Like everything else in technology the world of social media is fast-paced. daily updates and modifications are made available to the platforms we love users are expanding and decreasing, viral trends are emerging, and new methods and strategies are constantly being created. It can be a challenge to stay on top of everything, keeping track of news about best practices, the latest news and the latest trends and all the while creating your social profile. One best way to keep ahead of the curve is to be following the most popular newsletters and blogs which provide the latest information and updates on the industry of social media. We’ve put together the top blogs and newsletters that you must follow to stay ahead of the curve.

#1 Social Media Today

The first place in our itinerary will be Social Media Today, a blog and news magazine that covers everything related to social media. It’s a one-stop shop for everything including the latest news, information and most recent trends in social media.

#2 Social Media Examiner

Social Media Examiner is a fantastic blog we appreciate, providing unique insights in the realm of social media. It is being described as the largest social media marketing tool and aspires to assist you in navigating the ever-changing social media landscape. Subscribe to the newsletter and get the most up-to-date information straight into your inbox.

#3 Hopper HQ Blog

Of course, we need to include our blog on the list. HopperHQ. Hopper headquarters, we’re focused on helping others be the best in marketing via social media, and one way we accomplish this is through our blog. We’ve got a wealth of information filled with tricks, tips, and best practices across social media. We also publish a weekly newsletter that includes the most recent news and future trends.

#4 HubSpot Marketing Blog

Hubspot have created an amazing blog that is perfect for online marketers who want to grow and increase your social media following. With tons of sources and articles that can help you on your path. Hubspot’s blog is a great resource. Hubspot blog also provides ideas and ideas on sales, marketing and customer service. All of these can aid your social media strategies.

#5 SocialMouths

SocialMouths is a blog that is run independently written by Francisco Rosales, who aims to help individuals, businesses and small-business owners establish their online presence, through social media as well as e-commerce, digital marketing and much more. You can find excellent tips on how to transform platforms such as Facebook into effective marketing channels.

#6 SocialMedia.Biz

A great source of information on social media, news, and tutorials, ideal to improve the game on social media. Social Media Biz also has amazing news and details about SEO, Business and Marketing an excellent resource that has lots of value.

#7 Jon Loomer

Anyone trying to increase their presence on Facebook should be taking a look at the marketer Jon Loomers website. The site is designed to cater to “advanced Facebook marketers”, Jon Loomers’ website is full of tutorials, training and other resources to aid you in improving you Facebook marketing.

#8 Gary Vaynerchuck Blog

We’ve all heard about Gary Vaynerchuck. But did you know about his incredible blog? Filled with amazing content, including podcasts, videos and articles to assist you in using social media. The library is always full of valuable treasures

 

We couldn’t be more thrilled about this deal. Now you can benefit from all the advantages of Buffer by signing up for the addition of an Instagram creator account.

Over the years, we’ve received feedback from people who are looking to connect several of Instagram accounts to Buffer.

We have more than one million users who have linked their Instagram account to Buffer So we receive lots of requests. We’ve been restricted by Meta’s API to permit Buffer customers to join Instagram Business accounts — until today.

Control all your professional Instagram accounts from one location

You can now use Buffer to manage both your Creator and Business Instagram accounts.

It’s even simpler to manage all your accounts in one spot.

What is a creator account Instagram? Instagram?

Instagram Creator is an account that Instagram Creator account is a distinct kind of Instagram profile, is designed specifically for creators of content. In 2018, the account was introduced. accounts are designed to appeal to public figures, influencers creators of content, artists and even personal brand advocates.

However, anyone can make the switch to an account with a Creator.

Many people who have traditionally not been creative opt to change their accounts to gain access to some useful features. These Creator accounts provide a variety of functions that allow creators to better manage their presence online, comprehend the growth indicators, and handle messages in a simple way.

Instagram Creator accounts differ from Business accounts, offering features designed to meet the specific needs of content creators rather than companies. Features like in-depth growth information and a more targeted messaging options are a huge benefit for creators.

In collaboration in conjunction with Meta on the most current developments

We’re incredibly proud to be among the very few tools for managing social media who have been invited into Meta’s Alpha program to gain access to their latest and most innovative features.

Recently, this has allowed us to assist users of Buffer stay ahead of the game by offering complete Instagram Stories Scheduling that provides complete Instagram Stories schedules.

Today, we’re the first with the capability to connect to your Creator account.

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Get started nowWe’re excited to announce that we’ve added allow scheduling of content, Reels, and Carousels for your Instagram Creator account. The only thing not available is Story scheduling, which is a limitation that Meta’s API has set, but we’ve got a solution which we’ll be releasing soon in the form of Instagram Reminders coming in just some weeks.

How to set up an Instagram Creator Account

The process of creating an account with Creator is easy. The procedure is easy:

• Log in to your account
• Select ‘Account’
• Switch to a professional account when you’re changing from a regular account or ‘Switch account to creator If you’re changing from an enterprise account
• Select a relevant category to your job, then include a hyperlink (or it is not) on your page for Facebook, edit your contact details and select your profile’s display options

 

How Buffer’s Content Team Uses AI

In this post in this article, in this article, the Buffer Content team discusses precisely how and why we employ AI for our projects.

There’s been a lot of talk concerning AI recently, especially since ChatGPT was made availableto the general public on November 20, 2022. Since then, we’ve witnessed an increase in ideas and tools related to the subject and the application of AI.

We loveAI within Buffer and have even launched our own Artificial Intelligence Assistant to assist our customers produce content faster and better. We are aware of its limitations, particularly in the area of creation superior to the majority of. We also recognize the (valid) concerns that a large number of marketers and creatives have regarding the effects AI’s impact on AI in the creation of their content.

Even though we employ AI for our work within the Buffer Content team (there only three of us and AI allows us to perform our work more efficiently) We wanted to know the ways and whatwe make use of AI to help us in the work we do.

Our past with AI

We’ve been experimenting with various AI tools for some time and it’s evident in our archive of content of the last year.

The very first article from Buffer on AI was published in May 2022. It addressed the question ” Should you be using AI for content creation?” Looking back about this piece is intriguing because our position back at the time and today is the same: let AI handle the smaller things, and you’ll be able to better manage the bigger creative task.

Our curiosity about AI has only increased since then. As ChatGPT became public, we wrote various articles on AI on our blog and we also launched our own AI Assistant.

