With tons of articles published online every day, it isn't always easy to separate the sublime from the mess of cheap clickbait content threatening to swallow the web.
However, great content should be recognized, which is why I'm bringing you 21 of the most popular, highest-value social media articles of the year! These articles are fan favorites that definitely deserve a second look - lots of great knowledge here!
1. 5 Social Media Hacks Every Marketer Should Know
Adweek shares several awesome social media "hacks" that can help you do some pretty powerful marketing maneuvering on different social platforms. From cinemagraphs to Snapchat promos, this post has some great ideas to throw your way.
2. 5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Posting to Social Media
This Venture Beat post by Cara Joyner reminds us that the common adage to "think before you speak" is just as important on social media as it is IRL. Consider asking yourself these 5 questions before publishing on social media to ensure that you're always posting with purpose and not falling victim to social narcissism.
3. Mark Cuban: The Biggest Mistake You Don't Know You're Making on Social Media
In this popular Inc. video interview, Mark Cuban talks about the biggest mistake users make on social media (at least in his opinion) - letting posts and status updates live permanently on the web and not fully considering the repercussions of disintegrating online privacy.
4. 30 Action Items to Get Serious About Influencer Marketing
Social Media Today's very own Barry Feldman does a deep dive on the topic of Influencer Marketing and describes the fine art of getting big kahunas in your camp, in order to achieve greater reach and resonance by winning over the people who already have it. And, it can be amazingly effective!
5. 26 Tips to Strengthen Your Social Media Marketing
Debbie Hemley of Social Media Examiner offers 26 great tips on improving social media marketing. Some of these tips are tried and true classic, while others are fresh, untapped new ideas. Give them a try!
6. Tip: Turn Your Company's Email Into A Content Library
In this short article by Jason Keath of Social Fresh, Jason introduces a pretty powerful idea - using an internal email address to turn your company's massive collection of emails into a valuable content library. When answering relevant customer questions or concerns, simply BCC the email to a custom internal email address, which can then be scanned later when brainstorming ideas for blog posts. Don't let that valuable info go to waste!
7. 5 Brilliant Ways to Use Hashtags in Social Media Marketing
In this Search Engine Watch article by Uri Bar-Joseph, we're given a rundown of all things #hashtag, including a quick history of hashtags and an exploration of some of the best hashtag campaigns to date.
8. 5 Painfully Obvious But Extremely Effective Facebook Tactics Nobody Told You About
Unbounce reminds us that sometimes the most obvious solutions are the right ones - however, examining these "common" tactics with a more in-depth assessment reveals new info you may not have thought of before!
9. 50 Tweetable Tips You Wish You Knew Years Ago
HubSpot brings us 50 tweetable Twitter tips, helping marketers get the most out of that little blue bird.
10. The Art of Self-Promotion on Social Media: How to Toot Your Horn Without Turning Your Audience Off
Ever wonder what percentage of your social media status updates should be about your own content vs. other people's content vs. personal status updates? This Social Media Today article from Buffer's resident marketing genius, Kevan Lee explores 6 critical ratios that social media marketers must keep in mind when sharing content.
11. How to Easily Double Your Traffic from Social Media
In this article, Kissmetrics shows marketers how they can repost their content multiple times to get the most mileage out of their posts and pieces. Learn how to develop a social sharing schedule and techniques for reposting (while avoiding a spammer reputation).
12. Why Google Doesn't Care About College Degrees, in 5 Quotes
In this Venture Beat piece by Gregory Ferenstein, we learn why we don't need to go to college. Just kidding! Google certainly doesn't advice dismissing higher education all together, but in these quotes Google shows how talent, skills, and logic can be found in individuals from all different walks of life (not just those with a prestigious ivy league degree).
13. 8 Brain Triggers Guaranteed to Boost Your Social Media Marketing
Marketing Land's Jordan Kasteler takes us away from specific social strategies and instead offers some advice on how to keep your brain sharp and stay at the top of your marketing game.
14. Ultimate List of IFTTT Recipes for Marketers
IFTTT (If This Then That) is an incredible automation tool that allows users to create "recipes" in which apps interact with one another. For example, with IFTTT, you have your Instagram posts automatically saved to your Dropbox account (and that's just one super simple example). In this post from SEER Interactive, Dana Forman offers the ultimate list of IFTTT recipes for marketers. Don't miss them!
15. 6 Simple Photo Tools for Creating Social Media Visuals
Photos are immensely valuable as a social media resource - they're key to getting likes and engagements across basically all platforms. Jill Celeste of Social Media Examiner shows how to make your own beautiful, custom social media graphics that promise boosts in traffic, engagement, and fan obsession.
16. Google+ Is Dying. What's Your Exit Strategy?
With the departure of Vic Gundotra this April -- the biggest internal champion of Google+, the phasing out or decoupling of features, and the discontinuation of mandatory G+ integration with other Google services - the writing is on the wall: Google+ is Walking Dead. In this article for Inc. Magazine, I argue that marketers should be thinking about a Google+ exit strategy today.
17. 5 Top Social Media Campaigns of 2014
Mashable's Megan Ranney presents the best social media campaigns of 2014, explaining why they work and the impressive result they earned for their brands.
18. 11 Unusual Social Media Tips to Drive Branding, Clicks, and Conversions
In this widely popular post by Entrepreneur's Frias Kittaneh, we learn 11 unique social media tips for increasing those clicks and conversions. Some of these you may have thought of before, but I'm pretty sure at least a few of these will be news to you - check them out!
19. 13 Ways to Beat the Facebook Algorithm
This year has been brutal for organic post visibility on Facebook - algorithm updates have resulted in low single digit visibility for business's organic page posts. Today, organic reach of 1-2% is typical and the trend is rapidly approaching zero:
So how do you beat the odds? In my article for Social Media Today, I cover 13 tactics to beat the Facebook algorithm and help you get your fan engagement back.
20. 10 Smart Tips to Leverage Google+ For Increased Web Traffic
Cyrus Shepherd of Moz introduces 10 tips for using Google+ to increase web traffic! From targeting to hashtags, Cyrus explains the best features to focus on when posting on Google+.
21. 9 Reasons to Self-Promote Shamelessly on LinkedIn
Most people on LinkedIn tend to play it safe when it comes to adding connections. While sites like Twitter and Google+ openly advocate adding strangers, most LinkedIn users hesitate to add someone to their network that they haven't at least met in some vague capacity.
However, in my Social Media Today column, I advocate that loosening up the definition of "friendship" can have some serious benefits, especially on LinkedIn, including huge increases in visibility and engagement for the content that you share on Linkedin. So forget about stranger danger; go ahead start accepting more connection requests!
Do you have any favorite social media articles from this year that I missed? Share them in the comments!