Monday, February 4, 2019

15 Inspiring Storytelling Quotes to Help You Move an Audience

There’s an old saying you might have seen floating around the internet that states, “Those who tell the stories rule the world”.

Even without the modern neurological research that proves storytelling is the best way to capture people’s attention, bake information into their memories, and forge close, personal bonds, humanity has always inherently known that people crave and seek out great stories almost as much as food and water. And the people (and brands) who can tell the most compelling stories are able to command the most influence within their community.

In the marketing industry, where 5% of branded content attracts 90% of total engagement, the need for storytelling is more pressing than ever before. Brands are creating content at a record pace and volume, but producing more content doesn’t necessarily mean it’s attracting more attention -- it’s really just making more noise.

If brands actually want to slash through the clutter and engage an audience, solely focusing on listicles and ultimate guides won’t suffice anymore -- they must also tell gripping stories.

To help you channel your inner storyteller, we’ve curated 15 quotes about storytelling from some of the world’s most insightful authors and filmmakers. Read on to get inspired.

15 Inspiring Storytelling Quotes to Help You Move an Audience

1. “No story lives unless someone wants to listen. The stories we love best do live in us forever. So whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.” - J.K. Rowling, author


2. “There is no friend as loyal as a book” - Ernest Hemingway, author


3. “I’m obsessed with giving the audience something they don’t see coming.” - Jordan Peele, writer and director of Get Out


4. "You’re never going to kill storytelling, because it’s built in the human plan. We come with it.” - Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid's Tale

storytelling-quotes-Margaret-Atwood-Handmaid's-Tale

5. “The most amazing thing for me is that every single person who sees a movie, not necessarily one of my movies, brings a whole set of unique experiences, but through careful manipulation and good storytelling, you can get everybody to clap at the same time, to hopefully laugh at the same time, and to be afraid at the same time.” - Steven Spielberg, filmmaker


6. “I’m writing my story so that others might see fragments of themselves.” - Lena Waithe, screenwriter for Bones and Master of None


7. “I'll tell you a secret. Old storytellers never die. They disappear into their own story.” - Vera Nazarian, author


8. “The very reason I write is so that I might not sleepwalk through my entire life.” - Zadie Smith, author

storytelling-quotes-Zadie-Smith-author9. “Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people. But stories can also repair that broken dignity.” - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author


10. “Think about the word destroy. Do you know what it is? De-story. Destroy. Destory. You see. And restore. That's re-story. Do you know that only two things have been proven to help survivors of the Holocaust? Massage is one. Telling their story is another. Being touched and touching. Telling your story is touching. It sets you free.” - Francesca Lia Block, author


11. “We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.” - Jonathan Gottschall, The Storytelling Animal


12. “Story, as it turns out, was crucial to our evolution -- more so than opposable thumbs. Opposable thumbs let us hang on; story told us what to hang on to.” - Lisa Cron, Wired for Story

storytelling-quotes-Lisa-Cron-Wired-for-Story

13. “Good stories surprise us. They make us think and feel. They stick in our minds and help us remember ideas and concepts in a way that a PowerPoint crammed with bar graphs never can.” - Joe Lazauskas and Shane Snow, The Storytelling Edge


14. “Whether you know it or not, your desire to write comes from the urge to not just be “creative,” it’s a need (one every human being on earth has) to help others. A well-told Story is a gift to the reader/listener/viewer because it teaches them how to confront their own discomforts.” - Shawn Coyne, The Story Grid


15. “Create those things where human protagonists relate to us, where the stakes and conflict grip us, and where the emotions move us. Craft those simple things, those glorious things, those things so often forgotten but so desperately needed. There’s no hidden or corporate meaning behind the word ‘story.’ We know what they are. And we need to start telling them.” - Jay Acunzo, founder of Unthinkable Media

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How to Improve Your Instagram Story Engagement

Want people to spend more time on your Instagram story content? Looking for tips to prompt active engagement on your stories? In this article, you’ll discover seven ways to encourage followers to tap on, reply to, and screenshot your Instagram stories. #1: Add a Tap for More Prompt The “tap for more” tactic is pretty […]

The post How to Improve Your Instagram Story Engagement appeared first on Social Media Marketing | Social Media Examiner.