The time spent with the various tools based on AI has helped us determine our boundaries more precisely. This means that there are no written guidelines regarding AI in our content. There was a pattern that emerged during two events, which prompted us to consider how we can communicate our position regarding AI?

The second was our most recent (now closed) recruitment drive for Content Writers. The article provides more details the subject, but it is interesting to note that a surprising amount of applications were developed by using AI. Understanding the standard AI-generated content was helpful in identifying the applications, but it was widespread enough to warrant highlighting.

The second event is currently running The third event is ongoing – our recently inaugurated Guest Posting Program. The purpose of it is to open our Buffer blog to stories of knowledge by creators and small-business owners. We’re looking for writing that is personal and makes our readers feel as if they’ve learned something new. However, a lot of pitches we receive are created by AI with little or no editing. They all follow the same pattern we’ve seen in AI-generated responses, particularly those generated by ChatGPT.

Despite the rumours that AI is an imminent threat to people working in creative industries We disagree. AI is not able to replace the human mind or its ability for creating art which is deeply connected. It’s important to keep in mind that AI is simply a broad model of language learning. It draws inferences based on what you say to it, and uses its small database of information to execute what many have referred to as “spicy autocomplete”. It’s a device – but it’s only as effective depending on the user who is using it.

We needed to clarify our views since, while it’s great it’s not going to replace anyone of us anytime in the near future.

Our strategy for AI in content

These are the four assertions which cover 90% of our thinking about the use of AI for content.

• AI aids, but it doesn’t replace
• AI never completes drafts or paragraphs unless they are checked by humans
• AI content is constantly reviewed to ensure its accuracy.
• We don’t believe that AI will replace creativity in any way

Our Content team’s experiences working with AI

Buffer’s Content team comprises three people who manage the team’s blogs, social media, PR, and other content and communication-related needs. The size of our team in relation to our roles often mean that we are forced to decline certain projects or opportunities. We must prioritize and prioritize, but ultimately social and content are the top priorities of our team, which is why they should not be pushed aside.

Implementing AI tools has enabled us to gain more time to investigate these possibilities and also collaborate with other teams in a more efficient manner. For instance, the initial edits are made using Grammarly instead of one of us in order to detect the most obvious mistakes in punctuation and grammar. This lets us concentrate on more complex structure such as voice, tone, and editing. I utilize Otter frequently in recording my interviews. It connects to the calls I make on Zoom calls and takes rough notes, so I don’t have to begin recording and transcribe from scratch. It also provides the summary of every call.

Other than AI-heavy tools Some of our other tools contain AI integrated into them, such as

• Threads are used to communicate internally
• Notion that we employ to manage knowledge
• Canva is a tool to design blogs and social media posts graphics
• or even Buffer.

AI is a necessary element of our work And although we canchoose not to utilize AI tools, we’d be less efficient as a result.

What we use AI for

We employ AI to complete critical, time-consuming jobs that are not human-like.

• To proofread the writing and look for grammatical mistakes
• For inspiration to be able to unlock before you get into the research process
• For help with outline
• Templates for creating templates
• To come to interview topics
• To suggest title ideas
• The draft for the first draft of the social posts
• Repurpose existing content to be used on multiple channels
• In order to make our content more relevant to an audience that is hyper-specific

We’re not making use of AI for is

We don’t and will not ever employ AI for anything.

• Research is flawed because it’s incorrect most of the time.
• Draft your article fully or create full paragraphs within our drafts. We use AI only as a tool in writing and brainstorming.
• Make final content for your social media
• Create your own artwork completely from scratch. We currently only utilize real images from small-scale companies and creators who submit to themselves or on Unsplash. If AI is used in our images, it will only be a part of our design process.

We’ve seen real ways to use AI

The Marketing and Content teams see AI as a partner and we’ve had projects as evidence. For more information on the practical aspects of how we work with AI here are some examples of how we’ve used AI.

The social media posts experiment

Mitra, our social media director Mitra has shared with us the results of her research into posting social media posts using AI.

Mitra pointed out the fact that AI was not a factor in the quality of the video and even used words she would never ever use. But, Mitra gave the idea an A+ for the captions she created when she was not inspired.

Lunch and take a class

I spoke at an afternoon and learned session on AI to the entire marketing team at Buffer in which I shared my experiences with used AI in my work.

Social media glossary

We have recently launched an Social Media Glossary that was a result of many months of work and cross-functional cooperation on marketing team.

 

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It could have taken us longer complete, but the use of AI reduced the amount of time spent thinking about what we should write about under each word and the best way to write it down in half. We created a prompt that assisted us in filling out the outline of every word in our Glossary, which we used as the base for every word.

We also considered the effect of content that is AI-only on the performance of the page as well as its value to the user. We took a long time making edits and adding sources to boost the value users receive from visiting every page.

The entire Buffer website

Our team is working on a plan to make Buffer’s website more local to other languages, beginning with Spanish and AI has assisted us in achieving the majority of this.

Of course that we’re using a real translator to verify our work however, we were able do the majority in the first translation using AI.

What’s the next step for AI on Buffer’s Content team?

What do we need to do from this point? In truth the truth is that nothing else is going to alter for us. Most of the time, we’ll be experimenting with new tools and implement them when they are logical. We’ve used AI tools to help us in our work for several months and they’ve helped us complete our job better and more efficiently.

It’s important to remember that these safeguards (apart from the kind of things we’ll not do using AI) aren’t necessarily strict. We don’t know what’s to come over the next few months because of the advances in AI and we’ll remain open to making adjustments in the event of need.

 

Are you looking to incorporate more social evidence to promote your business? Looking for ways to promote and share reviews on Instagram?

In this post you’ll learn how to utilize Instagram posts reels, stories, and posts to present real-world usage cases of real customers.

Why Customer Success Stories Matter for Marketers

Are you curious about how crucial customer reviews are for the social media advertising objectives? They can provide more benefits than you think depending on whether you’re working with an B2B or B2C company.

Whatever appealing your social media branding content is there is a element that can be a hindrance. It’s viewed from the point of an organization’s point of view that makes it difficult for customers who are interested in it to completely trust it. Contrary to that, customer testimonials are based on real customer experiences that appear more credible. As per BigCommerce 72% of customers report that they trust a company more after reading a favorable review.

