PSPINC Official Company Blog

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 180 “Free Online Business Tools”

Aug

10

Getting a formal education is important, and it’s a belief many people hold. But would it surprise you to learn that 33% of entrepreneurs listed high school as their highest level of education? According to the National Business Capital and Services, over half of small business owners in 2020 believe hands-on experience is more important than formal education. But with the amount of content out there today teaching people about how to run and market a business, it isn’t that surprising.

In addition to educational content, there are also numerous online tools that are free for users everywhere to use. Even college-educated professionals use them because as great as having a formal education is, the reality is is that business is constantly evolving. Some of our favorite free online business tools include Google Analytics, Pexels, and Canva. Google Analytics tells us how our website is performing, Pexels is a great source for royalty-free photos to use, and Canva makes it easier to design marketing materials like social media posts and more.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#b2b #blog #business #businesstips #canva #design #digitalmarketing #google #googleanalytics #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #newsletter #pexels #pspinc #sales #smallbusiness #socialmedia #tech #technology #web #webdesign #webtools

Sell Directly on Social Media with Social Shopping

Aug

1

The world of shopping online changed drastically when Instagram implemented a buy button in 2015. The next year, brands could tag products with a price tag in their images. Then, Facebook followed shortly afterward by launching Marketplace in 2018. And TikTok started testing TikTok Shop in November of last year.

However, reports are that TikTok is gearing up to launch TikTok Shop Shopping Center, which will become their e-commerce platform, taking TikTok Shop a step further. Rather than just buying directly from videos, lives, and creator profile bios, TikTok Shop Shopping Center won’t just be a marketplace for other retailers to sell merchandise, but a retailer itself. The details are still not entirely clear, but if successful, it could shake up social shopping as we know it.

Benefits of Social Shopping

friends standing with shopping bags on street and looking at phone

Not only are there billions of active social media users, but they’re also spending more and more time on social media. As of 2022, users spend an average of 151 minutes a day on social media, which is up from 147 from the previous year. And social commerce generated about $724 billion USD in 2022. Both according to Statista. Directly selling on social media just further expands your overall reach to more potential customers. And since social shopping makes so much in revenue, we know how successful businesses can be on it.

Social media, as a whole, is great for obtaining social proof. Especially since many customers look at things like reviews and use those to base their decisions on whether they’ll buy something. Making your products available to users on social media just makes it possible for more feedback, reviews, and recommendations for your business. It also makes it easier for users to convert to paying customers because they don’t have to leave the app to purchase. So, regardless of how TikTok’s upcoming TikTok Shop Shopping Center changes things, it’s safe to say social shopping is here to stay.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#advertising #app #business #businesstips #businesstools #digitalmarketing #ecommerce #facebook #facebookmarketplace #instagram #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #mobile #sales #smallbusiness #socialmedia #tech #technology #tiktok #twitter #web

Everything You Need to Know About Press Releases

Jul

25

A press release is an official statement an organization sends out to news media. Then, the hope is that the media will report on that statement to spread the word about a new product or big change in your organization, be it a new product or new CEO. And it'll also generate more buzz and excitement for your company and new product. You should follow a specific format for press releases. They are not written in the same way as blog posts, which are usually more casual. After assembling a press release, organizations send it out to the media to publish. Namely publications, blogs, and press release distributors. The more it’s distributed and the bigger the media publication, the more exposure your company gets.

Even though it’s easy to dismiss them when there are multitudes of easier and cheaper ways to spread the word, press releases are still necessary. You can and should still post about your company news in blog and social media posts. But press releases provide an added layer of credibility and professionalism among customers and other business professionals. It’s not enough to just post about your company. You want other publications, especially those that are well respected in the business industry, to post about it, too.