February 04, 2019 at 12:00PM http://bit.ly/2HQFAJ6
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Sunday, February 3, 2019

The 33 Best Free Fonts Designers Should Download

Finding stylish fonts for your design projects can be a major time sink -- especially when you have to wade through seemingly endless pages of typefaces that don't suit the vision you have in your head.

Finding a free font can be even more of a hassle.

So what's a budget-strapped designer to do?

We've scoured the depths of the internet so you don't have to, coming up with 33 of the best free fonts you deserve to have on your computer. Here's how we sorted them:

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Many of the free fonts featured here were developed by designers, for designers, so they understand the need for versatile, polished, free typefaces firsthand. Check out the fonts below and keep them in mind for your next design project.

Free Script Fonts

1. Hello Stockholm

What happens when you combine Scandinavian minimalism with classic brushstrokes? You get Hello Stockholm, a casual script that plays well with sans-serif fonts.

Hello Stockholm free script font

2. Wildera Regular

We think this whimsical, light-weight script would look right at home in a fairy tale (or in your next project).

Wildera Regular free script font

3. Mightype

Subtle hand-drawn details set this script apart from the pack. Mightype is sophisticated without being stuffy.

Mightype free script font

4. Selima

Selima's breezy brushstrokes are perfect proof that script typefaces don't have to look old-fashioned or uptight -- they can be casual and modern.

Selima free script font

Free Serif Fonts

5. Oranienbaum Regular

From small print to bold headlines, multi-tasking Oranienbaum is up to the challenge.

Oranienbaum Regular free serif font

6. Butler

A decidedly modern serif typeface, Butler comes in 14 different weights to suit a wide variety of different uses.

Butler free serif font

7. Arctic

If you're looking for a slab serif font with a modern edge, give Arctic a try. It's a great way to give your headlines some character.

Arctic free serif font

8. Canvas 

Canvas offers a modest but professional typeface that manipulates the thickness in the details of each letter. If you're looking for formality and creativity in the same font, this one takes the cake.

canvas-serif-font

9. Bitter ht

We love the versatility of Bitter ht, a contemporary serif typeface that looks stylish at any size or weight.

Bitter ht free serif font

10. Agne Regular

With bold lines and contrasting stems, this elegant font is a fresh take on old-fashioned serif typefaces.

Agne Regular free serif font

11. Yeseva One Regular

If you're concerned that serif typefaces come across as too uptight or formal, consider Yeseva, a laid-back option for headlines and subtitles.

Yeseva One Regular free serif font

Free Modern Fonts

12. Moon

Have you exhausted your library of simple and free sans-serif typefaces? Add Moon to the mix. We love this font's clean simplicity and round edges.

Moon free modern font

13. Kolikö

This bold font evokes a sense of mystery to any creative work. Or, if you just want to geek out about something on your new tech blog, we can totally see this font playing a part.

koliko-modern-font

14. Mohave

This all-caps font was designed with bold headlines and big type settings in mind.

Mohave free modern font

15. 20 db

The font below is simply timeless. Whether you're designing for an event advertisement or the headers of your blog, 20 db is confidence in written form.

20-db-regular-modern-font

16. Alcubierre Regular

Clean, minimal, and geometric, Alcubierre is well-suited to projects that require subtle headlines and a clear focus on the content.

Alcubierre Regular free modern font

17. Bourbon Grotesque

Inspired by -- you guessed it -- classic bourbon labels, this sans-serif has a big personality that demands attention.

Bourbon Grotesque free modern font

18. Frontage Outline

Frontage Outline is reminiscent of handcrafted facade signs, making it a suitable pick for logotypes.

Frontage Outline free modern font

19. Arciform Sans Regular

Arciform might be simple, but this sleek sans-serif is far from boring. Consider including this easy-to-read typeface in your next web design project.