One of the reasons that testimonials appear to be so reliable and relatable is because they communicate the thoughts of clients literally. Customers who have the same challenges or are pursuing the same goals easily relate to those experiences and may be interested in the same solutions, such as your company’s products and services.

Testimonials can also be used to provide social proof that provides proof that your customers are purchasing from your business and seeing excellent results. Social proof can be extremely efficient in influencing customers to follow the crowd and not feel excluded. In time, this will result in more sales and more customers. As per Wyzowl 77% of customers say that testimonials from video influence their purchasing choices.

If you’ve got a way to gather and share customer experiences and experiences, you can use these to establish stronger connections with your local community. Naturally, you will be able to communicate with your customers directly by sharing their stories as well as content. In time, you will build a loyal community of customers, which could result in a more reputable brand and increased word-of-mouth advertising.

7 Ways to Share Customer Testimonials on Instagram

Giving customer testimonials to Instagram can be as easy as reposting a review of a client on the Instagram feed. However, Instagram provides plenty of opportunity to come up with your own ideas with your customer’s stories. Here are some ideas for ideas.

#1: Share Customer Content to Instagram Stories

Are your customers able to create User-generated Content (UGC) that feature your brand? From tutorials to unboxing videos to reviews, these types of content can help prospective customers understand how to utilize your products or highlight what’s wonderful about your service from your customers’ words.

When customers share their content on their Instagram feed or share it on their stories, the most efficient method of getting it to your followers is to post it on your accounts’ stories. In this means that the creator is credited for their work and your followers can view the content on their own feeds.

Below, the Instagram story also includes a story from a customer, @isntshestellar. The story explains how the owner of the business uses the software for managing projects to manage her business as well as automate processes. This could provide potential customers with ideas on how they can organize their operations using the application.

#2: Highlight Customer Stories on Your Instagram Profile

Because Instagram stories automatically disappear within one day, these stories could be difficult to overlook. If a potential client visits your profile to find out more about your company, and you don’t have live stories, they might not see the reviews you post.

A simple solution is to curate reviews and UGC into an article highlight. Because story highlights don’t expire instantly, they’ll be able to keep your most popular customer stories prominently displayed on your profile so that people can easily find them.

Below, the stories of @ftlofplants are stored in a Customer highlight. The highlight contains a myriad of stories from customers that contain glowing reviews and positive feedback about the design of the brand. Potential buyers can scroll through to see how other customers have styled their clothes and experience the joy within each one of the stories.

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#3: Turn a Customer Review Into a Feed Post

Do your customers leave review on the Facebook pages, Google Business Profile, or Yelp page? Do they write about their experiences on Facebook in tweets or posts? Record these reviews using either a screenshot or design application and post the words word-for-word on Instagram.

Below, the official @jotform Instagram post includes an update from the Twitter user @TechEase_. The brief post gets right to the essence of the reason why the application is so useful for project managers. Particularly, words such as “seamless workflow” are likely to resonate with the company’s customers.

#4: Create a Customer Spotlight

Have a loyal customer who’s a brand ambassador and you’d like for them to be introduced to you fans? There’s no need to wait for your customers to submit reviews or even create UGC in order to build your company. In fact, it is possible to take advantage of the opportunity to present your top customers.

Below, the @zenefits blog post shows the user @chaeorganics, a customer in the course of National Small Business Week. The caption and post’s design focus on the client, highlighting the business’ ethical source and dedication to transparency.

The caption includes a compelling customer satisfaction story that’s included to the bio of the brand. Potential customers are able to learn the ways Zenefits assisted Chae Organics achieve success.

#5: Produce Client Case Studies

Sharing stories of customers via the link you include in your Instagram bio is an effective way to bring visitors to your website. If you want potential customers to be able to engage with these stories without having to leave the app, include the case study in the story.

Below, the carousel of @leadpages post features the customer’s @stampmesomelove. Each carousel post reveals an aspect of the business’s story. One card outlines the results she got from the page builder tool and the other includes a customer quote. Fans who can are able to relate to the story of the customer can click on the link in the bio to access the entire story.

#6: Reward Your Best Customers

Are you looking to take spotlights on your customers and case studies one step more? Make them into awards for your top or most successful customers. In this way, you’ll recognize the achievements of your customers while telling their stories to your customers.

Below, the #slackhq tweet offers customers of Marriott Digital Services a Slack Spotlight award. The cards show the what the customer has achieved and an account of how the app’s messaging capabilities made the team more effectively.

Looking for something to make your life easier?

Find out the tools we recommend to increase the engagement of your customers, speed up your time and increase sales across your entire marketing funnel, or your business.

Need help with creating content, organizing social media posts, or establishing your strategy, you’ll be able to find solutions for all situations.

 

#7: Shoot a Customer Testimonial Video

By using video reviews, it is possible to bring the customer’s words in to the present and share their tales by combining short-form videos and images. For instance, reels can mix anything from interviews with customers and lifestyle content, as well as images of products and screen recordings.

Below the reel of @canva, you can see customers @joshuabrookscliatt as well as @mya.bre who were awarded the Webby Award for a short film. The testimonial describes how the design application helped the film’s creators to create Instagram advertising materials in their film. Additionally, the short-form video features footage of the interview and the award ceremony as well as the design app in motion.

5 Tips to Get More Customer Stories on Instagram

You now have a clear idea of the types of customer stories to share and how you can publish these stories on Instagram. If you don’t already have a repository of customer testimonials to share, where can you begin collecting the ones you have? Here are a few suggestions for building your customer file.

Check Your Story Mentions

Do your customers often post about your company on your Instagram stories? If you usually respond privately, you’re missing on an important opportunity to share the content with your followers. Here’s how to improve your response:

After you have replied privately, tap to post the story on your personal account’s Instagram stories. Depending on the style of your brand you may want to include a shout-out for customers or an animated GIF or a different interactive stickers in the post. The readers will now get to read your reviews from customers as well as content created by users as they read stories.

To maximize the value of this content, you should save the most valuable customer stories to prominent place on your website. For instance, you could call it Customer Love or Reviews. Reviews and Customer Love in order to get people to swipe and look.