How to Write a Press Release

With press releases, the general idea when writing one is to put all the important information first and then everything else afterward. In other words, you use what’s called the inverted pyramid technique. In the first paragraph, make sure to answer the five W’s and one H: who, what, where, when, why, and how. The first paragraph of a press release is also generally short, only consisting of the first two sentences. And it should include all the important factual information that goes right at the beginning. After that comes the rest of the information, starting with the most important information and ending with any additional but not necessary facts about the overall news. But, in addition to the order of how it’s written, press releases also have one very important characteristic; they are factual.

In a blog post and/or social media post, you can add as much of your opinion as you’d like. You can’t do the same in a press release. Therefore, you can’t call your company or product the “best” or add any other opinionated description. The only times you can add an opinion is if someone you’re quoting uses it. But when adding quotes, you want them to either come from someone high up in your organization or from a customer. If you want to include both, the company quote should always come first, and the customer quote can come later. Lastly, it’s also standard to add a company bio that tells readers more about who your company is and who they should contact for any additional questions.

Spreading the Word

man holding microphone while talking to another man

After writing a press release, it can’t just go on your website or your blog. So, it begs the question of where it should go if not your website. The answer is that there are a few different ways to go about distributing your press release to the appropriate audiences. First, the easiest way is to send it through a press release distributor like PR Newswire or eReleases. From there, using their connections, press release distributors issue it to their contacts and connections. And it ranges from various blogs to online publications. But another approach would be to do a media pitch.

A media pitch consists of reaching out to a reporter directly to gain exposure to your company and its news. If you have a relationship with a reporter, a media pitch is where you can use that to your advantage because the content is more aimed toward the reporter. For example, if your company’s switching to more sustainable packaging, you’ll want to find a reporter that typically writes about similar topics like climate change, sustainable practices in business, and more. But regardless, press releases are still relevant, but it follows a very specific format. While sharing a blog post or social post is much easier and cheaper, it doesn’t replace the publicity and credibility a press release does. And that’s exactly why companies, both big and small, still create them.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#blog #branding #business #businesstips #businesstools #digitalmarketing #journalism #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #media #mediapitch #news #pressrelease #pressreleases #reporter #smallbusiness #socialmedia #tech #technology

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 177 “Marketing Your Website”

Jul

20

Creating a beautifully designed website can be great for business, but marketing your business shouldn’t stop there. You also need to make sure people know it exists. To do that, you can market your site by updating your site content and sharing the link to social media. Just because you have a great site, it doesn’t mean it always will be. There are plenty of obviously outdated websites still up online because the site owner never updated their site.

Other than updating antiquated website designs, the site’s content also needs to be updated. Not just to display relevant and correct information, but also to help with search engine optimization (SEO). In addition to that, marketing your site with social media can be a great way to spread the word. But promoting your business and site effectively is not always an easy feat. For more help with marketing your business, reach out to our expert marketing team.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#advertising #blog #business #businesstips #businesstools #digitalmarketing #google #marketing #newsletter #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #sales #searchengineoptimization #seo #smallbusiness #socialmedia #tech #technology #web #webdesign #websites #webtools

Grow Your Business with Social Media

Jul

18

Social media marketing is an invaluable asset to include in your digital marketing plan. It’s an easy but effective way to grow your business online. Most entrepreneurs today know how vital it can be to their business. But it’s what you do with social media that can make a real difference in how effective it can be. It’s not as simple as creating profiles on social media platforms; it’s about what you post.

There are currently billions of social media users worldwide. That only increases the number of potential customers and adds to brand awareness. It’s relatively inexpensive, and it gives you the opportunity to:

· Build your brand
· Grow your community online
· Increase website traffic
· Engage with your online audience
· Learn more about your customers
· Discover where to improve your overall business strategy

9 Social Media Marketing Tips

1. Create SMART Objectives

We’ve talked about SMART objectives here before, but when you do create them, make sure they align and inform your overall strategy. Every business’s objectives will be different, depending on the size of your business. Making sure your objectives are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely will help you grow your business sustainably.

