Blog | Serenity Virtual Assistant Services | Creating Serenity From Chaos

TubeBuddy, my new best friend

Posted on July 30, 2019 by Christine BuffaloeJuly 31, 2019

I’ve been editing and posting quite a few videos for clients lately and I was looking for a tool to assist me with tags, keywords, etc.

I recently discovered TubeBuddy.

TubeBuddy is a FREE browser extension that integrates directly into YouTube to help you run your channel with ease.

I currently use the free version but it gives me access to everything I need. For pricing details visit the TubeBuddy site.

Here’s what the free version includes:

Upload Checklist– You don’t always remember everything you need to do during the upload process
- Write a Compelling Title
- Enter a Complete Description
- Add Descriptive Tags
- Create Custom Thumbnail
- Add Info Cards
- Add to Playlist(s)
- Share on Social Media

Quick-Edit Toolbar–Easily navigate between videos when editing a list
- There is no way to easily edit videos in a Playlist on YouTube without it
- You are tired of having to click the My Videos page every time you want to edit another video
- You like to be able to easily jump between videos

Quick Links Menu–Easily navigate to common areas on YouTube without having to click 17 times
- YouTube makes you click 47 times and load 13 pages to simply get to your My Videos page (note: we maybe have exaggerated slightly)
- There are only a few areas that you go to all the time and you should be able to get to them more easily
- Coming soon: Customize the Quick Menu with your own links

Notification Commenting–Reply to comments directly from the YouTube notification window
- You want to comment on videos directly from the YouTube notification window
- You don’t want to leave the current page you are on to make a comment
- You are frustrated that YouTube removed this basic functionality

Emoji Picker–Add Emojis to your Titles, Tags and Descriptions
- You want to make your Titles stand out in a crowd
- You want to tag your videos in unique ways to help in related videos section
- You don’t want to have to visit an external site to use emojis

Advanced Video Embed–Create embed codes with the full list of options for adding videos or playlists to your website
- YouTube only gives you a few basic options for embedding videos and playlists
- You want to customize the look of your embedded video or playlist
- You don’t want to have to go to the video watch page to get the embed code for your own video

There are 3 upgrades from the free version.

PRO at $9/mo
STAR at $19/mo
LEGEND at $49/mo

For more information on what is included with each upgrade, click here.

Below is a complete list of tools included with the free version

I use the suggested tags all the time. I recommend the YouTube video tool for those that are working at getting more traffic to their YouTube channel.

For a free consultation call, you can contact me at 619-623-1036 or email me at chris@serenityva.com

Gutenberg: The New WordPress Editor

Posted on January 15, 2019 by Christine BuffaloeJanuary 15, 2019

Much to my dismay, WordPress updated their editor to the new Gutenberg. I had recently posted a new blog post about creativity tools and low and behold, there was the new editor!

I took a look around and thought, how hard can it be? Well, my blog post looked like crap when I was done and it took me some time just to figure out how to add images and to align them correctly. So, I just posted it as is and thought I’ll come back to it later.

Today is later….I’ve done just a little digging around and I have found a Gutenberg tutorial that gives you step-by-step instructions on how to use the new editor. It’s free and easy to follow. Lots of pictures too!

Editing Toolbar

Located at the very top of the screen, the editing toolbar allows you to do the following:

Add a new block to the content area
Undo/Redo changes you’ve made
View your content’s structure (number of words, paragraphs, blocks, headings, and a table of contents)
Save your changes, or see a visual confirmation that your latest changes have been auto-saved
Preview your page/post
Publish settings, such as post visibility & publish date/time
Show/Hide the advanced settings right sidebar
Additional settings, including:
- Switch between visual & code editors
- Fix the block toolbar to the top of the screen (more on this below)
- Copy all content

Content Area

The content area is where you add content to your page. This is essentially the same as it was in the classic WordPress editing screen. Only now, instead of using TinyMCE to edit content, you’re using Gutenberg blocks.

Block Toolbar

The block toolbar is the smaller toolbar that appears just above each individual block. The block toolbar shows up when you click inside of a block to edit it.

Advanced Settings

The advanced settings area is located in the right sidebar, and comprised of two distinct sub-sections:

Document Settings
Block Settings

Document Settings (aka: Page Settings)

I like to think of these as page (or post) settings. They are the settings that apply to that one specific page or post that you are editing.

Document settings contains much of the same information that was in the right sidebar of the classic WordPress editor:

Status, visibility & publish date
Post format
Categories
Tags
Featured image

It also includes some things that you were used to seeing below your content (at the bottom of the page):

Author
Discussion settings
Excerpt

Block Settings

This is where you’ll find advanced settings for each individual block on your page.