Customers who are interested in your product or service can now review testimonials and research the case studies while considering buying products or services from you. Because story highlights are pinned at the very top of your profile on Instagram until you delete them and they will keep displaying your most happy customers for months, weeks or even longer.

Include Customer Posts in Your Content Plan

It’s essential to share Instagram stories on a regular basis as they’re highly sensitive to time. But that doesn’t mean that you should not ignore the static content of satisfied customers. To speed up sharing start by opening your Instagram account’s notification system and select to use the Tags & Mentions filter. Mark any negative mentions to follow-up. Like and share any positive mentions.

Save any Instagram reels or posts with positive mentions in a separate folder within the folder of your Instagram account. For instance there is a folder called Mentions that I use to save these types of posts. After that, you can plug these Instagram reels and posts into your calendar of content. While you aren’t able to add customer posts to your feed via the native Instagram tools but you can still make plans to add them to your own stories.

To highlight the top reviews from your customers on your account for longer time follow the steps above to save the glowing reviews for be a story highlight. In your bio on Instagram, you could mention that you’ll be sharing reviews from customers whenever they tag your company. This way, customers who are looking for a shout-out from the public might be more likely to tell their story to your business.

Do you prefer to add customer posts or reels on your feed, rather than Instagram stories? Contact those who posted the content and ask permission to post their content in your feed. Create a short form letter thanking the users for their content and requests permission to share the content. Copy and paste it into an DM and customize as needed.

Prompt Customers to Share Their Thoughts

The above workflows are excellent for brands with well-known and has enough satisfied customers to create user-generated content that isn’t prompted. What happens if your company is more recent or if your notifications aren’t brimming with tags and mentions from customers?

To get clients to contribute their opinions and experiences, create to encourage customers to share their thoughts and experiences, create a UGC campaign to encourage customers to share their thoughts and experiences with others. You can collect testimonials and user-generated content naturally by asking your followers what they think of your products or how they benefitted from your products or services.

For instance, each whenever you publish an experience or testimonial UGC ask users to share their personal experiences. Encourage them to DM their comments to you directly or ask them to include your Instagram account in their reviews as well as UGC posts.

Although some customers may write an DM or post their own reviews It’s crucial to pay attention to the comments as well. If you find a positive review or an impressive feedback in the comments, you can pin it at on the front of your page or reel. This way everyone who takes the time to look over your content will be able to see your most positive comments.

You can apply the same method in your stories. In addition to encouraging users to respond with a DM using question stickers to encourage users to share an impression they had about your company. They can then share their feedback in a series of posts and then share the most memorable stories to be a highlight.

Does your content generate a large number of page views? Be sure that your Instagram profile informs customers on where and how to share their feedback and your employees. For instance, you can ask customers to include their Instagram account (especially when you look often for tags and mentions).

It is also possible to invite your customers to include your branded hashtag to their posts or reels in order to feature within your content. If you decide to do this ensure that you check your feed on a regular basis so that you can reply to reels and posts and include them in your shared calendar of content.

Partner With Relevant Influencers

Influencer-created content doesn’t have the same quality as content created by users. Even if they’re not paid and have no relationship with the brand, influencers are in a relationship with the brand, which usually implies a duty to promote positive experiences with the products and services of the brand. But, partnering with influencers may assist in getting more testimonials from customers.

When working with influencers, request them to incorporate prompts into their posts. For instance, they could ask their followers what products they enjoy the most or what product they’d recommend friends and relatives. After that, you can contact the people who commented and request permission to publish their reviews on the Instagram feed.

Reach Out to Your Best Customers

Do you want to collect testimonials from your most happy repeat buyers? Send them a message by requesting an interview using the examples below for inspiration.

Make an outline of your most popular customers using an eCommerce system, point of sales or. You can then use the contact information that you have in your database to contact them and inquire what they think of your product, company, or service.

Although you’re not likely to write their speech however, you’re more likely receive a positive review if you are able to ask the right questions. For example, you can ask them why they choose your brand, which products they love the most and why, or what benefits they’ve gotten through your company. You can then turn your experience into powerful Social media posts.

Conclusion

Testimonials and stories from customers can build trust and provide valuable social evidence. Through posting testimonials and working with customers to share their experiences to build an improved brand and more loyal customers.

 

Social APIs for media can be “invisible” to everyone but developers, but they are the basis of many of the marketing tools we employ every day. This is how they function.

Christina NewberryJuly 5, 2023

Table of Contents What does a Social Media API? How do social media APIs function? What are the various types of social media APIs? Are social media APIs safe? interesting details about APIs for social media

Recently, API changes to Twitter as well as Reddit has been a catalyst for bringing the issue of APIs for social media in the spotlight.

APIs are the basis for many of the tools and features we utilize everyday in our applications and marketing toolsyet they’re inaccessible to all but developers. What do you be aware of about APIs as a professional or social media user?

In this article we go over everything you should be aware of about APIs for social media to better understand how they affect the tools that we use online each day.

 

Free 30-Day TrialWhat is an API for social media?

API is a shorthand for an application programming interface. APIs for social media are an element of code that allows social media platforms to connect with third-party applications and tools, for instance, social media management tools such as Hootsuite.

In its essence, APIs are at the heart of it. API is a communication channel. Different software programs utilize APIs in order to “talk” to each other and exchange data in real-time. In this way, social media APIs enable developers to build applications and services that expand the capabilities on social media sites.

Everyone benefits. Social media platforms benefit from this added functionality without the need to create new features on their own. Developers profit by developing new apps for profit. The users also gain access to the features created by developers with API access to data.

How do APIs for social media function?

Social media APIs work in a way that connects social media websites to external apps and tools. Developers from outside have access to specific types of information that social media tools need to function.

Every social media network offer APIs that developers can make use of to develop social media tools. There are details on the websites of each social media network’s developers:

• Instagram APIs
• Facebook APIs
• YouTube APIs
• Twitter APIs
• LinkedIn APIs
• Pinterest API

What is the best way to implement this in real life? Social media tools such as Hootsuite integrate seamlessly with all the major social networks that are based the API’s access. APIs connect Hootsuite to all your accounts on social networks. Because of these APIs, you can manage all of your social media accounts through one central dashboard, instead of switching between tabs to manage accounts on different platforms. This includes publishing and scheduling posts, compiling analytics reports, responding to comments and messages, and more.

