Once you have decided to invest in social media marketing, your next key challenge is to decide which platforms you should be focused on.

This used to be relatively easy - you started a Facebook Page, set-up a Twitter profile, and then added others over time. But now, things have changed. Instagram is a much bigger consideration, Facebook's dwindling organic reach means it may be less of a priority, Twitters algorithm changes the equation, and LinkedIn's seeing more traffic. Pinterest, too, is on the rise, while if you're going to create video content, then YouTube definitely should be on your radar.

But you can not be active on all of them all the time - so which platforms are right for your business and marketing efforts?

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The Federal Bureau of Investigations aims to acquire access to a social media early alerting tool that will help insiders proactively and reactively monitor how terrorist groups, foreign intelligence services, criminal organizations and other domestic threats use networking platforms to further their illegal efforts, according to a request for proposal amended this week.

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Social media continues to surge as a channel for businesses to market themselves and engage with customers. And with its continued growth and popularity, there is no shortage of social media “how-to” advice out there directed at businesses trying to scale up.

If you make it a point to keep up with social media trends, you’ve likely found at least some overlap in these tips—but every so often, there are unconventional or uncommon practices that can lead to great results. As experts in social media marketing, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared their most surprising social media tips—that truly work—and how you can take advantage for your business.

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Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. If you’re a smart marketer, you have been using the these top social media giants to share your content, promote your products and services and grow your business. But rival platforms are being created all the time, and while many of them don’t reach the same heights of success, a handful could give mega-popular platforms a run for their money. Moreover, if you’re an early adopter of up-and-coming alternatives, your company could reap the biggest benefits.

If you want to be ahead of the curve, keep your eye on the following five social media platforms to watch.

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When was the last time you watched a video on Facebook? What about Instagram or Twitter?

My guess is that it was probably within the last day.

The reason for this guess is because video continues to be one of the most powerful forms of content on social media. You can not take a digital step without coming face-to-face with a video – and there is a reason for this.

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Influencer marketing is on the rise, with every other marketer now trying to leverage the option to advantage.

But it is not always easy to find the right influencers of relevance to your brand - and even when you do find the good ones, it is another thing altogether to get them to work for you.

Of course, there are influencers who will simply work with any brand for money or free products, but the good ones think beyond compensation, and also care about what brands they decide to work with.

For the top influencers to work with you, they need to have a positive image of your brand, and when you first reach out to them, that is when you make that crucial first impression.

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Before the internet was consolidated into centralized information silos, RSS imagined a better way to let users control their online personas.

About a decade ago, the average internet user might well have heard of RSS. Really Simple Syndication, or Rich Site Summary—what the acronym stands for depends on who you ask—is a standard that websites and podcasts can use to offer a feed of content to their users, one easily understood by lots of different computer programs. Today, though RSS continues to power many applications on the web, it has become, for most people, an obscure technology.

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Believe it or not, 80 percent of internet users globally have at least one social media account. In total, social media users exceeded 3.4 billion people in 2019. Business owners and marketers know that these platforms are vital for the success of their business. Due to their desire to improve, brand managers are continually looking for ways to connect with their audience and keep them invested in the company.

4 Social Media Marketing Tricks You Need to Know in 2020

Updating your brand bio can be a great, simple way to boost engagement, especially heading into the new year. Your profile bio can play a key role in perception, and in driving subsequent action, so it is worth reviewing your details and ensuring that everything is as you want it.

Writing a Great Social Media Bio for Your Brand [Infographic]

Feedly, a popular RSS feed reader with millions of users worldwide, recently announced the creation of a new AI research assistant named Leo. Their goal with Leo is to create an AI with a set of skills that will enable it to better prioritize articles from news feeds.

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This year is likely the last one ever in which you can say that more than half the planet is not on social media.

Hootsuite just released a massive digital state of the union report. Some of the high-level findings:

5.2 billion of us now have phones globally
4.5 billion are connected to the internet
3.8 billion are active social media users

That 3.8 billion is 49% of the planets population, and it grew 9% over the past year. That means it is extremely likely that sometime this calendar year, more than half of all of us will be active social media users.

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Latest added Global Social Network Marketing Market research study by HTF MI offers detailed product outlook and elaborates market review till 2025. The market Study is segmented by key regions that is accelerating the marketization. At present, the market is sharping its presence and some of the key players in the study are Facebook, Instagram, Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest & Tumblr etc. The study is a perfect mix of qualitative and quantitative Market data collected and validated majorly through primary data and secondary sources.

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Self-quarantining during COVID-19 has caused some, especially those in the travel industry, to take a bigger hit than others. Those who usually work from home have had to make less of an adjustment, though booking paid partnerships is a struggle industry-wide.

As a result, many influencers are getting creative with their social strategies. Those who are multiplatform and have more than one revenue stream are coming out on top.

