Outsmarts

At Out-Smarts we like to k.i.s.s – now don’t go getting any ideas, we mean k eep i t s imple, s tup!d. We like to simplify the internet and social media for our clients, and thought a post outlining how to create a simple social media strategy was in order. So, here we go: 1. Grab a hot chocolate, coffee, or your preferred caffeine stimulant. We said this was about creating a simple social media strategy, not that it wouldn’t take you some time (time well spent, might we add). 2. Identify... Read Full Story

We’re long overdue for a dose of cheer.  Here are links to some of the online gems we are enjoying and exploring right now. Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social networks right now.  It allows you to pin, organise and share images online.  It is very visually stimulating and fun.  Watch this space for a more in depth post all about Pinterest and feel free to follow me there. We’ve been exploring online tools that allowyou to create simple graphics.  We like Gimp, Aviary and Pixlr... Read Full Story

Wondering when to Tweet for maximum effect, what time to post to your Facebook page so that the more people will see it? You’re not alone. Here is a great infographic from KISSmetrics to keep you on track. Read Full Story

Starting this month, Facebook is updating its advertising program by making changes to Sponsored Stories . Sponsored stories first appeared in 2011 as a way to turn your friend’s actions and posts into promoted content for brands. For a breakdown of how these ads used to look, check out this Mashable post that does a great job of explaining it. Today, we’re going to talk about the most recent changes that Facebook will be making to these stories. The big change: Facebook Sponsored Stories... Read Full Story

Our website was recently hacked; every time we searched Out-Smarts’ name on Google, spammy content about sales on Microsoft products appeared where our company’s description should have been. It took awhile to sort everything back out, so we really appreciate this post by Christine Rondeau of Bluelime Media . If you’d like to see the original post, click here . Dealing with Hackers and Spammers Having a WordPress site is loads of fun. Being able to create content, make your own edits and... Read Full Story

A lot has changed the five or so years that Out-Smarts has been focused on social media marketing. For a start, most people now know what Facebook is, many are even using it for more than “being social”.  Studies show that 60% of all Canadians are using social media and 44% of small to medium sized business decision makers use social media , but are businesses using it the right way to build their online presence strategically? In many cases, they’re not. Here are the top 10 mistakes that... Read Full Story

It’s a new year, which means a deluge of posts about the “top this and that of 2011”, and here we are throwing another one into the mix. But, we really wanted to share with you our most read blog posts of 2011. Hopefully you’ll find some bits of wisdom, or a key takeaway, from the following list: 1. Create a Custom iframe Tab for Your Facebook Page 2. Tumblr: The Easiest Way to Blog 3. 10 Easy Ways to Get More Links to Your Website 4. Add Social Media Icons to Your Sidebar Without... Read Full Story

2011 has been an amazing year for Out-Smarts, and 2012 is shaping up to be even better. We’d like to thank our friends, clients and business partners for all their support and help this past year. It sounds cliché, but we really couldn’t have done it without you! We hope you’ve enjoyed our blog posts this past year, oh faithful reader. Stay tuned in 2012 as we help you navigate the never-ending changes and happenings in social media and internet marketing. Now get out there and celebrate... Read Full Story

Santa continues to make great use of social media this year, what a modern man! As usual, NORAD is doing a great job of tracking Santa’s efforts as he does his last minute preparations for the big day. You can follow NORAD on their website ,  Facebook , Twitter , and Google+ . If you’re doing some last minute shopping but still want to track Santa’s progress, there’s an app for that. Organize your holiday shopping list and follow Santa with the Santa Claus Tracker , or use the Santa... Read Full Story

YouTube is not to be ignored; it’s now the second largest search engine after Google. It’s easy to see why YouTube has been so successful, think about it – many people would rather learn about something by seeing it rather than by reading about it. Watching a video seems like infinitely less work than reading an article. Beware though, people have short attention spans. Your videos should be maximum 3 minutes long or risk losing viewers halfway through the video. Here’s why you should get... Read Full Story