2. Add relevant keywords to your social copy

Hashtags can be great, but they’re not the only thing social media algorithms parse for. They also look for relevant keywords in social media captions. Marketers still debate if hashtags are even effective marketing-wise on social media. For some, it helps increase overall exposure, for others, they don’t report any discernable difference. But adding relevant keywords to your captions will make it more likely that your posts will end up on someone’s For You or Explore page.

3. Target users

The great part about sponsored social posts is that you can easily target the right users to see your content. And finding the right users makes it much more likely they’ll purchase from you because it’ll show for users that are actually interested in what you’re trying to sell. While you can try to sell your products to everyone, the reality is that not everyone wants or needs what you’re offering. Plus, if you’re trying to sell to everyone, your ads end up being vague and uninspired, which won’t convince anyone to buy from you.

4. Focus on brand intent

Social media’s a great way to promote your products. But if all your posts are promotional, your business comes off sounding like a pushy salesperson. And no one likes that. Instead, focus on creating and curating content that shows people what your brand cares about. It won’t just give potential customers a better idea of what your company stands for, but it also results in a much more interested audience.

5. Market on multiple social media platforms

There are multiple major social platforms out there, and marketers alike use more than just one. Each one has something different to bring to the table, including a different audience. So, use that to your advantage! You can tailor your approach toward each platform, taking advantage of the best types of content, posting times, and posting frequencies.

6. Create an editorial calendar

To make it easier, you can plan content in advance with an editorial calendar. On it, add specifics like images, captions, hashtags (if you’re using them), links, and whatever else you want to add to your social posts. But remember, you don’t have to stick to what you have; it’s also encouraged to post something spontaneous sometimes. Especially since sometimes they perform better than what you already have planned.

7. Optimize your posting frequency

When marketing on social media, it’s not just about what you post, it’s about when. There are plenty of sources out there that recommend what times and days of the week work best for reach and engagement. But what works for others won’t necessarily work for you. So, try testing out different times and different days to see what works best for each platform. That way, you’ll get the most out of your social media marketing efforts for your business.

8. Create paid social ads

The way social media algorithms work is mysterious, but the one thing we know for sure is that paid social posts are guaranteed to get seen by more users. So, if you’re having problems with increasing overall reach, invest in paid social ads. Or you can boost or promote an already well-performing post. Regardless, research shows sponsored posts perform better on social media. Just don’t focus all your efforts on it; organic social posts still help tell your brand story online.

9. Interact with your audience online

Lastly, interacting with your followers and potential customers should be a vital part of your marketing plan. Engagement on social media is highly valued by each platform’s algorithm, so replying, reacting, and reposting other users’ content will increase your profile’s overall exposure. And it’ll encourage other users to do the same.

Marketing on social media isn’t always easy, especially since best practices are continually evolving. So, reach out to our team, who are experts in helping small businesses grow online.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#advertising #app #b2b #blog #branding #business #businesstips #businesstools #digitalmarketing #facebook #google #instagram #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #seo #smallbusiness #socialmedia #tech #technology #twitter #web #websites #webtools

Twitter’s $250M Copyright Lawsuit Explained and What Businesses Can Avoid It

Jul

11

Last month, the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) sued Twitter for $250 million for copyright infringement. Why? Because Twitter’s been letting users share copyrighted music without a license for years, as the lawsuit claims. It’s been an issue with the platform for years, but the lawsuit claims it’s only gotten worse since Elon Musk’s acquisition of the company. When looking at how other social media platforms compare, most have cut a deal with music publishers and labels, such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitch.

So, why hasn’t Twitter made a similar deal? Simply put, Twitter’s been dodging copyright infringement for several years. The reason behind this is financial, as it would cost the platform possibly over $100 million a year. But Twitter had reportedly been in negotiations for a licensing deal with three major labels: Universal, Sony, and Warner since 2021. Those, however, have since stalled since Elon Musk took over. Speaking of, the lawsuit explicitly mentioned him because of his comments about the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). In a now-deleted tweet from 2022, he called the DMCA “overzealous” and “a plague on humanity”.