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Feedly, a popular RSS feed reader with millions of users worldwide, recently announced the creation of a new AI research assistant named Leo. Their goal with Leo is to create an AI with a set of skills that will enable it to better prioritize articles from news feeds.

Our stress levels are at an all-time high right now, which means our attentiveness to our own self-care should be, too—especially those of us with wanderlust. Traveling from the living room to the kitchen and back is no one’s ideal of a vacation, yet here we are. On top of that, our social media platforms seem determined to remind us of better days: Hey, look where you were a year ago today! blares Facebook, serving up a photo of a gorgeous beach or other getaway spot much more alluring than the permanent butt-groove you have formed in your couch.

For many of us, looking back on our travels past is not doing us much good at the moment. Luckily, there are a few methods to keep them from showing up in your social media feeds.

While usage of most mobile apps has remained neutral during the coronavirus pandemic, social media app usage has exploded during the lockdown, according to new data from Nielsen.

Why it matters: Prior to the pandemic, consumers and tech companies were both becoming more aware of the overuse of social media and actively trying to limit it. In a time when people can not connect with friends and family in person, companies have put these efforts on pause.

By the numbers: Prior to the pandemic, social media usage for most of January, February and early March remained relatively flat at around 20% of total mobile app usage, according to Nielsens data.

But beginning in mid-March, when statewide stay-at-home orders went into effect, social media app usage began to increase significantly, and now consumes around 25% of all mobile app usage for U.S. adults.

Other media app usage, like video, lifestyle, and finance apps have mostly remained the same, in part because consumers are now leveraging other devices, like desktops and television screens, for more activities while home.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has issued a warning about sharing too much information on social media while being at home.

The FBI specifically is warning about trends such as posting your senior picture and graduation year.Officials also say beware of social media games that require you to tag a parent or post a picture of your first car.

They say these are often the answers to security questions and hackers can use the information to reset your passwords and get into your accounts.

Barker Library - TA354.S77 2019

Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday said he is "totally healthy" and not suffering from any disease. Shah said rumours about his health conditions have been spread through social media. "I am totally healthy and I am not suffering from any disease," he said in the statement in Hindi which was posted on his Twitter handle.

The NIA said that the agency along with Punjab and Haryana police arrested Ranjit Singh, allegedly a notorious narco-terrorist, on Saturday as he was acting as a conduit for Pakistan-based groups to push drugs into India and the money generated was used for terror activities. Singh, who has been on the run for nearly a year, was arrested from Sirsa, the NIA said.

The Indian Railways has operated 302 ‘Shramik Special' trains since May 1 and ferried home more than 3 lakh migrants stranded in various parts of the country amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown, officials said. The national transporter has planned to operate 47 trains on Saturday, out of which 34 trains have already departed, they said.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to talk to chief ministers of those states who are not allowing migrant workers to come back home.

Jarrett Stidham seems likely to get a chance to prove himself as the New England Patriots' next franchise quarterback. But Patriots Hall of Famer Rodney Harrison isn't ready to trust the second-year passer just yet.

The New England Patriots have been rapidly locking up their draft picks in the wake of the 2020 NFL Draft. They signed two more to contracts on Friday.

The New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens both suffered disappointing defeats in last season's NFL playoffs, but they appear headed in opposite directions as the 2020 campaign approaches.

Opportunity knocks for teams in need of interior line help.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers has already lined up the first job of his post-playing career. Rivers was introduced Friday as the head coach-in-waiting at St. Michael Catholic High School in a news conference on campus. The 16-year veteran of the Los Angeles Chargers signed a one-year deal worth $25 million guaranteed in March.

The "Around The NFL" crew breaks down teams playing in prime time in 2020.

The Patriots announced yet another signing of a draft pick. Actually, they announced four, but three previously were reported. The team has come to terms with offensive guard Michael Onwenu, a sixth-round choice. He becomes the eighth choice to agree to terms, leaving only second-round safety Kyle Dugger and third-round tight end Dalton Keene unsigned. [more]

Fred Smoot compared the Cardinals' defender to his former teammate Sean Taylor.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -- The New England Patriots have signed four additional members of their 2020 draft class.

The new era of New England Patriots football has its schedule and Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry are breaking it down on the latest edition of Curran's Patriots Talk Podcast.

NFL Network's Chris Wesseling takes a look at the Cleveland Browns and quarterback Baker Mayfield heading into the 2020 season.

NFL Network's Steve Smith Sr. warns to "beware' of creative tricks from New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick in 2020.

When the Rams debut in SoFi Stadium, will the 70,240-seat stadium be filled with fans, empty or somewhere in between? Ticket holders are anxious to know.

Everything's totally fine!

As expected, Larry Warford quickly has become a highly sought-after free agent. Hours after the Saints released the offensive guard, the Texans expressed interest. The Bears also are considering pursuing Warford, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports. They might not have long to consider whether they're interested. The Bears signed Germain Ifedi, a first-round [more]