save you money.

Here are seven things you can do to use the big blue site to your advantage.

Follow Your Favorite Brands

Following a lot of brands on social networks can expose you to a lot more advertising, actually make you spend more, and is one of the eight online bad habits to kick.

However, if you follow your very favorite brands and the ones that you buy from on a regular basis, you can get notified of exclusive sales, new products, upcoming deals, and coupon codes to help you save.

Most of the time, brands will post these offers in their main feed, but every once in a while, you’ll see a special section on their page that’s worth checking out, like Seattle’s Best Coffee’s “$1 Coupon” section:

Living Well Spending Less also reports that Silk, Rite Aid, Angel Soft, Uncle Ben’s, and Dial all offer coupons “just because” and not as part of a promotion.

Follow Money-Saving Pages

There are a lot of pages on Facebook that exist solely to help you save money (and probably to earn a lot on commission while doing it; keep that in mind). Most of them post a combination of good deals (which can be dangerous if you’re not good at resisting temptation) and personal finance advice.

Remember that these pages often have an incentive to get you to buy things, so don’t always jump on any deal you see. Again, resisting temptation is key here — you won’t save money if you end up buying a lot more than you would have without these pages!

Here are a few pages to get you started:

• Money Saving Mom
• Living Well Spending Less
• Living on a Dime
• Passionate Penny Pincher
• Retired by 40

Create or Follow an Interest List

Interest lists are a bit like Twitter lists; they let you view a subset of the pages that you follow without having to sort through everything else on your timeline.

By creating an interest list with relevant brands and money-saving pages, you can have a single place to look online for ways to save money. Add your favorite personal finance bloggers, money-saving pages, brands, and any other site that will help you save money.

To create one, go to your Interests page, click “Add Interests,” and then “Create List.” Start adding your favorite pages!

If you don’t want to create your own custom list, you can follow a public one by going to your Interests page and using the search bar to find public lists that you can follow. Try ‘saving’, ‘deals’, ‘offers’, ‘coupons’, or any category of item that you’d like to save on, like ‘groceries’.

Browse through the lists until you find one that looks like it will help you save on the things you spend money on. You can also find local pages and lists that feature coupons and deals specific to your area.

Get DIY Project Ideas

It’s easier to just buy a product that solves a problem, but in many cases, you can use some basic DIY skills to create a solution without spending more money.

Facebook is a great place to find DIY project ideas, from home organization and improvement to crafts and toys. Follow DIY pages like DIYideas.com, DIY Home Decorating, DIY Ready, and DoItYourself.com.

There are also lots of interest lists that curate DIY ideas — just add one to your interests, and you’ll have all the DIY ideas you could need at the click of a mouse. (If you’re looking for specific project ideas, try Pinterest.)

Buy and Borrow Locally

While Craigslist is the king of online garage sales, Facebook can also be an effective tool for finding people near you who are selling, renting, or lending the things that you need. Your friends are a good place to start — just post a quick request to see if anyone is trying to get rid of a tool, piece of furniture, item of clothing, or whatever else you’re looking for. Sometimes you’ll even find people who are giving away exactly what you need, and all you have to do is go pick it up!

Borrowing is good too, and there are local borrowers’ groups around the country that you can join to find other people interested in free lending of items. If your area doesn’t have one, just start up a group; there are almost certainly a lot of people that would be interested in borrowing and lending things with their neighbors!

Ask for Deals

Most brands are responsive when you send them messages on Facebook, and it’s always worth asking if there’s a discount or coupon code that you can use on a transaction.

Just hit “Message” at the top of a brand or store page, tell them you’re about to make a purchase, and ask if there’s a coupon code that you can use. Many times, they’ll give you a code that you can use — even if it’s only 10% off, that’s still saving more than you would have. Asking for free shipping never hurts, either, as many companies will happily give it to you.