Why the NMPA is Suing Twitter

man in black shirt wearing headphones in front of monitor

Not only has Twitter allowed its users to post videos containing copyrighted music, but the only punishment those users receive is a temporary suspension. On other platforms, it’d go as far as risking the removal of those users’ accounts. But tweets including copyrighted music don’t just go on without discipline, many actually go viral. For Twitter, it only benefits the platform with increased user engagement and ultimately advertising revenue. All while not paying to license that music.

In the lawsuit, the complaint cites more than 1,700 songs, consisting of many that have blown up on Twitter. Examples include “Uptown Funk” featuring Bruno Mars by Mark Ronson, “All I Want For Christmas” by Mariah Carey, and “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift, among many others.

How to Avoid Copyright Infringement as a Business

classy executive male reading papers on couch

For a business, getting into legal trouble is one of the last things you want to happen. The easiest way to avoid copyright infringement suits is by using your own content. Especially in advertising material. But when you can’t, that’s where free royalty-free photos, videos, audio/music comes in handy. There are multiple sites where you can easily find this kind of content, but one of our favorites is Pexels. As long as you use material that isn’t owned by someone else, you’re golden.

If, for some reason, you have to use something that isn’t free for commercial use; you need explicit permission from the owner to use it. And you may have to pay a fee to do so (like those other social media platforms with licensing deals). Otherwise, you may find yourself slapped with a copyright infringement lawsuit.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#advertising #blog #branding #business #businesstips #digitalmarketing #dmca #elonmusk #lawsuit #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #news #nmpa #smallbusiness #socialmedia #tech #technology #twitter #web #webdesign #website #websites

The Reddit Blackout Explained

Jul

4

Reddit is a forum full of thousands of communities, or subreddits, where people share news, content, and opinions. Seven years ago, Reddit released a free API or Application Programming Interface. With an API, developers can integrate existing software systems into new applications. For example, when signing in to certain websites with your Google or Facebook account, it’s using an API to do so.

Developers use APIs for multiple different reasons, like sharing information between different platforms and carrying out diverse tasks. All while still building out their own interface. With Reddit, whenever a user wants to view or comment on a post from Reddit, the app sends a request to the API. However, this won’t be the case anymore. Reddit announced in April that they’d start charging third-party applications for API access. In other words, developers that made an app for Reddit and those that use its API will now need to pay for requests to use their API.

Why Reddit Users Are (Still) Protesting

The trend of charging for API usage isn’t new, as Twitter did the same after Elon Musk took over. But it also shut down dozens of third-party apps. With Reddit, they’ll be charging $0.24 per 1,000 requests. It doesn’t sound like much until you realize that the app, Apollo, a popular iOS Reddit app, makes upwards of seven billion API requests a month. That’s almost $2 million a month and over $20 million a year, which is just too high of a price for most companies.

When you compare it with Twitter’s API cost, it costs developers anywhere from $100 to more than $5,000 a month. And their plans have limitations set on them. For larger businesses on the enterprise level, it’ll cost much more than that. To protest, Reddit users agreed to what started as a 48-hour blackout called Reddark, where nearly 8,000 subreddits were set to private starting June 12. But even after the 48 hours were up, the blackout persisted, as over 6,000 communities on Reddit are still private. Regardless, it hasn’t deterred Reddit from changing its mind.

Reddit’s API Changes

So, why did Reddit update its API terms? According to its CEO, Steve Huffman, the free API model just wasn’t sustainable. Especially now that Reddit has its own ad network now. Users coming to Reddit via third-party apps don’t see those ads, which greatly impacts how effective and how profitable Reddit’s ad network is. And advertisers won’t want to work with Reddit anymore if they’re paying for ineffective services.