The block toolbar, directly above the block itself (in the content area), contains the most commonly used, and most basic, settings. However, many blocks have even more options, and those can be configured here in the right sidebar.

Explore all Gutenberg blocks and learn how to use each one.

I was familiar with using blocks to a certain extent as I have a client with a Squarespace interface.

Are you having diffuculties in learning the new Gutenberg interface? Follow the tutorial or email me at chris@serenityva.com and I’ll help you.

4 Tools to Use Daily For Your Business

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Christine BuffaloeJanuary 15, 2019

On a daily basis I need to accomplish many tasks with a minimum of effort and time. I maintain many websites and social media accounts along with formatting newsletters and ezines.

The 4 tools I’m listing I use on a daily basis for formatting and social media maintenance.

Hootsuite
Hootsuite is a program that I have been using for quite some time. It allows me to manage all my client’s social media accounts. There are free and upgraded service plans. In a previous blog post, I discussed the difference between Hootsuite and Sprout Social. Hootsuite is a social media management platform, created by Ryan Holmes in 2008. The system’s user interface takes the form of a dashboard and supports social network integrations for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube.

Canva
I use Canva daily to create social media graphics for all of my client’s social media marketing. I use the free account. You can see some of my graphics here.
Canva is a graphic-design tool website, founded in 2012. It uses a drag-and-drop format and provides access to over a million photographs, graphics, and fonts. It is used by non-designers as well as professionals. The tools can be used for both web and print media design and graphics.

Pexels
I use Pexels all the time. I find the most beautiful images there. I find images for my client’s ezines and other social media imagery.
Pexels provides high quality and completely free stock photos licensed under the Pexels license. All photos are nicely tagged, searchable and also easy to discover through our discover pages.

Remove Background
This is a new app that I just started using. I’ve been playing around with it to test its usage. What I have found is that it needs to be about to identify a “real” person in it. I’ve tried with cartoon figures and it does not work. Remove.bg is a free service to remove the background of any photo. It works 100% automatically: You don’t have to manually select the background/foreground layers to separate them – just select your image and instantly download the result image with the background removed!

These are just a few tools that I use for creativity and social media marketing. There are many more and of course, new ones are popping up almost daily. What tools do you use or would you recommend? Leave a comment below for your recommendations.

Need help with your social media marketing? Contact me at chris@serenityva.com for a free consultation.

Infographic: How to Deal With Fake Negative Reviews

Posted on December 21, 2018 by Christine BuffaloeDecember 21, 2018

Courtesy of: Headway Capital

Create a Media Library in Squarespace Following These Easy Steps

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Christine BuffaloeJune 28, 2018

If you’ve been using WordPress as your website platform and you now have a client that uses Squarespace, it can be daunting if you don’t know your way around.

Squarespace doesn’t provide a media library the way WordPress does. WordPress makes it so easy to upload images and insert them into newsletters or widgets. So, I learned how to create a media library in Squarespace and you can create one too by following these simple steps.

Open your admin bar on the left and go to Home >> Pages
Find the ‘Not linked’ section.
Click on the plus symbol to create a new page.

Now, you can add files to that folder!

Click on the ‘+ Add Page’ link under your library folder.
Choose ‘Link’.

In the window that pops up, if you haven’t already, name your file or image, and click to add your URL (don’t be mislead, we’re going to add your file or image AND create a unique URL for that). Choose ‘Files’ >> ‘New File’, then ‘Add a file’ – upload your image or file, and ‘Save’.

You’ve added your first image to your media folder. To find the link for the image, it will look something like this: www.website.com/s/filename.extension (.jpg, .png).

In addition to adding images, you can also upload files, such as pdf’s.

How To Become A Virtual Assistant

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Christine BuffaloeJanuary 18, 2018

I was recently part of a poll of 15 other active VA’s on how to become a virtual assistant. Some of the questions were very enlightening and really gave me pause for thought.