You might feel a little weird about asking for deals like this, but trust me — with the number of crazy complaints these companies get on a daily basis, they’ll be relieved to be able to quickly answer your question and move onto the next person!

Get Free Stuff

When you’re trying to save money, getting something for free is ace.

There are several Facebook pages that compile opportunities for getting free stuff, from giveaways to free samples to competitions. Most of these sites also post sales and coupons, so you might have to dig a little bit, but if you keep an eye out, you should be able to score free things every once in a while.

Freebies Frenzy and FreebieShark are good places to start. Julie’s Freebies is also good if you want to enter to win things, though you’ll probably have to give away your name and email address a lot.

With the huge variety of things being given away, though, you’ll probably find some things that you’re happy signing up for a newsletter in exchange for a chance to win!

Your Best Money-Saving Tips

If you spend some time using these seven tips, you could save hundreds of dollars over the course of a year. Of course, if you combine them with things like online coupon-finding sites, good budgeting practices, and money-saving IFTTT recipes, you could save a lot more than that.

What are your best tips for using Facebook to save money? Which of the strategies above have you had success with in the past? Which brands do you save on with Facebook? Share your best tips below!

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This Month in #SocialMedia: November 2015 by @thebigdebowski | Dramel Notes

We’re approaching the home stretch of 2015, and, as usual, some of our favorite social networks continue to evolve.

Of course, it’s not always butterflies and roses for all brands on social media. IHOP made news for some of their off-color posts, while their pancake-welding counterpart, Denny’s, shined.

In addition to social network changes and online controversies, research is emerging on relevant data points for the end of 2015 and what to look to in the future. Brian Harnish put together an excellent overview of 25 social media facts for the end of 2015, among which is emphasis on the growing mobile landscape.

Although November was a slightly slower month for social media updates, there were numerous changes to some of the smaller social networks like Reddit and Tumblr.

Here’s the latest social media news from November:

Facebook

Facebook will roll out a new post format called Music Stories. Music Stories will trigger when iPhone users share songs from either Apple Music or Spotify.

Learn More: Facebook Introduces New Post Format Called Music Stories

Instagram

Instagram is testing users’ ability to manage multiple accounts from a single dashboard, similar to the way you can in Facebook or Twitter.

Learn More: Instagram Tests Multiple Account Feature

Google+

Google+ has been reimagined a home on the web for communities and collections. Google describes its redesigned social network as being simpler and more mobile-friendly.

Learn More: Google Decides Google+ is a Place For Communities and Collections

SEJ conducted a study on whether hashtags increase post visibility on Google+. The findings show that posts with hashtags received 1.23 times more +1s. However, the final data is actually inconclusive.

Learn More: Do Google+ Hashtags Increase Visibility? An Exclusive Study

Pinterest

Pinterest introduced new search functionality that will allow people to find pins of items pictured in other pins.

Learn More: Pinterest Introduces Visual Search, Find Items Pictured in Pins

Reddit

Steve Huffman, the returning co-founder of Reddit who took up the role of CEO, says Reddit replaced the controversial Shadowbans with account suspensions. Reddit defines Shadowbans as, “the tool we currently use to ban people when they are caught breaking a rule.”

Learn More: Reddit Finally Ends Shadowbans, Replaces With Account Suspensions

Snapchat

Snapchat’s enabling its publishing partners to promote their channels on Facebook and Twitter with links directly to their content.

Learn More: Snapchat Now Allowing Some Publishers to ‘Deep Link’ To Their Content

Tumblr

Tumblr is the latest social network to get its own built-in instant messaging feature, available now on Android, iOS, and desktop.

Learn More: Tumblr Gets Its Own Instant Messaging Feature in Mobile + Desktop Update

What updates will have the biggest impact on your social media strategy?

 

Image Credits

Featured Image: Image by Paulo Bobita
In-post photo #1: d8nn/Shutterstock.com
In-post photo #2: Your Design/Shutterstock.com
In-post photo #3: Roman Pyshchyk/Shutterstock.com

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7 Brands Who Are Keeping It Real on Facebook & Twitter (And What You Can Learn From Them) by @dantosz | Dramel Notes

Each second, five new Facebook accounts are created.

