ThumbStopper CMO and content aficionado Alicia Alongi explains how easy it is to get brand content approved and ready for retailer syndication in ThumbStopper’s Brand Manager™ software.
Getting content in ThumbStopper’s Brand Manager™ platform and ready for syndication your retail network is quick and easy. In fact, ThumbStopper brand clients only spend an average of 1-2 hours per month approving and segmenting content for thousands of retailers’ social feeds.
Alicia breaks down the quick and easy process in this snack-sized video.
Hey, Alicia here and today I want to walk you through the Brand Manager™ and show you how quick and easy it is to add a piece of content in for your retail network.
So, here I am in the main screen of our Brand Manager. From here, I’m going to go ahead and select the Add Content button. I’m going to go ahead and select the image I’d like to upload and then I’m going to add in my post text. If I want to, I can preview what this is going to look like on Facebook. Looks great.
And then here’s where I’m going to add in those important details about how this content syndicates. First things first, I’m going to select the date range that this content is available to be published through ThumbStopper’s AI.
So, right now since this post is good for the summer, I’m going to go ahead and update that to publish from now, until its expiration date. That means this piece of content will be available to syndicate in any of the selected retailer social feeds.
If I am a multi-brand manufacturer, this is where I’m going to select the brand that this is for and the product type that this represents.
If this post has regionality, then I’m going to select the region that this should apply for. And if this post is specific to a language, I’m going to tag it with the correct language here. This way, I can ensure that this piece of content is only syndicated to those brands, the retailers that sell those particular products in that specific region for that specific language.
Once we’re all set, I can go ahead and hit the Save and Approve button. And that content automatically moves to my approved queue, ready to go for syndication to my retail network.
Hopefully, you’ll see how quick and easy it is to use the ThumbStopper Brand Manager for yourself. Contact us today at info@ThumbStopper.com.
Thanks!
Transcription
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Key Points:
Companies should understand the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure their websites are accessible.
Brands that concentrate on accessibility on social media demonstrate care for their customers and build a positive brand reputation.
Brands should always consider inclusive design, such as plain, straightforward language, in their social media posts.
Accessibility may not be a term you usually associate with the internet and social media. You might picture wheelchair ramps, directional signs in braille, or sign language interpreters at live performances. The landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 dictates the legal necessity of these and similar accommodations in public spaces. As we’ve come to rely on the internet for everything from entertainment to buying groceries, it’s become clear that the internet is now also a public space. It must be accessible to everyone. And like other applications of ADA, businesses that do not comply are liable for damages caused by inaccessibility.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are an international set of standards to provide instruction on meeting accessibility needs. It’s important for companies to understand how this applies to their websites, especially if they engage in e-commerce. In terms of social media, the requirements are less concrete. But prioritizing accessibility on your company’s social media is essential to your reputation, even if the legal requirements are uncertain. We’ll look at why it’s important to your customers, how it affects the perception of your brand, and how to make these changes efficiently.
Social Media for All
The cornerstone of accessibility is inclusive design: products or experiences that are accessible for everyone regardless of disability. The most important place where this shows up is on company websites where most users expect to also find links to the brand’s social media profiles. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of websites are not accessible, despite the fact that the application of ADA to the internet is over 20 years old. Making websites accessible is a complex process without the use of specialized software like Accessibe or EqualWeb.
Unlike websites, making sure your social media is accessible is a straightforward, ongoing process. Every social platform has been quick to release optional accessibility features. These features are important to many users even if they don’t rely on them to use social media.
Making your social presence accessible tells users that your brand cares about people, not just profits. It’s the same idea as the push for the representation of different body sizes in fashion or more expansive skin tone ranges in beauty products. Brands that meet the needs of underrepresented groups endear themselves to others as well. And while optimizing your brand website for accessibility might be a larger project you aren’t ready to tackle yet, starting with your social media pages is a great way to show customers that you’re listening to their concerns.
Making Content Accessible
Shifting to accessible content means incorporating inclusive design into your creative process. The practice varies by type of media. For platforms that have graphics or videos with captions, it means not only adjusting each component but also being mindful of how they interact with each other.
For example, YouTube’s automatically generated closed captions and subtitles are often inaccurate. It's one of many examples where the caption generation software has issues picking up strong accents and mumbled words. This could be remedied with handcrafted video transcription services. If that’s not in the budget, the video creator could add their script or transcription to the video description.
None of the technology for accessibility is perfect yet. Teaching computers to digest complex information for human understanding is difficult, and the variations in disabilities further complicate it. The majority of adjustments creators need to make revolve around helping assistive technology better understand their content. Let’s look at how to make different kinds of content accessible.
Text
Use plain language that’s easy to understand
Avoid text in all caps
Capitalize the first letter of each word in a hashtag, like #SocialMediaMarketing, a practice called camel-case
Videos
Provide descriptive captions. Instead of just displaying the words people on-screen say, explain background noises and other sounds that are relevant to the scene.
Add your own subtitles or enable auto-subtitles on the video platform of your choice
Many users find their new favorite brand through social media. When disabled people (who make up 26% of the population according to the CDC) can’t access your brand’s social posts, you miss the opportunity to connect with a demographic that’s eager to engage in online communities. On a hyper-local level, that kind of connection goes even further.
That’s why ThumbStopper exists to help brands distribute their social content to their retailer network. Retailers can connect with their local audience - with your accessible, branded content - in a more personal way. And since content goes to their page automatically once they sign up, retailers can effortlessly promote your brand online while focusing on running their business.