Networks determine how much social media data they provide developers with access. This means that apps as well as other tools that assist to manage social profiles will have to adhere to the guidelines established by social media platforms. This is why connecting your social accounts with a third-party tool to the first time may be a hassle. Social platforms usually ask you to verify your consent to share your data prior to giving you access to their API.

The social media APIs determine what features third-party software will — or won’t offer. Do you feel that your tools for managing social media make you go through hurdles to complete the task? It’s probably because they’re using the limitations of the app for social media’s API.

For instance, Instagram has two main APIs. Its Basic API Instagram Basic Display API permits developers to develop consumer-level applications (e.g. apps that let users display the Instagram feeds on their site). They only require connection to your Instagram account.

Instagram Graph API Instagram Graph API offers more functionality. It’s designed to permit professionals with Instagram accounts to control their complete Instagram presence, similar to Hootsuite.

What are the various kinds of APIs for social media?

Open APIs

 

Open APIs are freely accessible interfaces. They are sometimes referred to as open APIs or an open API. open API for social media that is free.

They generally don’t grant access to copyrighted or proprietary data. Instead, they’re created to assist developers in making use of data that’s freely available.

For instance for example, for instance, the Google Maps JavaScript API allows anyone to design an image of a map that has a particular location marker and then embed it in their site. This is a customized use of information that is publicly accessible through Google Maps.

Here’s what the code will appear for a standard web page with a customized map built by using Maps JavaScript API. Maps JavaScript API:

Source: Google Maps Platform

Developers may need to sign up for access or authorization for open APIs. In the case above you can look up the API key that is a type of authentication. The other type of authentication used to open APIs is known as an OAuth.

To make use of to make use of Facebook APIs, such as developers have to sign up for an account as a developer. Before an app that utilizes the Facebook APIs is launched the developer has to include a verified business in the application. They must also answer a few questions about the handling of data. The application then goes through reviewing.

Partner APIs

APIs for partner applications are available only to business partners who have been approved. Before developers are granted access to the API they must request approval. They then get access to a particular type by way of an agreement for rights or a license agreement.

Because these APIs give access to data that’s not available to the public They are also limited in their usage. They typically are only able to perform a single job. Authentication is generally required by way or access token.

Internal APIs

Internal APIs can be used to make different social network function better. They give access to the backend database for developers working with the business or are hired with the business. They are not available to developers outside the company. They are sometimes referred to as Private APIs.

Are APIs for social media secure?

One of the biggest advantages of APIs is the fact that they utilize various security protocols to guard data as it moves between different applications.

Remember that you’ll notice that “I” in API stands for “interface.” The interface functions as a middleman for the applications as well as your device. The apps only share data they require to complete specific tasks.

APIs allow users to choose which data they can make available to third-party applications. For instance, if you allow an application or tool such as Hootsuite access to your LinkedIn account, you’ll be presented with an interface asking you to select what information you’d like to share with them. You can change your access at any point by accessing your Settings & Privacy section of your LinkedIn profile.

But despite these security measures, APIs definitely do have security holes, as they can be the possibility of data access points for criminals. Hackers exploited weaknesses in Facebook’s APIs during an huge hack in the year 2018. A flaw in the API was also the cause of the Twitter cyberattack around 2022.

APIs are crucial to the social media platform’s functionality which is why the social media platforms are constantly striving to enhance security. On the other hand, for users it’s recommended to restrict the use of third-party social media applications to those with the company’s own safety protocols established.

6 interesting facts more about APIs of social media

1. Social media APIs are the basis for chatbots that are interactive

APIs are the connecting factor that allows personalized, interactive as well as bots powered by AI to work across social networks. Have you ever had a conversation with an AI-powered chatbot via Facebook Messenger? The conversation was made possible through Facebook Messenger API. Facebook Messenger API.

2.Social media APIs from various platforms can be utilized together

Every social media network comes with their individual API(s). However, developers can utilize those APIs together to build tools that can function with different social networks. This can make life easier for users who have multiple Facebook or Twitter account.

In addition, each social media platform comes with its own analytics data. You can view the analytics of every account through logging into your account and going to analytics tab. An API-powered management software like Hootsuite makes use of analytics APIs that are available from several social networks. This gives the ability to analyze data that displays results from multiple platforms in one place.

1. Social media APIs have traditionally been completely free, but Twitter recently changed this

Twitter has sparked a debate over using APIs back in the month of February after they announced that their API access for free was shut down. In May, they introduced API tiered access prices:

• Free to use for “write-only use cases and testing the Twitter API”
• 100$/month to “hobbyists or prototypes”
• $5,000/month to “startups scaling their business”
• And According to some reports, up to $42,000/month in “businesses and scaled commercial projects”

Reddit shortly was next. They also announced their commercial API access would be a monthly cost.

This has resulted in the removal of many smaller apps from third parties that are used by Twitter as well as Reddit. It is yet to be determined whether this trend will be extended to other social networks.

1. Platforms for social media continue develop new APIs

As social platforms continue to develop new features, they will need to come up with and publish new APIs.

 

Government agencies are required to keep an archive of content from social media which includes the entire conversation and all comments. Here’s how to create an archiving strategy that is compliant with social media. strategy.

Christina NewberryJuly 4, 2023

Table of Contents What is the purpose of social media archiving in government agencies? How is the process of archives regulated by the public sector? How do you preserve records of social media and be legally compliant. Hootsuite is a great tool for archiving social media

Archiving social media for government agencies is an essential part for compliance plan. Social media platforms are a means to communicate with constituents as well as members of the public at large. They are accessible to the public through open records and First Amendment laws, just as other forms of public communication.

Content shared on official social media sites is in default publically accessible. However, the open record laws demand extensive archiving process for information than social media platforms themselves are able to provide. Agency administrators must ensure that their social media data is archived to allow access for journalists and the public at large. Continue reading to learn how you can stay in compliance with the most efficient workflow for archiving.

#1 Social Media Tool for GovernmentEngage your citizens using the only tool that allows you to reach out, offer services, and deal with crisis situations.

Book a DemoWhat exactly is social media archiving to do for agencies of the government?

Social media archiving by the government is a part of the open records laws. The social media platform is considered a public platform and should be archived in this manner.

An appropriate archive of your social media’s content and communications also permits users to address public records requests as well as Freedom of Information requests. Also, you need to archive your social media comments in the event that you are confronted with an First Amendment challenge.