Each day, more than 100 million people log into Twitter.

That is a massive audience that your brand could be reaching. However, many brands struggle to create real, human connections on social media. They confuse social media with a commercial platform where they can push their products 24-7. They take bad reviews personally, or they are so busy being ‘professional’ that they forget to be human.

The internet is a big place, and your content can easily get lost in the noise. Which is why more brands are using social media as a place to create real connections with their customer base. Here are a few brands who are succeeding at keeping it real on social media and creating solid, human connections in the process.

1. Humans of New York

What started as a photo project by a recently fired photographer named Brandon Stanton has become a brand to be reckoned with. Originally, Brandon planned to photography 10,000 New Yorkers and plot their photos on a map. Somewhere along the way he started telling their stories, and the project has since evolved into three books, a meeting with President Obama, and several prestigious awards.

HONY seeks to tell the extraordinary stories of regular people in a way that is easily accessible. By seeking to create a connection first and foremost, Brandon has been able to keep his first book on the top of the New York Times Best Seller’s List for 26 weeks.

Each post receives thousands of likes, shares, and comments.

(2/3) “He’d been married before and had three children. I think he doubted that he’d ever meet someone who’d look past…

Posted by Humans of New York on Monday, November 30, 2015

Lesson to Learn: Focus on connecting with your audience first. Remember: Social media is, above all, social. 

2. Red Bull

Think Red Bull just sells energy drinks? Think again.

The brand has leveraged social media to become a media and publishing giant. For all the high energy content they post, you will almost never see a can of Red Bull. Why? Because they don’t have to.

What you will see is lots of content about sports and adrenaline pumping activities like skiing, racing, and surfing.

Lesson to Learn: Don’t treat Facebook like one big ad. Instead, share interesting content your audience wants to see.

3. Dewars

Most of the pictures this whiskey company posts on Facebook are obviously staged photos of models mid-laugh or clinking glasses. Which seems pretty mainstream.

Where the brand excels is interacting with users and keeping their page light and fun.

Lesson to Learn: You don’t have to be a straight-laced professional all the time. Inject humor if it works for your brand. 

4. Oreo

Ever since their iconic “You can still dunk in the dark.” Super Bowl tweet, the cookie brand has been killing it on social media. Unlike Red Bull, they mention their product in nearly every post.

But, because they have an avid fan base who loves their products, it works. By harnesses the power of brand love, Oreo is able to create social media campaigns that blatantly promote their products – without being annoying or overly promotional.

Lesson To Learn: Use social media to turn loyal customers into your brand advocates. 

5. Taco Bell

Another brand that has managed to keep it real is this fast food giant. Unlike other fast food brands, Taco Bell has made being trendy part of their brand, which has likely helped them avoid the declining sales many other fast-food places like McDonald’s are facing.

Their Twitter feed is filled with trendy images of young people and their products. They even went on a crusade to have a taco emoticon created. And they succeeded.

Like Oreo, this brand is keeping it real by tapping into the love affair people have with their tacos and other food.

Lesson to Learn: You can use social media as a brand building, or even rebranding, tool. 

6. Aerie

Probably best know for using unretouched photographs in their ads, Aerie also does a great job of using Facebook as a customer service platform. They don’t try to be tongue in cheek or funny, but they do promote their own sales and have a team monitoring to respond to customer complaints.

Lesson to Learn:  Use social media the way your customers do. If they are reaching out on social for customer service, answer them! 

7. Barbie

In the last decade, the iconic doll has gotten a lot of flak for promoting unrealistic body standards, traditional gender roles, and body issues in young girls.

Instead of trying to defend the doll, they use social media as a platform to share gender equality messages and tell girls they can be anything they want.

