Over the past decade, social media has become the most vital communication platform for most businesses. Social media has become a platform in which brands interact with their consumers on an intimate level. Sprout Social conducted this study on how businesses engage with customers on social media. They found that 90 percent of consumers engage with brands on social media and that social media is the first place customers go if they have an issue—surpassing phone and email.

As customer service expectations become greater, it is imperative that brands take this direct communication with their consumers seriously. We’ve laid out a few steps you can follow to ensure your community management is on the right track:

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As artificial intelligence continues to advance, we’ve found ourselves new best friends with intelligent personal assistants such as Siri, Alexa, Cortana, and Google. The way people search the web for information is changing from the traditional search engines. Nearly 60 percent of searches today are performed through mobile devices. Mobile devices are becoming our key source of knowledge and consumers are increasingly using their voice over their fingers to search the web. Asking questions and receiving answers has never been quicker or easier. As voice search continues to gain market share, it is imperative that we as marketers understand how to optimize our websites in order to stay ahead on SEO best practices.

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Social media and messaging apps have led to the evolution of bots. A bot is a computer program that automates certain tasks by chatting with a user through a conversational interface like a messaging app. Interactions with bots can be straightforward such as asking a bot for the location of a restaurant, or more complex, like troubleshooting your internet service. In a world of immediacy and instant demand, simply offering an app won’t cut it anymore. Consumers expect an immediate response when it comes to customer service, and bots offer quality service before the customer even comes across an issue. If you haven’t invested in bots quite yet, here are a few reasons you should consider:

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It has been a decade since Apple released the first generation of iPhones that changed technology forever. This revolutionary product digitized many industries and built a world dedicated to instancy and connection. This September, Apple announced the release of the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X. Since the latest release, in many cases, consumers did not feel the iPhone 8 met their expectations for innovation and the iPhone 7 has been selling more than the iPhone 8. The iPhone X will be released on Friday, November 3, with the intent to give consumers the futuristic phone they’ve been craving. With competitors like Google and Samsung lingering, here are a few capabilities of the iPhone X that set Apple apart:

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Apple has had an exciting year with new Macbooks, iPhones, Apple watches, and plenty of new updates to keep their consumers on their toes. Not only has Apple been coming out with new products, they have also been updating their software in order to enhance user experience. Specifically, the updates to the new App store and Safari browser are substantial enough that they are likely to greatly impact your business’ marketing strategy. Here’s what you need to know about Apple’s latest software update that could change the way you market to your consumers:

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It’s the spookiest time of the year, but it won’t be the costumes that scare you tomorrow. If you thought search engines gave you access to the entire web space, you’re in for a surprise. Ever heard of the dark web? Recently, the dark web has made headlines as a digital place for criminal and illegal activity. As law enforcement continues their mission to control the dark web it is important that we educate ourselves on this topic and understand just how terrifying it really is. Ready to get spooked?

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With the introduction of the new iPhone X, augmented reality has created a significant buzz in the digital world, even being named “the next big thing” in the industry. Researchers and engineers are now pulling graphics off the screen and integrating them into real-world environments. For example, Pokemon Go was one of the first successful applications of AR and has spearheaded the development of many more games and apps utilizing this kind of technology. As technology continues to progress, augmented reality will become prominent in the digital industry.

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Slack is the fastest growing business application in history. Launching in 2014, Slack is a platform that connects teams with the apps, services, and resources they need to get their daily work done. With access to over 1,000 apps and a strategic API, Slack works with partners and developers globally to create apps and integrations that make your work more efficient, automates tasks and brings better content into your conversations in Slack. Not only is it a great tool for communication and project management, it also creates a more social work environment by allowing individuals to send quick emojis and gifs. We love Slack, so we thought we’d compile our favorite Slack hacks.

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The holidays are here, and so are the year’s best discounts. Whether you are a shopaholic ready to binge, or a shopaphobic, you should take advantage of all of the savings Black Friday has to offer if you’ll be doing any Christmas shopping. Black Friday shopping can be daunting, so we came up with some tips to make the most of your holiday shopping.

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Having taken two advertising classes before beginning my internship with HMG, my knowledge of the marketing industry was limited. I remember sitting in the conference room listening to all the tasks I was going to take on and all of the social media accounts I was going to manage and being so excited to expand my knowledge in the field of marketing. Fast forward seven months, and I can honestly say I’ve gained value far beyond the tasks given to me.

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