How is social media archive being regulated by the public sector?

Social media archives regulations differ by country and by states. The most common element can be found in the fact that media content is usually classified as a public record.

Government agencies and organizations need to keep an archive of content from social media. This includes all comments as well as conversations. The information must be made available to citizens and journalists who ask for it.

The needs for archiving are very specific and could include:

• The collection of social media metadata
• Restoring the information in the original form
• Recording social media accounts for a specific period of time
• Comments that are archived, even if they’re deleted or kept secret
• Recording the context of all threads of comments
• The data is maintained in a certain geographic area

Each jurisdiction comes with its own privacy rules. They affect the information that government agencies are allowed to post in social media. For instance government agencies can post on social media. For example, the Government of British Columbia has Guidelines for the Use of Government for Social Media. They state that the following subjects are prohibited:

• Anything that is currently in the courts
• Confidential information, such as draft legislation and policy advice
• Information on identifiable third parties, without the authorization of a statutory law

Citizenship can inspire individuals to share personal data through social media. This is especially the case when people post photos. This is a crucial aspect to think about when considering collecting and archiving data.

How can you archive documents on social media, and remain legally compliant

The compliance of social media is a constant problem to all agencies of government. Particularly for those who are involved in active citizen engagement.

You require a thorough strategy to archive social media. This will ensure that you have all the data that you require

• adhere to the law
• Respond to requests for FOI information,
• to address First Amendment challenges, and
• Increase transparency in the government.

Create policies for archiving and procedures

As with any good compliance plan the archiving process must be based on solid foundations. The policies and procedures for archiving serve as the base on the foundation of all your recordskeeping is based.

As you develop your policy make sure you conduct a thorough examination of the law that applies to your area to ensure you adhere to every aspect.

For instance the privacy and data protection policies oblige social media to be stored within Australian Data centers. This means that Australian government agencies must use archiving software with storage options for data within Australia such as Brolly that is integrated into Hootsuite.

Create your archive policies and processes into your overall guidelines for social media. So, your staff who work with social media will have quick access to the most up-to-date guidelines at all times.

Bonus: Download a no-cost, custom social guidelines template for media for quick and effortlessly develop recommendations for your company and employees.

Include an outlined procedure for approving any new social media accounts. As many accounts an organization utilizes, the more accounts you’ll have to archive. Do all departments need their own social media channels? It’s possible but there needs to be a purpose-driven reason behind each account. When a new account goes live, be sure to integrate it into your archive process.

Keep the entire social media content

Similar to what we have said previously the content of social media is regarded as a to be part of public records. This includes ALL social media communications via your social media channels.

It’s possible to ask why you require a specific archive of your social media posts. It’s all publically accessible via your social media accounts. But the social media platforms are private-sector businesses. They aren’t legally bound by lawful open record laws. This means that there’s no assurance that social networks will keep your information forever.

In addition, if you modify or delete content, you must keep track of these modifications. The Open Records Act requires that you keep a copy of each post that is made available for public viewing.

Also, you must keep a log of any comments posted on your social media accounts. This is true even the case that you must delete or block them due to reasons such as:

• Identification details,
• threats of violence
• profanity,
• and so on.

It is also important to take into consideration the possibility that someone might edit or delete your own remarks. They are still needed to be in your archive. Without an archive solution you are unable to find a comment which they remove from your website.

In addition to the open records laws, you must to ensure your organization’s security in the event of an First Amendment challenge. This means that you should have the archive for all hidden or deleted comments

Comments made to official social media accounts of government agencies generally fall within First Amendment protections. Your social media policies should contain an acceptable use policy that specifies what kinds of comments are acceptable and the reasons for it. Your archive allows you to show an underlying reason for the removal.

It is also recommended to keep the records of any media in which you’re identified or mentioned, since it could count as a form of communications. Be aware of the content you’ve being mentioned or tagged is an ideal practice for everyone who uses social media. It’s a great method of understanding the conversations about you on the internet. For government agencies, it’s crucial.

In other words, you will require specifically designed social media archive tools to use in government. It is only the best way to preserve the conversations with your citizens and adhere to the law.

In addition the fact that social is public record implies that it is not possible to block individuals from following your official social media accounts. Archiving is just one aspect of complying with the laws on public records, however, it’s not all-encompassing. Read our comprehensive blog post to learn all you must be aware of the compliance of the government agencies who use social media..

Free Webinar for Government AgenciesLearn to use social media effectively while avoiding compliance and security dangers. Learn to engage with your customers get feedback, respond to crisis situations and much more.

Watch nowInclude metadata and other contextual information.

Open records legislation in numerous states requires that you save social media posts with metadata and information about the context. For instance, U.S. courts have generally held that screenshots by themselves do not constitute a complete record of a thread on a comment.

Why? Because a screenshot is an image. And images are editable. This is the reason why social media archives for the government should contain metadata and other the context of the image.

Let’s start with metadata. Metadata isn’t visible on social media pages. However, it is in an in-between of content online. Metadata collects data about every post and comment, such as:

• Who was the person who posted it
• The exact date they published it (timestamp)
• What devices did they use?

It is possible to see that, for instance, if someone has multiple accounts to make multiple comments on using the same computer. Additionally, all of these metadata helps your company verify that the data that you have in your archive are genuine. It proves that they are accurate and haven’t been altered. Without metadata the social media archive file is not likely to be accepted by a judge.

Contextual information reveals the context within which the comment was posted. It is crucial because it can help to understand the complete intention behind what was said. Content may also provide information about the reason the reason why a comment was required to be removed or concealed.

A standalone comment could appear to have no basis for being deleted. What about the contents of a comment thread? If the participants respond to each other this comment may be interpreted as revealing an identifiable profile of the other party, which is against privacy laws, or to suggest the threat to another user.

An archive that has complete metadata and context information can help you reconstruct a full online conversation. You’ll have information and details that otherwise would be lost.

Create archived content that is accessible and searchable

The main reason to archive open records is to be able to access it and make it available to journalists and citizens who make a Freedom of Information request. To do this your archive must be safe and easily accessible to the right members of your staff.