Arciform Sans Regular free modern font

20. De La Fuente

This cool typeface is decorative without being over-the-top, making it ideal for headlines, logotypes, and other design projects that focus primarily on the text.

De La Fuente free modern font

Good Fonts for Logos

21. Westfalia

Give your next project an outdoorsy, authentic feel with this hand-painted brush sans, which makes for a playful logo as well.

Westfalia free good font for logo

22. Atami

Atami's numerous weights and display options make it the Swiss Army Knife of modern sans-serifs -- it can really do it all for a rising brand.

Atami free good font for logo

23. Anders

Anders just might be the avant-garde font of your dreams. It's unique geometric lines make it an excellent choice for logotypes.

Anders free good font for logo

24. Westmeath

Westmeath adds a dose of swagger to an otherwise basic font, making a logo that uses this font both legible and stylish.

Westmeath free good font for logo

25. Modeno

The Modeno font is consistent with the thin designs that many contemporary artists have gravitated to over the last few years. But don't mistake this one for just any new-wave typeface -- its lanky quality is hard to come by in today's sans-serif options.

modeno-font-for-logos

26. Rezland

Rezland is just plain cool. It almost doesn't have time for you ... that's just how cool this font choice is.

rezland-font-for-logos

27. Polya

Polya is perhaps the most interesting font we could find. The webbing of each letter makes for a truly mesmerizing logo.

Polya free good font for logo

Free Retro Fonts

28. Horizon

Horizon is a simple but retro font that elicits images of an old outer space movie. And yet, it still holds up.

Horizon old fashioned font

29. Sweet Sensations

 

sweet-sensations-retro-font

30. ITC Bauhaus

Similar to Horizon, ITC Bauhaus has a rounded, retro look that comes in numerous thicknesses. Thicker versions look like the header of an old playbill, while thinner styles give off a jazzy vibe.

itc-bauhaus-font

31. Bobbers

Bobbers is a script font that has the goofy and over-the-top qualities of an old sitcom. Bring it back from the 1970s in your next design project for a truly confident header.

bobbers-font

32. FF Blur

The haunting glow of FF Blur reminds us of an old horror movie. But it might be just soft enough to intrigue the audience of your next project.

ff-blur-font

33. Canterbury

No list of old-fashioned fonts is complete without the old-English stylings of Canterbury. Emulate many of today's most famous newspaper logos with this traditional typeface.

canterbury-font

We hope you find these fonts helpful -- but because they are offered by other parties on their sites, we can't make any guarantees or promises about them (like that they will be available or free to use).

Also, we want to mention that the designers who offer these fonts might have rules about how you can or can't use them, so there might be limitations that are applicable to use of the font.

Want more font tips? Check out this tip for identifying the name of a font.

Try the HubSpot Website Add-on

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Saturday, February 2, 2019

Facebook’s Future: Growth, Stories, and Oversight

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Social Media Marketing Talk Show, a news show for marketers who want to stay on the leading edge of social media. On this week’s Social Media Marketing Talk Show, we dig into Facebook’s Q4 2018 earnings call with Mari Smith! Watch the Social Media Marketing Talk Show If you’re […]

The post Facebook’s Future: Growth, Stories, and Oversight appeared first on Social Media Marketing | Social Media Examiner.

February 02, 2019 at 12:00PM http://bit.ly/2ToE0iF
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Friday, February 1, 2019

5 Link Shorteners to Try Besides Google URL Shortener

Trying to convince people to click on a long, jumbled link is almost as bad as a door-to-door salesman trying to sell people financial services. Needless to say, if your audience sees a link they perceive to be spammy in one of your social media posts, they’ll do the digital equivalent of slamming the door in your face -- scroll past it

To avoid being perceived as spammy or sloppy when you have a legitimate link to share, check out our list of the five best link shorteners that’ll clip your links into clean, consistent, and clickable URLs.

What are the benefits of using link shorteners?