Lesson To Learn: When used well, social media can help you tell your brand’s story or repair your reputation. 

Want to Learn More About How Your Brand Can Succeed on Facebook & Twitter?

If you want to join the ranks of successful brands on Facebook and Twitter, get yourself registered for our next sponsored SEJ ThinkTank webinar on December 9th, 2015 at 1 pm Eastern.

Hosted by SEJ Founder Loren Baker and presented by WordStream Founder Larry Kim, this free hour-long webinar titled “The Ridiculously Smart Guide to Facebook & Twitter Advertising” will show you how to get much, much more out of your paid campaigns – using budgets of $50 or less.

 

Featured Image: Shutterstock | Rawpixel.com

All Screenshots Taken by Author: 12/2015

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Snapchat Now Allowing Some Publishers to ‘Deep Link’ To Their Content by @dantosz | Dramel Notes

Snapchat might be getting a lot more useful for brands looking to reach younger consumers.

Snapchat recently announced it will allow Discover Channel partners to link directly to their content on the platform using deep links. This means publishers such as Hearst, IGN, Vox, BuzzFeed, CNN, and Vice will be able to post links on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter that will take users directly to their Snapchat profiles and posts.

In a statement to Digiday, Snapchat stated:

“We are launching Snapcode deep-linking for Discover Channels, creating another way for partners to publicize their great content. Snapcodes are scannable codes that link directly to content on Snapchat.”

Previously, publishers were unable to share links to Snapchat content outside of the app itself, which tended to keep that content insulated from outside interactions. Instead, publishers were stuck using third-party tools if they wanted to share their Snapchat content on other platforms.

This change means publishers will now be able to drive users directly to their content on Snapchat, or to a page to download the app if they don’t already have it installed.

This shift could result in a huge change in how brands use Snapchat.

According to Digiday: 

“The link…is key because it gives publishers another outlet for measuring user engagement with their Snapchat videos and articles. Users will be able to share the social posts with their friends. They also can like and comment on them, actions not available on Snapchat, where there is little insight into the viewer mindset.”

Currently, this feature appears to only be available to Snapchat Discover Partners, a group of 16 publishers who receive special promotions through the app.

Featured Image: 360b / Shutterstock.com

 

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12 Content Marketing Tools That Will Rapidly Improve Your Productivity by @missanna_f | Dramel Notes

With content marketing now taking over the world, there is a huge amount of content being created on a daily basis. With brands determined to stand out from the crowd, creating fresh and regular, high quality content can be time-consuming, which means content marketers need to be as productive and efficient as possible.

Unique, shareable content is crucial for driving traffic, generating links, and increasing levels of engagement, but it can be easy to get bogged down by the daily crush of content requirements. By using the right tools, you can ensure your content creation process starts off on the right foot and delivers the results you need.

The list below has been divided into steps, depending on where you need a productivity boost in your content marketing process.

Editor Note: All links to tools are nofollow to ensure integrity. We didn’t get paid or perked to include these tools, they were chosen by the author.

Research

Feedly

Feedly is a really simple news aggregator that allows you to collect a range of existing online content and categorize it depending on your requirements. You can use keywords to search for various content feeds and then organize them in whatever way works best for you. Feeffffffdly helps you stay up to date with a range of different topics, helping you keep an eye on your industry and come up with new, relevant content ideas.

Google Trends

There are lots of different ways to use Google when it comes to content research, including Google Alerts and general Google searches. Google Trends allows you to see real-time trending searches, topics, and stories, allowing you to filter by country and category, helping you narrow down the perfect content idea. By using a real-time tool, you can ensure your content is timely and relevant.

Buzzsumo

The great thing about Buzzsumo is that it lets you see what content is currently getting the most social shares in a range of different topics. All you need to do is type in a key phrase and Buzzsumo will give you a list of all the best performing content in that area. You can discover what content works best in a certain industry and make sure that the content you are producing will hit the social media nail on the head.