Additionally, it should be searchable to ensure that you can locate any relevant content whenever asked for. Social media archive tools for the government must have sophisticated search features. It should be possible to search for content that falls within the specific time period, by using specific keywords or user information. The ability to tag content as well as include notes in the archive is useful when you want to find social media content.

Also, it’s crucial to be able to access any deleted or hidden content as well as comments. This is particularly important in the event of an First Amendment challenge. It is essential to know the entire context for confirming any decisions regarding taking public comments off your website.

Inability to respond to requests for information under freedom of access or legal challenge can result in severe financial and legal consequences. An organized and user-friendly archive will protect your organization from lawsuits as well as other punitive actions.

The benefit? An extensive archive that is searchable helps to understand the trends in comment and questions. This could indicate the need for more resources to support a specific policy or program.

Free Course for Government AgenciesLearn for free in this 45-minute class and learn to become an expert in the field of government social media. Learn how to reduce time, communicate with your constituents and develop an efficient social strategy.

Sign up to receive a free subscriptionReview your processes regularly

Social media changes fast. The law governing social media isn’t moving at the same speed but it’s not a guarantee that it will be the same for eternity. Additionally, the tools to preserve social media content and increase compliance change.

This means that you should examine your archiving processes frequently. You have the option of defining the term “regularly” means to your company, but you should plan for an in-depth audit of social media at least every quarter.

For government agencies, the audit on social media should include the auditing of your archives procedures and process.

Check that any brand new accounts on social networks are included in your archiving system. Examine the policies for archiving and procedures with employees older and younger. You can assign someone in your team to keep track of any modifications to legislation. Be sure to mention them during your regular review if they’ve not been addressed yet.

Archiving social media using Hootsuite

When you choose the tools to archive your social media to ensure compliance with government regulations it is crucial to select a reliable and secure company. To protect information belonging to citizens and the government The U.S. government requires all cloud-based services utilized in federal government agencies to comply with through the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program known as FedRAMP.

Hootsuite is licensed by FedRAMP. This identifies Hootsuite as a feasible automated government social media archive solution. Hootsuite also fulfills the specifications for FCA, IIROC, SEC, PCI, AMF, and MiFID II. This is the reason more than 2,000 public and government sector agencies utilize Hootsuite for managing their online presence.

Hootsuite works with compliance solutions such as ProofPoint and Brolly to ensure that your government’s social media account safe. Brolly specifically makes an archive that is secure and contains social media content, which includes metadata, context images, hyperlinks as well as videos.

Comments and posts are immediately archived in real-time including deletions, edits and hidden comments.

This capability in real-time is crucial as people are able to alter their mind quickly while engaged in fierce debate. You must keep a track of comments which appear on your website for just the duration of a few minutes.

In your archive you are able to make use of tags, notes, and advanced search to locate the data you require to satisfy FOI record demands or for legal discovery. You can also upload archives to an eRDMS in a manual manner or using an automated program.

 

Although connecting our team with our customers has been a top priority for us in Buffer, howthe team has communicated with our customers has evolved significantly throughout the many years.

When I began working for Buffer at the beginning of 2015 our team had a designated period during which everyone spent one hour answering customer support queries during our annual retreat. At these times our Customer Advocates would offer support to all of the Buffer team while they responded to questions from customers. It was a great bonding opportunity and an excellent opportunity to bring everyone from the company – from our People Team, to Engineers Designers, Finance, and Engineers-closer to the customers. Furthermore, with our completely remote team gathered at one location to attend our retreat we were unable to provide our normal 24/7 customer service and having additional hands to respond to customer inquiries was hugely helpful!

After some thought we realized that we shouldn’t restrict full-team connectivity to annual retreats for the company! We considered how this could appear in a remote setting and thought of the first remote version of 2019. Advocacy Day.

Iteration 1: A full day to respond to customers

The annual Advocacy Day was an entire day devoted to the team to communicate with our customers and respond to emails from customer support. Our team is remote and spread across several time zones We needed to ensure that an established structure was in place to assist every member of the team, specifically those who were brand-new or had never responded to customer emails prior to.

We were on call for the entire duration of Advocacy Day Our customer advocates was “on call” in Slack as well as on Zoom to assist our Product Managers, Engineers as well as other team members during interactions with the customers. We worked shifts in an open Zoom conference where anyone was able to come in and seek help, ask questions, to help with difficult conversations, or just enjoy conversations with us while working.

To help new team members on the first Advocacy day, we organized celebrations in Slack in the event that someone sent their first response to a customer. We also discussed valuable lessons and interactions all throughout the day.

From a customer’s perspective, Advocacy Days also resulted in numerous quick successes. If an Engineer discovered a bug or an Designer was aware of a minor user experience issue through an interaction with a customer and they decide to jump into the problem and follow-up the next following day to inform them that it was solved.

Although there were many positive advantages to bringing the whole team to clients, we also faced a few issues and drawbacks. Certain team members who were that were not as involved in the product encountered difficulties in identifying issues or figure out whether certain behavior was expected or if they were a result of bugs.

Also, we received feedback that responding to customers was a little intimidating for certain team members because they didn’t feel like they had mastered our brand’s tone and voice. In addition is the fact that some of our team members are fluent in English as an additional language.

Taken all of this into consideration taking all of this into consideration, we opted for the new model.

Iteration 2: Dedicated customer support sessions

in 2020 Customer Quality Time became our second 24/7 remote support for our customers. days.

In contrast to Advocacy Days, in this model, we eliminated the whole-team element, rather, we pair every non-support team member together with a customer advocate partner to tackle a specific subject or issue that is a concern for the customer. Every team member was involved in at the very least 1 Customer Quality Time session scheduled in the course of the year. However, in our Design, Engineering, and Product Teams included three to four sessions.

 

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Get started nowContrary to previous iterations that were in use, unlike previous iterations, Customer Quality Time did not require the person who is not an Advocate team member to respond directly to customers. Instead, the pair could look through customer interactions and feedback to determine the ways that customers were using our products, observe any problems or UX confusions, and determine the tasks were being praised from our clients. This eliminated the fear factor and allowed our team to concentrate on understanding the user experience. Our product-facing teams sat more often with Advocates, they could avail a concierge service, courtesy from our customer advocates every time they wanted to investigate a new aspect or feature of our product.

