In 2013, Cambridge University researcher, Aleksandr Kogan created a personality quiz app. This app was installed by around 300,000 Facebook users, who shared their data as well as some of their friends’ data. This meant Kogan was able to access tens of millions of their friends’ data due to the way Facebook worked at the time.

On Wednesday, Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg finally commented on the fiasco after 5 days of silence and said: “The good news is that the most important actions to prevent this from happening again today we have already taken years ago. But we also made mistakes, there’s more to do, and we need to step up and do it.”

Zuckerberg’s reply followed hours of Twitter trends; #DeleteFacebook and #WheresZuck, which included none other than, WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton!

Let’s be realistic… deleting Facebook is really not an option. Yes, people are angered by the illegal sharing of data, and rightly so, but could you imagine how angry the 65M+ businesses would be if Facebook suddenly off-lined, never to be seen again, after they’ve spent countless hours and money, building relationships, engagement and fans.

Zuckerberg’s response lays out plans going forward for the platform, to ensure this breach of data privacy cannot ever happen again. This includes investigating historical apps that had access to large amounts of information before the policy change in 2014, and informing any users that have been affected by this, plus restricting developers’ data access even further.

Facebook also intends to make it easier for users to view and revoke app permissions in the near future.

Read more about how you can improve your social media presence, we have lots of insights and content on our blog!

The post What Mark Zuckerberg’s comments mean for the future of Facebook users appeared first on Brighter Directions.

Previously, a post had to be shared on to the brand page before it could be boosted. The updated features will enable direct post boosting, from the creator’s profile, and as it appears on their page. The creator simply needs to tick the permission box when they’re composing their post, and tag the Page using the ‘branded content’ tool.

The target audience will see that the post originated from the creator, even though it was boosted by the brand.

In order to ensure affiliations are properly represented, it’s now possible to authorise which creators can tag a brand in their ‘branded content’ posts in the Page Settings.

Branded content insights show key data such as reach, engagement, total spend and CPM to help determine the effectiveness of the creator’s posts.

The branded content tab has been refreshed in Page Insights, and Business Manager to include:

• Detailed tool-tips and explanations to more easily view and understand results
• Total spend from both the creator and the marketer on each post
• Separate summaries of total spend and CPM – in multiple currencies, if needed

The post Facebook updates branded content features to help businesses collaborate more effectively with influencers appeared first on Brighter Directions.

You may not have been aware when you woke up this morning that Children in Need would be airing at 7.30pm tonight, but within seconds of logging in to your favourite social media accounts this morning, it would be hard not to know!

With Children in Need being a great cause and also having the support of some of the UK’s largest corporates, it’s obviously easier for them to hop up on to the ‘trending topics’ podium, but any company which has the right skills, strategy and experience has the opportunity to make a big impact digitally. That’s why companies like Brighter Directions exist, to help you get the best results possible from your social media activity!

Campaigns like this, which truly harness the power of social media for a great cause, is what social media should really be about – being a part of something bigger, something good!

We’ll be keeping an eye on the fundraising activities throughout the UK today from the comfort of our office chair and of course tuning in to the BBC tonight!

The post The big Spotacular – harnessing the power of social media for good appeared first on Brighter Directions.

Brighter Directions social media and digital content experts

We’re constantly being told that our content needs to be truly compelling if it’s going to get the results we need. The web is packed with best practice examples, insider tips and how to guides on the subject of creating content, but how do you know where to start? Here are our top four tips for finding inspiration for your content which will truly compel your readers to take action.

Use the data you already have

Analysing your website is a great starting point, and not too difficult to do either. See what search terms led readers to your site, and which pages they looked at when they arrived. Put on your Poirot hat and see what you can deduce about your audience from the information you have about them.

Make the most of the knowledge you have in house

If you’ve got experts in the business who are willing to write, great. Unfortunately you’ll probably find it’s not high on their list of priorities, so let’s be a bit more creative here. Spend 20 minutes or so quizzing them about their job, what they’re working on and what’s going on in the industry in general. You’ll be amazed by the amount of ideas you turn up.

Pinch ideas from the competition, but do it better than they do

Read other peoples blogs.  Check social media feeds for updates. Figure out who’s getting the lion’s share of the traffic and why. It’s not a crime to write a similar blog post to something you’ve read from a competitor; just make sure yours is better written, more insightful and thoroughly engaging from start to finish.

Share knowledge, not products

Your early stage buyers are your target market for your blogs and whitepapers, and if all you’re doing is ramming home the features and benefits of what you sell, they’ll soon get bored and go elsewhere. Share your knowledge, make it easier for them to do their job and you’ll be a trusted supplier when they are ready to buy.

Creating compelling content is all about writing relevant, useful stuff that people love to read and share. Sure, it’s easier said than done, but with a bit of perseverance and some creative thinking, you can polish your content to get the best results every time.

For more support and insight into making it in digital marketing, talk to our experts today on 01246 252855!

The post Creating compelling content that really works: 4 top tips appeared first on Brighter Directions.