Using link shorteners can benefit your brand in three main ways:

1. When you post long links on social media, it can look like spam or deter users from clicking on something they don't recognize. In particular, adding tracking parameters to your links can result in URLs that look long and confusing to someone who's unfamiliar with typical link tracking practices. Link shorteners can prune spammy-looking links into clear and concise links.

2. Many link shorteners also let you track each of your link’s performance and analytics, which can help you understand which pieces of content perform best on specific platforms.

3. Every social media network limits the amount of characters you can include in your posts. Twitter and LinkedIn have the shortest character limits at 280 and 600 characters, respectively, so if you need to squeeze a link or an extra hashtag in one of your posts, link shorteners can help you stay within the limit.

5 of the Best Link Shorteners Besides Google URL Shortener

1. Bit.ly

Image Credit: Rewind & Capture

Bit.ly is a link shortener platform that features a comprehensive dashboard that displays your links’ performance metrics, such as click-through rates, channel stats, and geographic information of the people clicking on your links. They also offer branded links and have integrations with social media management software, like Sprinklr, Sprout Social, Buffer, Hootsuite, and HubSpot to help you seamlessly distribute your shortened links through your social media profiles.

Bit.ly’s free account offers up to 500 branded links, 10,000 unbranded links, and reporting data about your top referrers, which is ideal for small businesses. Their enterprise plan lets you brand as many links as you’d like and provides all the data and metrics mentioned above, which is best for large businesses who want to brand and track every link in their marketing campaigns.

2. Bl.ink

Image Credit: Bl.ink

As one of the more robust link shorteners out there, Bl.ink offers smart branded links that allow you to create custom links that contain relevant words and not just a random string of characters. They also provide analytic reports that can track clicks by date, time, language, referrers, device, and location and integrate with web analytic tools like Google Analytics, Adobe, and others.

Bl.ink offers four subscriptions tiers: a free plan, a plan for individuals and small teams with up to 15 users, a plan for teams and businesses with up to 50 users, and a plan for large organizations with over 50 users. Starting at $12 per month, they price their plans based off the amount of links you’d like create and track. For example, free users can create up to 1,000 links and track up to 1,000 clicks per link. After that, you’ll pay according to how many links you create and track.

3. Rebrand.ly

Image Credit: Rebrand.ly

Trusted by over 250,000 customers, Rebrand.ly is a link shortener platform that can brand your links, track their performance metrics, or integrate with over 50 other platforms to seamlessly distribute your links.

With two plans for individuals and two plans for teams, Rebrand.ly offers link shortening solutions for both small business and enterprise companies. For instance, their starter plan offers 50,000 tracked clicks, 5,000 branded links, and 5 custom domain names for $29 per month, while their premium plan offers 2,000,000 tracked clicks, 200,000 branded links, and 20 custom domain names for $449 per month.

4. Ow.ly

Image Credit: TutorialDeep

Developed by the social media management platform, Hootsuite, Ow.ly is a link shortener that’s included in every free Hootsuite account. With Ow.ly, you can distribute your links and track their performance metrics directly in the Hootsuite platform, which allows you to shorten every single link you post to all your social media profiles. Ow.ly is best for anyone who already uses Hootsuite as their social media management platform.

5. Buff.ly

Image Credit: Buffer

Similar to Hootsuite’s link shortener tool, Buff.ly is integrated in Buffer, another social media management platform. With Buff.ly, you can shorten your links, customize them, distribute them to all your social media profiles, and track their performance metrics right in the Buffer platform. Buff.ly is perfect for anyone who uses Buffer as their social media management platform.

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Facebook Ad Sequences: A Better Way to Acquire Customers

Want to lower the cost of your Facebook ads? Curious how connecting with your customers can help? To explore Facebook ad sequences that cost less and improve results, I interview Amanda Bond, a leading Facebook ads expert. Her course is The StrADegy System. She’s a regular speaker at Social Media Marketing World and a HubSpot […]

The post Facebook Ad Sequences: A Better Way to Acquire Customers appeared first on Social Media Marketing | Social Media Examiner.

February 01, 2019 at 12:00PM http://bit.ly/2UwSs8v
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