Customize the Read More Tag in WordPress

If you write for your company's blog, it is a good idea to show an excerpt or introductory paragraph instead of showcasing the full article on your site. This keeps your blog page clean and easy to navigate. Blog sites, such as WordPress, give you the option to add a "read more" tag in the location where you would like to break your article. Simply clicking on the insert more tag (see icon below) will include a link that says "more" or "read more" under the first paragraph(s) of your blog post. You can customize the wording of this tag by doing the following.

Insert more tag:

1. Find the place in your article in which you would like to insert the "read more" tag.

2. Click on the insert more tab once your cursor is in your desired location.

3. Click into the HTML tab of your blog post.

4. Find the code that looks like this: <!--more-->

5. Customize the wording by inserting your own call-to-action after <!--more. For example, <!--more Continue reading...--> 

<!--more For more information-->

<!--more Find out what happens!-->

6. Hit update and your read more tag will be customized!

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How to Change Google+ Cover Photo Type

The newest Google+ update gives users the ability to change the type of cover photo they wish to display. Originally, you were given 5 individual image boxes to customize and create a creative profile page, but now Google+ allows you to use a single image, much like Facebook’s Timeline. This style is called Landscape. Here is how to change the style type of photo(s) being displayed:

• Go to your profile page.
• Hover over an image within the “cover photo” space. Click on “change cover photo.”
• You are brought to a screen where you can decide on the template to use. Decide which style you prefer; landscape or the individual images.
To activate the 5 individual images, you will need to upload a photo before selecting Ok.

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Keep Your Facebook Posts Short

Trying to generate consumer engagement on Facebook should be a part of every company's social media marketing strategy. In order to get your fans involved with the content you post, it is suggested that you make your posts short. Although you can include up to 420 characters within one Facebook post, research has shown that posts with 250 characters or less have received more interaction. Facebook has reported that content with less than 250 characters generate 60% more likes, comments, and shares than longer posts. Keep it short and sweet!

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How to Sell Products on Pinterest

Have you ever noticed that some pins on Pinterest have a price banner across the photo? These kinds of pins can be located under the "Gifts" tab on the Pinterest navigation bar. If you are looking to sell a product on Pinterest, there is a handy trick to get your item featured under the Gifts tab! Simply add a "$" or "£" symbol to the desciption box under your pin, and the price banner will appear. Make sure that you also include the website link so that Pinterest users will be able to find where they can purchase the product. Once the product has sold out, remember to remove your pin!

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Create a Custom Twitter Background

If your brand has a Twitter account, it is essential to create a customized background page. A custom background gives you a space to showcase contact information, products and services that your company offers, and your website's URL. There are different sites that allow you to make custom Twitter backgrounds, such as TwitBacks.com or MyTweetSpace, but you can also use Photoshop.

In order to create sidebar images, open a new document in Photoshop and make the image size 200 pixels wide x 600 pixels high. Include graphics, logos, and product and contact information within this image. Then open a new document and create your full-sized background image, which should be 1680 pixels wide x 1200 pixels high. Try playing around with different colors and textures for your background page to help it stand out. Then, copy and paste your sidebar image into the top left of your background image. You now have a custom background image! Save the background to your desktop and then upload it to Twitter. (The size of graphics and backgrounds may take some trial and error.) For an example of what a custom background looks like, check out PMC's Twitter page.

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Include Links to Related Posts on Your Blog

If you are currently writing a blog for your company, you may notice that older posts become less visible on your site. In order to keep driving traffic back to your older posts, you can include related links to the bottom of each of your blogs. You can accomplish this by using HTML coding, WordPress plug-ins, or just plain text. If you use a plug-in or coding, it will automatically pull in related blog posts to your article based on similar tags. If your reader is interested in your current topic, they will be likely to check out the related articles at the bottom!

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Time Management for Your Social Media Campaign

If you feel like you don’t have enough time in the day to focus on business and keep your social networks up-to-date, try to create a social media time management plan. Social media can be very time consuming. It takes time to research, write, plan and update these networks, so make sure you have allocated time to each day or week to spend solely on social media marketing. Building your online community and brand image takes a lot of time, and will not happen overnight. Some of the biggest household brands have dedicated a lot of time to their social media campaigns, and they are still growing. If you are feeling overwhelmed and may not have the time needed to properly manage a social media campaign, contact Progressive Media Concepts and find out how we can help!

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Google+ and “Word of Mouth” Advertising

If you weren’t aware by now, you can +1 or “Like” a result found in the Google search. When you're signed into Google+, this will allow you to see who has recommended a website. Going a step further, if you feel that this recommendation has helped you in any way, you can thank them!

For the sake of showing how it is done, log into Google+, then search for “Tasty Dog Bones.” The first result should be “Bone Appetit Dog Bakery and Pet Gifts The Doggie Store offers...” Below this, you will see that Mark Traphagen has +1’d it. Next to that, you can thank Mark for the “recommendation.” Click it and it will notify him via Google+.
If you have found that people have +1’d your business, send them a thank you message! It may go a long way!

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