Although this chapter did have its positives but it also faced issues. The main focus was members of the Advocacy Team and there were difficulties in aligning schedules, particularly with respect to Product team’s current schedules and sprints, in addition to ensuring sufficient coverage to our customers. We weren’t recording any outcomes or learnings from every Customer Quality Time and it was difficult to gauge the effect the days brought to our customers, or to measure their effectiveness.

After a break for 2021 we headed back to drawing on the board.

Iteration 3: Pairing Engineers with our customers

In 2022 we began to introduce Customer Engineering Days. Based on previous feedback We wanted to be particularly deliberate in the design of these days. Instead of pairing Advocates with people from the entire team, we concentrated specifically on pairings between Engineers and made Engineers and Engineers communicate with their Advocate with whom they had been paired with to set the date that was according to their team’s work schedule. In this way, they could make use of their time to collect information about their customers based on their current work in engineering.

We’re now a year and half in to Customer Engineering Days and have been incredibly successful so far. We’ve experienced thirteen Customer Engineering Days so far across eight time zones and have the possibility of having six additional scheduled. Engineers have discovered and corrected a number of bugs, discovered a variety of UX enhancements and have gained a better knowledge of how users use our products.

 

 

The search for the ideal social media management software can be a daunting job, as there are a variety of choices and features to take into consideration.

As I am a (let’s admit that) partial Buffer employees, I’ve done my best to analyze both from the perspective of a neutral person to assist you in making an informed choice.

This article will look at the main distinctions in Buffer and eClincher, to help you in locating the best solution to manage your social media requirements. So, let’s take a look at both

Seven Key Differences Between Buffer and eClincher

1. Free Plan Availability

Buffer provides a free plan with three channels and the capacity to plan up 30 posts. The downside is that eClincher doesn’t have any free plans.

This is what makes Buffer the perfect option for those who wish to try the platform before signing up to a pay plan.

1. High Starting Price

The eClincher starting plan is $65 per month, while Buffer lets users start with no cost and has affordable plans for paid users starting at six dollars per calendar month. This is what makes Buffer an affordable option for small and new businesses with a small amount of money to spend.

1. Unlimited Users

eClincher doesn’t provide unlimited users. Even on the highest priced Agency plans, which begins at $425 a month, only six users are offered. This is quite limiting for agencies and teams with several team members. The addition of a user to eClincher is $50 per month for each user. This means that prices could quickly increase for teams with a growing number of members.

The Buffer Agency plan offers unlimited users, which helps organizations of every size to get the most value from the plan. Talking of plans …

1. More Affordable Plans

When comparing similar plans Buffer generally offers the most cost-effective alternatives. We compared Buffer and Xoom in competition to see which one is better:

eClincher

Buffer

Basic Plan 10 channels for $65 a month.

Essentials Plan Ten channels at $50 a month.

Premier Plan $20 channels at $175 monthly.

Essentials Plan Twenty channels, $100 a month.

The Agency Plan includes 40 channels, six users for $425 per month.

Agency Plan 40 channels Unlimited users for $30 per month.

Depending on the type of plan, eClincher costs between 30 and to 50 percent more costly Buffer however, this is despite Buffer having more capabilities in many areas, such as the ability to have unlimited number of users AI support …

1. Mastodon Support

Contrary to eClincher which is a competitor, Buffer lets users connect to and schedule posts for Mastodon and offers more flexibility with regards to choice of social media platforms.

1. AI Assistance

The two apps Buffer and eClincher both offer AI functions, but Buffer provides AI assistance for all plans including its free version. eClincher offers AI assistance with their Premier plans ($175 monthly) and above, which makes Buffer an easier choice for people looking for a bit of AI-driven help.

 

The choice of the best social media management software is a daunting task. There are many choices to choose from with hundreds of functions available to review.

However, don’t fret Buffer is here to help. Buffer will aid you in making an informed choice with our service by comparison to another well-known option: Sked Social.

In order to help you choose the best solution to manage your social media requirements, we’ve put together an overview of the key distinctions among Buffer as well as Sked Social. Let’s get started!

Nine Major Differences

1. No Free Plan

We at Buffer offer the free plan which includes three channels as well as the capability to plan at least 30 post. Sked Social, however, does not have any kind of free plan. This is what makes Buffer the ideal choice for people who wish to test the waters prior to entering into a paid plan.

1. The high cost of starting

The Sked Social starting plan is $25 per month and has three channels and a single user. The Buffer free plan provides the same amount of users and channels for no cost, offering an affordable starting point for those who are just starting out.

1. Costs per channel are high.

In the average, Sked Social charges between 8 to $13 per month per channel however, Buffer, on the other hand Buffer only cost $6 per month for each channel. If you’re a typical business that has accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram account, you’ll pay $65 with Buffer, but 75 with Sked Social.

1. An Instagram connection is required by law.

All plans from Sked Social require customers to sign up with at minimum an Instagram account. If you don’t have an active account on Instagram that means you’re paying for features that you don’t need. At Buffer, we permit users to only connect to the channels you want to utilize, giving you more flexibility.

1. Mastodon Support

At Buffer we allow our users to link and plan posts on Mastodon and Sked Social, whereas Sked Social does not offer this feature. If you’re looking for Mastodon assistance, Buffer is the clear option.

1. 4-Hour Support Response Time

are proud to offer the best support available with Buffer which has an NPS that is consistently over 50, a user satisfaction rating of 94 percent and a four-hour initial response time for Support tickets to all customers for all plans. Contrary to this, Sked Social only provides an answer time of four hours on its premium plans. Additionally, its Basic plans ($25 monthly) does not offer email or chat support.

1. Limited Historical Data

All the paid packages at Buffer include unlimited historical data to analyze and analysis, while the Sked Social Fundamental plan sets the maximum retention of data to three months. This means that Buffer an ideal choice for those who wish to analyse historical data with no limits.

1. Zapier Integration

We have Zapier integration for all of our plans at Buffer which includes the free plan. This makes it simple for customers to link Buffer with other services and apps. Sked Social only offers this integration only on the Professional and Essentials plans, that start at $85 per month.

1. Chrome Extension

With Buffer we offer an effective Chrome extension to save post ideas as well as scheduling them for all of our plans, including our free plans. Sked Social only offers this option on the Professional and Essentials plans (starting at $85 per month) which makes Buffer an easier choice for users looking to simplify their process of curation and scheduling.