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Why Research (#) Hashtags?

The social media platforms, Instagram and Twitter, are the leaders in hashtag development and usage. So it only makes sense that when researching hashtags you go to the source, and in this case, that is Instagram. Especially since “Instagram posts with hashtags generate 12% more engagement!” and on Twitter “engagement increases by 10%”.

Consider this, a hashtag is like a sorting and collection tool of all the social media posts which are talking about the same topic. It is a filtering tool for wading through the millions of posts on each platform. When one clicks on a hashtag of interest, all the posts in the results contain that very same hashtag (image below).

What are inbound links?

What are inbound links?

Inbound links (backlinks) occur when your website links back to another page on your website (on the same domain name). Search engines look at inbound links as a signal that your content on your site is of high-quality. Although there are many factors to how your story will be ranked on search engines, inbound links are an important element in search engine optimization (SEO).

How to apply an inbound link.

(1) highlight text with mouse;
(2) add link to link field (right hand column);
(3) add link description (right hand column);
(4) click “open in another page” (right hand column);
(5) bold the text (right hand column) .

Content Creation Checklist

This is a checklist for creating quality authentic stories, blogs, vlogs and information pages using the content marketing tools provided on our platforms. The checklist is a quick reference so when you are creating your story it is done correctly so to achieve maximum effectiveness. Following the checklist will build your story according to our algorithms so they work for you.

You can download list below.

This list will be updated on a continuous basis as search engine algorithms change.

You can Download Checklist here.

Why should I use social media?

Social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Why should my business use social media? I have used social media in the past and it did not work? It takes too much time to maintain social media? It is to difficult? These are just a few of the myths of social media that we hear everyday from businesses in Canada. The biggest challenges with social media are:

Not having enough human and financial resources (26 percent)
Lacking a formal strategy (24 percent)
Building a community of followers and influencers (24 percent)

Lets put it this way. If you do not take the time to learn how to change a tire on your car, that would become difficult for many. If you have not taken the time to learn how to fix an engine in a car, that would be deemed difficult if not impossible to fix. Look…. everything takes time to learn if you want to do it well.

Why should I use social media?

52 percent of social media marketers believe social media positively influences their company’s revenue and sales.
The five most valuable social media platforms:
- Facebook (89 percent) (most customers and most small businesses are on Facebook)
- LinkedIn (83 percent)
- YouTube (81 percent)
- Twitter (80 percent)
- Instagram (56 percent)
Nearly 80 percent of companies share mostly original content on social media.
The most important metrics for companies are engagement.

Benefits of Social Media for your business.

Get attention and build awareness;
Communicate authority and expertise;
Show authenticity (humanize your business);
Encourage engagement (ask questions);
Grow affordably (social media is free marketing);
Provide support (many use social media as their preferred communication tools);
Establish your brand as a leader in your community;
Stay top of mind (stay in front of your audience so they do not forget you);
Increase website traffic (that is a given);
Partner with influencers (allows cross marketing with influencers targeting your customer market);
Reputation management (manage false claims and poor reviews);
Crisis communication;
Customer service and customer support;
Learn from your customers (learn from the followers of your page);
Keep an eye on the competition (watch, learn and compete with your competition);
Stay on top of industry news;
Meet new partners.

Social media provides a platform where you can share your knowledge and gain credibility in your chosen field(s) or markets(s). Within an online community, you can also acquire information and insights from others who have already been where you are now and learn from their mistakes.

It is free! So take the time to learn a social media platform well. Do not try to be great on all of them as they all have different agendas and techniques. Select one and rock it! Then move on.

Why should I write using transition words?

Simply put, you should use transition words when creating stories, information pages and parks on our platforms because that is what search engines ask for. Like them or hate them, means very little when it comes to your content doing well on our platforms, search engines and social media.

Why transition words?

Using transition words can help you enhance the readability of your content when it comes to posting online. These types of words help your story flow between phrases and paragraphs. But what are they exactly? Why so important? Good question?

How many transition words should I use?

Transition words make your content easier to read and understand. They are one of the many key factors to the readability score of your content by Search Engines. Your goal when creating content is to include transition words in 30% of the sentences. This translate to 3 of every 10 sentences should start with a transition word.

Transition Words

Why you should write online in a Passive Voice

To be successful in content writing and search engine optimization you have to write in a format which search engines understand or else nobody will read it. Why? Because if your content is not on the first 2 pages of search results many will not see it.

To position on the first page of search engines for top keyword searches requires 100s of little things which determine your positioning. Passive voice is a big one. The more you can learn to write in a passive voice 30% of the time, the better your content will perform. Shortcuts do not work when creating content.

Search Engines embrace a writing style called passive voice. At least 30% of your sentences should be written in a passive voice in any content you create. Here is the dig? The passive voice is often maligned by teachers and professors as a bad writing habit… but not search engines.

What is Passive Voice?

In general most write in an active voice, in the present. The active voice makes your writing stronger, more direct, and, yes, much more active. The subject is something, or it does the action of the verb in the sentence. With the passive voice, the subject is acted upon by some other performer of the verb.

The Difference Between Passive and Active Voice

So, like we always do at the Moose Academy, lets keep it simple. In a sentence written in the active voice, the subject of sentence performs the action. In a sentence written in the passive voice, the subject receives the action. Here is an example.

John shot the puck. (active voice)

The puck was shot by John. (passive voice)

Storytelling – Information Page Checklist

Below is a checklist for creating stories and information pages using the content marketing tools and techniques so to create authentic and quality content on our platforms. Your content is only as good as your technique.

The checklist is to assist you in hitting all the key points when creating a story or information so to perform well on our platforms, search engines and social media.

How do I create an Event? – Moose Academy

This lesson discusses how to prepare and create an event, festival and concert for publishing on the eh Canada Travel and Experience Community platforms, as well as, on the Travel Talk Community, and social media channels.

The lesson discusses:

Preparing your event materials for posting;
Created a Title for your event;
How to use event editing tools;
How to complete event form;
How to publish event;
How to share event.

How do I create a Photo Gallery? – Moose Academy

This lesson covers how to create a photo gallery for publishing on the eh Canada Travel and Experience Community platforms, as well as, on the Travel Talk Community, and social media channels.

The lesson discusses:

Preparing your photos;
Created a Title for your photo gallery;
How to use photo gallery editing tools;
How to upload photos;
How to properly label photos once uploaded;
How to publish photo gallery;
How to share gallery.

How do I create new authentic quality content, an Adventure Story and/or Blog? – Moose Academy

This lesson covers all the steps necessary to create an information page, blog and/or adventure story for publishing on the eh Canada Travel and Experience Community platforms, as well as, on the Travel Talk Community, and social media channels.

All new authentic quality content becomes part of the website navigation network so to assist travellers in planning an adventure. The content is published in the appropriate community section of the website, as well as, the regional, and national sections applicable to the content topic.

The steps include:

How to select a topic;
Preparation work for creating a quality authentic content page;
The use of provided templates;
The use of editing tools for templates;
Techniques to use while writing your story/blog;
The use of inbound and outbound links;
How to create a customized template;
How to self market your content.

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