Idea Generation/Brainstorming

Stormboard

Teams often end up in brainstorms pulling ideas from the top of their head or sitting quietly as their colleagues reel off a list of quirky ideas that can take up much of the allocated meeting time. The great thing about Stormboard is it allows all brainstorm participants to pop their ideas in one place and read, comment on, and up-vote other people’s. This cuts down on a lot of wasted time and makes sure everyone arrives at a brainstorm session with plenty to talk about.

ContentIdeator

This headline generating tool cannot only help you come up with the perfect attention grabbing title for your content but can also help you come up with suitable content ideas to start with. It’s very easy to use – you simply enter a keyword into the search bar and press submit. When the results come through you will see an abundance of headline ideas that could be the perfect place to start your content creation.

Mindomo

Once you have had an idea, it’s important to write it down and share it with others in your team. Mindomo allows you to map out your ideas, timelines, and project details using a range of colourful visuals. Choose from org charts, idea trees, and mind maps, and make sure you plan out every step needed for your content marketing project. The free plan gives you 3 different maps and is available on desktop and Android/iOS devices.

Writing

Word2CleanHTML

Many content writers create content using either Microsoft Word or Google Docs. The problem with these comes when you try to copy and paste your text into the back-end of a CMS like WordPress. The formatting can often go wrong and you may need to go back time and time again to remove additional code or spacing. Word2CleanHTML is a great tool for cleaning up your text – simply copy and paste it in, and the tool will provide you will clean code that will translate properly  into the CMS.

Grammarly

Text is a huge part of content creation, so it is it important to make sure your writing is top-notch from the start. Grammarly, as the name suggests, helps you learn how to write better by pointing out any spelling and grammar mistakes in written text. The Microsoft plugin is fantastic for checking Word documents and emails on Outlook, and you can also use the Chrome extension for any online content. The only downside is that you need to pay for a premium account to see any advanced mistakes, but the free version is still great for keeping an eye on the basics.

Readability

If you are creating content to be read or viewed by others, it is important that they find it easy to share, otherwise they are unlikely to share it or link to it. Readability is the basis of a strong content strategy, so it’s important your writing is up to scratch. The Readability Test Tool uses established formulas including the Flesch Kincaid Reading Ease, the Gunning Fog Score, and the Automated Readability Index to determine a range of different statistics about your content.

Visual Content

Piktochart

Digital marketing, and content in particular, is becoming more focused on visuals than ever before. This means content marketers need the tools to help them create their own visuals without having to turn to a designer each time. Piktochart is a very user-friendly tool that allows you to create simple infographics, reports and presentations with the assistance of a range of pre-set color themes, icons, and symbols. You can also upload your own graphics to really personalize your visuals.

ThingLink

Interactive images look great, but can often require a lot of work. ThingLink helps you to bring your images to life in a quick and easy way. All you need to do is upload an image and add little icons that appear once the user’s mouse hovers over them. These icons can then be clicked and will allow the user to follow a link, watch a video, read a box of text or see another image. ThingLink offers a quick and efficient way to create fun and engaging content, without the hassle of coding an image from scratch.

Canva

As mentioned above, images are now an integral part of content creation, so any tools that can help with the production of them will come in useful.  Canva is an online image creation tool that provides non-designers with a streamlined platform on which they can create simple yet eye-catching visuals. With lots of different templates to choose from, all you need to do is change the text, font, colors and icons, and make the picture your own.

Conclusion

There really are so many tools out there that can boost your productivity in the world of content marketing, it’s just finding out what works for you and your team to make your processes as efficient as possible. From conducting research to collating your content and producing it, there are so many different steps that make up a successful content marketing strategy. Once you have your content plan in place, these tools will significantly help to improve your output and maximize your success. Are there any other tools you would recommend?

 

Image Credits

Featured Image: Anna Shagoika/Shutterstock.com
All screenshots by Anna Francis. Taken November 2015.

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