Today’s post comes to you from Asher Elran, of Dynamic Search. He gets the honor of being our first guest blogger with this article about a fresh new tool that can liven up your Facebook timeline, Thinglink. Take a look and let us know what you think.
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First thing first, what is Thinglink?
Thinglink is an image editing tool that completely changes the way people engage online — transforming images into an interactive surface that not only offers rich, relevant content, but makes it fun to explore.
For the last couple of years, marketers have been trying to find new and creative ways to reach social networks in general and, in particular, FaceBook, the undisputed social media Queen.
The social websites have proven to be tough nuts to crack as new strategies come and then go almost as fast as you can say Jackie Robinson. Just when it was beginning to look like being social was the only inroad, marketers got powerful news from a surprising direction.
Thinglink and their interactive images have come to the rescue!
Thinglink Images Enliven Timelines
What makes this news so exciting is the interactive imagery that is being patented by Thinglink. It is a completely new experience for consumers and marketers alike.
The best part is that the user does not have to leave their timeline to enjoy the experience. A mouse-over is enough to provide the user with a wide range of interactive entertainment along with some branding and marketing.
A Who’s Who of Participants
The experience is enhanced by the big names that people already associate with and use on a daily basis.
Dominating the media-enriched tags are YouTube, and Twitter, two of the biggest names in the business. Also on hand for the images that pop up and come to life are Vimeo, Flickr, and Imgur with many more to follow.
The Beauty in Options
Thinglink started in 2010 and has been building stream like a locomotive ever since. The rich and rewarding images that pop-up and allow you to interact with the content are fun, entertaining, and best of all, optional.
As a viewer, if you do not want to see them, you simply avoid hovering over them.
It is a beautiful concept whose time has come and a welcome change over the pop-up words in articles that are so annoying. FaceBook is the perfect medium for these wonderful images.
A Tough Nut to Crack
Social media is the most challenging area for internet marketers because there are no real inroads as to how people really behave. Until now, the best social media marketing has been able to do is reach certain groups through Business pages, interaction, and content links.
These strategies are good, but they don’t provide much data and are little help in reaching all your fans and followers.
Rewarding for the FaceBook User
For the FaceBook user, it is just another wonderful addition to a social website that has always had wide appeal.
The addition of these super-interactive images is a new and exciting experience — and is already generating plenty of likes, shares and buzz. The ability to play videos and interact with others without clicking off the images is very appealing.
Rewarding for the Marketer
For the marketer, it is an opportunity to see actual statistics as to how the people who use FaceBook think when it comes to marketing.
It lets marketers track social behavior on a larger scale than ever before through interaction with the new imagery. This may be the breakthrough that everyone was waiting for. With numbers already streaming in, it may lead to numerous new strategies on how to market can obtain mass brand recognition in the social media arena.
To check out Thinglink, visit their website. I think you’ll enjoy seeing what’s possible. (This is NOT an affiliate link.)
About the Author: Asher Elran is a practical software engineer, entrepreneur and senior web marketing at Dynamic Search. Asher is enthusiastic about all things involving creative marketing, CRO, SEM, and engaging content.