Despite the backlash and online protests, Reddit is moving forward with the API changes. Even though large and popular subreddits have remained private, there are still plenty more that haven’t. They aren’t nearly as sizeable, but it’s enough not to deter Reddit from its plans. Shifts like this seem to prioritize profits over the community-building atmosphere these platforms are known for, which doesn’t sit well with users. So far, Twitter and Reddit are the only large social platforms that charge for API requests. But whether others will follow in their footsteps is yet to be seen.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#advertising #api #apollo #applicationprogramminginterface #blog #developer #developers #digitalmarketing #elonmusk #marketing #marketingdigital #reddark #reddit #smallbusiness #socialmedia #stevehuffman #tech #technology #twitter #web #website #websites

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 170 “What is Content Marketing?”

Jun

1

Unlike traditional marketing efforts, content marketing doesn’t promote by directly selling to potential customers. Instead, it pulls people in with educational and entertaining content. This content can be through blog posts, social media posts, videos, and email content among others. With content marketing, you aren’t trying to sell anything; instead, your goal is to educate and entertain people, hoping they’ll be interested in buying something from you later. But your content can’t just be random, otherwise, there won’t be any connection between your content and your company.

Content marketing helps establish your brand as an authority in the field and helps with audience retention. The more high-quality educational content you have for potential customers to find, the more authority your company will have in their eyes. If your content is relevant, informational, and interesting to potential customers, they’ll likely stay on the page for longer. And they’ll come back for more. But regardless, producing high-quality content consistently while juggling other business tasks is difficult. But the effort will be well worth it in the end. For more marketing help, reach out to our experts at PSPINC.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#advertising #blog #branding #business #businesstips #businesstools #contentmarketing #digitalmarketing #emailmarketing #marketing #marketingtips #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #searchengineoptimization #seo #smallbusiness #socialmedia #tech #web #website

Meta’s New Text-Based Twitter Competitor App

May

30

Ever since Elon Musk acquired Twitter, many users have been itching to find a viable replacement. So far, some have found solace in Mastodon and Bluesky, a newer app launched and endorsed by co-founder and former Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey. But now, Meta’s thrown its hat in the ring with its upcoming text-based app. It currently doesn’t have an official name, but internal Meta staff members call it either “P92” or “Barcelona”. There also isn’t an official launch date released just yet. But digital media marketing expert Lia Haberman, who first reported on this new app, says it could launch as early as the end of June.

Regardless, Meta granted early access to high-profile influencers and celebrities, which will only encourage more people to join the platform. While this new app will be in direct competition with Twitter, it’s not why Meta’s working on this new app. Or it’s at least not the only reason. Social media platforms have switched their focus toward direct messages (DM) over the last few years based on user behavior. And it also explains why Meta reintegrated Messenger back into the Facebook app and the thought behind Instagram Channels.

What Makes It Different

a phone open to twitter on a table next to a mug of coffee

Meta’s new text-based app will eliminate major obstacles that have prevented others from fleeing Twitter. With Facebook and Instagram under their belt, users can log in with their Facebook/Instagram credentials, keep their Instagram username, and keep their verification status (if applicable). It’ll also encourage their Instagram followers to follow them on the new platform, and carry over blocks and hidden words, optimizing the overall transition.

Unlike Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, Meta’s new text-based app will be decentralized, much like its competitor, Mastodon. According to Haberman’s sources, each post has a limit of 500 characters, and much like tweets and Facebook posts, users can include links, photos, and videos up to five minutes long. Based on the only screenshots we’ve gotten of the new app (via a slide Haberman received and posted to her Twitter page), it’ll have a feed where users can like, reply, and share others’ posts.

What This Means

someone using a laptop that has facebook open on it

With the reported instability on Twitter recently, the market for Twitter alternatives is rife with opportunities. However, there hasn’t been one clear contender that users have flocked to. And the fatigue of setting up a new account on a new, unpopulated platform has become more apparent, which only further deterred users.

