This Week On Twitter: Twitter Bans Animated GIFs, Twitter Marketing, 80% Of Journalists Use Twitter

Need a little weekend reading? We’ve compiled our top ten Twitter stories of the week, which includes news that Twitter has banned animated GIFs from profile pictures, a study that shows that 43 percent of B2C marketers have used Twitter to generate leads, a look at the importance of Twitter and social media to journalists, tips on how to social proof your website and your complete guide to the new-look Twitter profile pages. Here are our top 10 Twitter stories of the week. 1. No More Dancing Cats: Twitter Bans Animated GIFs Animated GIFs were a divisive issue on Twitter, but we won’t get to debate whether dancing cats are a worthy way to represent yourself for much longer: Twitter has put its foot down and is not letting users upload animated GIFs as their profile picture from here on in. 2. 43% Of B2C Marketers Have Used Twitter To Generate Leads [REPORT] While many brands are still struggling to measure the return on investment (ROI) of their social media campaigns, new research has revealed that both business to consumer (B2C) and business to business (B2B) marketers have successfully used platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to generate leads and sales. As a result, 52 percent of U.S. B2C marketers and 41 percent of U.S. B2B marketers plan to increase their social media marketing budgets in 2013. 3. 28% Of UK Journalists “Can’t Work Without Social Media” (And 80% Use Twitter) [STUDY] This week Twitter previewed their best practices guide for journalists using the micro-blogging platform - their timing couldn’t be any better, because a new study has revealed just how important the social channel is to journalists, particularly in the United Kingdom, where more than a quarter (28.1 percent) of UK journalists say they would not be able to carry out their work without social media, and four in five (80 percent) are using Twitter. 4. 6 Ways To Social Proof Your Website And Build Trust In Your Brand [INFOGRAPHIC] Ever since companies have been making products and providing services, customers new and old have been asking the people that they trust – peers, colleagues, friends and family members – for recommendations and suggestions about the best of everything. This social proof has empowered consumers but also provides a tremendous opportunity for brands who utilize these tools to enrich their website and maximize the visitor’s experience… and conversion chances. 5. Twitter Has Just Updated Your Profile Page. What Do You Think? In an announcement made live this morning on the TODAY show, Twitter’s CEO Dick Costolo explained that some pretty big changes are coming to everyone’s Twitter profiles. Namely, we all now have the option to upload a cover photo to our Twitter profiles that will display on Twitter.com, Twitter for Android, iPhone, and iPad. 6. Brands That Ignore Social Media Risk Losing Customers, Respect, Says Study [INFOGRAPHIC] Brands that ignore social media or become inactive on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook risk losing existing and potential customers, reveals a new study from UK firm Kiss Public Relations. More than half (51 percent) of respondents to the Kiss Social Media Interaction Survey agreed that if a brand is not present or not active with its social media it would reflect negatively on the company. 7. With Social Media You’re Always Being Watched, So Ask Yourself… Should I Post This? [INFOGRAPHIC] Way, way back when – over three years ago, in fact, which is a lifetime on the internet – I wrote about the dangers of sharing too much about yourself on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, reminding readers that, with social media, you’realways on camera. Always being watched. Always being judged. And everybody makes mistakes. 8. The State Of Social Media At Work [INFOGRAPHIC] Social media is big business, but not all businesses are happy to come on board. While almost everyone wants more investment in social, a new study has shown that your boss is twice as likely to be using social media than you are – less than one third of employees are allowed to use platforms such as Twitter and Facebook in the office. 9. 78% Of Social Media Marketers Say Better Customer Engagement Is Number One Objective [REPORT] More than three-quarters of U.S. marketers say that better customer engagement is the number one business objective within their social media strategy, according to a new report. However, almost all marketers still believe that social presence, measured by the number of followers and fans on Twitter, Facebook and other channels, is the top metric for evaluating a brand’s effectiveness. 10. Twitter Offers Best Practices For Journalists With 55% of journalists using Twitter and other social networks to source stories, it’s likely that just as many are using social networks to share stories – or they soon will be. The folks at Twitter realize how powerful their platform can be and have come up with some best practices for journalists to keep in mind when tweeting – and we talked to them about these tips today! Also this week: 90% of small businesses network online LinkedIn finds out why people use social networks We still prefer face-to-face conversations over social media, says study Are there better ways to measure social media ROI? Twitter has removed all third party image services from its official apps Did you know we have a newsletter? Sign-up to receive a daily digest of all things Twitter, sent straight to your inbox. Click here to sign up for the AllTwitter Newsletter.

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This Week On Twitter: Twitter Bans Animated GIFs, Twitter Marketing, 80% Of Journalists Use Twitter

Shea Bennett

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Shea Bennett