Meta, however, has the tremendous advantage of integrating their already-popular apps, Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp, which boasts a network of billions of users. With that also comes the ease of setting up a new account and keeping your followers. But Meta also has a history of releasing apps that don’t gain traction, especially those that copy other already-popular apps. So, only time will tell how Meta’s new text-based app performs in the social media space.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#app #business #businesstools #digitalmarketing #directmessaging #dm #elonmusk #facebook #jackdorsey #marketing #marketingdigital #messaging #messenger #meta #news #socialmedia #tech #technology #twitter #web #website #whatsapp

Getting Verified on Social Media

May

16

Verified users on social media have been a thing for a long time. Since 2009, to be specific, when Twitter introduced the blue checkmark shown next to a user’s profile name. After that, other social platforms followed suit. Prior to Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover, the checkmark beside someone’s name online became a symbol of authenticity to signify the user was whom they said they were.

After Elon Musk bought out Twitter for roughly $44 billion in October of last year, the verification process changed the following month. Now, $8/month is all you need to get verified on Twitter, ultimately meaning anyone who can afford to spend $8 a month can become a verified user. Regardless, other social platforms also have verification systems in place that aren’t solely based on financial means. But that may change once Meta rolls out their new verification service to Facebook and Instagram on a wider scale.

Meta’s New Verification Service

In February, Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, announced they’d be rolling out their own verification service for Facebook and Twitter. According to his statement, this new system will aim to better protect people from fraudulent users. Although, the platform’s inspiration seems obvious as Twitter’s verification system has continually changed and become a frequent subject of ridicule since Musk’s takeover.

Meta first tested their new verification service in New Zealand and Australia in February, but they’ve since opened it up to the U.S. in March. However, we haven’t heard reports about it yet. All we really know about Meta’s verification service is that it takes a government ID to verify the account and getting verified on Facebook and getting verified on Instagram are two separate processes. And paid verification costs $11.99/month on the web or $14.99/month either on Apple’s iOS or Android.

Verification on Other Social Platforms

someone holding a phone with the youtube app opening

So far, Meta isn’t the only platform that’s followed Twitter’s example by charging for verification status. After Twitter’s new verification system went live, Tumblr took advantage of the public ridicule that came with it by advertising its own $7.99 verification status. But unlike Twitter, it was a one-time fee (Twitter’s is monthly) and you get two checkmarks. From the description, it’s very clear that it’s a joke. But despite that it’s a parody of Twitter’s checkmarks and holds no real value on the platform, it still earned a 125% boost in in-app purchase revenue by February after releasing it in November, according to TechCrunch.

But YouTube and TikTok don’t currently charge for verification. Instead, YouTube has a whole process where users can request verification, which requires user accounts to be public and active, have at least 100,000 subscribers, a profile photo, a banner image, a description, great content, and represent a real person, brand, or identity. On TikTok, verification exists, but it’s unclear how it’s done.

Regardless, verification used to authenticate users, especially public figures, on social media. But now, it just means that the user paid for that checkmark (or checkmarks, in Tumblr’s case). Even though Twitter and Meta claim this new process aims at bulking up protection against fraudulent users, it doesn’t seem to be helping as much as they said it would.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#app #blog #business #businesstools #cost #digitalmarketing #facebook #instagram #marketing #marketingdigital #mobile #smallbusiness #socialmedia #tech #technology #tiktok #tumblr #twitter #verification #verifiedusers #web #webtools #youtube

PSPINC Official Company Blog

freespace

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 180 “Free Online Business Tools”

Sell Directly on Social Media with Social Shopping

Benefits of Social Shopping

Everything You Need to Know About Press Releases

How to Write a Press Release

Spreading the Word

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 177 “Marketing Your Website”

Grow Your Business with Social Media

9 Social Media Marketing Tips

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