Here are just a few of those questions:

What does it mean to be a virtual assistant?
To me it means flexibility. I consider this a full-time, work-from-home job. One which I love, but it offers me the flexibility to do what I love. I take my job very seriously. This is not a “do it when I want a job.” I have many clients whom I am responsible to. I have schedules and time constraints to be respectful of. So, if you’re not willing to be respectful of yourself or your clients, this may not be the job for you.
Who makes a good virtual assistant?
There is a wide range of folks that can make good virtual assistants! You just need to find your niche and go with it. Communication is key though. If you are not a good communicator and like to be a hermit, perhaps web design or coding is more up your alley. Again, you need to be respectful of your client’s schedules.
What services can you offer as a virtual assistant?
There are many different types of VAs. When I started out, social media was MySpace, that was it. Facebook was still a glimmer in Mark Zuckerberg eye.
Services can range from email management, scheduling/calendar management, and bookkeeping to customer service, website management, social media services, and writing newsletters.
What do virtual assistants find frustrating about their work?
Balance….trying to find the right balance between work and life. Turning it off when I am. There have been many times when I’ve laid awake at night trying to figure out a problem. Quite honestly, I’ve gotten the answer many times that way!
What advice do virtual assistants have for others looking to enter the business?
Do not become a doormat! Respect yourself and what you offer. Do not undervalue yourself. If a prospective client does not see that value in what you do, then it’s probably not a good match. Do not be afraid to make mistakes. Own them, learn from them and move on.

I love being a virtual assistant. There are always times when I want to pull my hair out, but thus far, this has been the best job I’ve ever had. I love being self-employed. Now, that doesn’t mean I don’t answer to anyone, I have to answer to my clients.

To read the entire article, please visit Mama Saves Fish on How to Become a Virtual Assistant.

Need help with your social media marketing? Contact me at chris@serenityva.com for a free consultation.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click & make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no cost to you!

Facebook News Feed Updates

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Christine BuffaloeNovember 2, 2017

Facebook recently launched Facebook Journalism to collaborate with the news industry. They also released News Feed Publisher Guidelines…

The News Feed Publisher Guidelines are designed to provide an overview of News Feed: how it works, the values it operates by, the policies Facebook enforces, the signals we look for when ranking stories, and the storytelling tools Facebook offers to help your content reach the right audience.

They have created a set of News Feed Publisher Principles — three basic, high-level guideposts to keep in mind when sharing content to News Feed. These principles are:

People on Facebook value meaningful, informative stories = Publishers should ideally focus on what they do best; making the important and meaningful stories interesting to their audience.
People on Facebook value accurate, authentic content- Publishers should focus on posting accurate, authentic content.
People on Facebook value standards for safe, respectful behavior- Publishers should follow the Community Standards. Check the page for the latest updates and additions.

Every time you open Facebook, News Feed goes through a set of four steps to answer the question: Which stories are likely to matter most to your readers?

News Feed is an algorithm — meaning, it’s a formula or set of steps for solving a problem. These are the four essential steps of the News Feed algorithm:

Inventory- What stories have been posted by friends and publishers?
Signals – Who posted this story?
Predictions- How likely are you to comment on this story?
Score- Relevancy Score- We use all of the consolidated signals to develop a relevancy score — a number that represents how interested we think users will be in that story.

This new initiative enables the publishing professional to better target likely readers for engagement with you.

Need help with your social media marketing? Contact me at chris@serenityva.com for a free consultation.

Hootsuite or Sprout Social? What is the Solution?

Posted on August 10, 2017 by Christine BuffaloeAugust 10, 2017

Whether you are an established business or just starting, it is imperative that in your business plan a section on Social Media Marketing is included.

From a design perspective, Sprout Social is much easier to look at and use. Hootsuite favors function over form. Hootsuite has the edge in reporting, though Sprout Social offers more extras, like social CRM and audience discovery.

In the end, it depends what you’re looking for. Both solutions are excellent tools for managing your social media, but the difference lies in which capabilities are most important to your organization.

Hootsuite lets users build adjacent feeds across a single dashboard and customize the type of information that each feed displays. That means you can set up a feed for each of your social accounts and create more specific filters on each of those accounts — e.g. posts from Facebook or incoming tweets.

Sprout Social instead aggregates posts into a single feed. You can customize the information in the feed by checking and unchecking filters, and you can also move to a network-specific view (for example, everything from LinkedIn) with one click.

Social media management tools are your best friends when it comes to integrating social media into your marketing strategy.

They can help you manage multiple profiles, track specific keywords, as well as allow you to schedule your posts in advance so you don’t have to spend hours every day coming up with content and logging into various accounts just to post updates.

The following table is taken from a recent post.

Features	Hootsuite	Sprout Social
Free Plan	Yes	No, but offers 30-day free trial
Pricing	From $8.99/month billed annually	From $59/user/month
Social Media Platforms	Facebook (profile, page, group), Twitter, LinkedIn (profile, group, company), Google+ (pages only), extra profiles via third-party apps	Facebook (pages), Twitter, LinkedIn (profile, company), Google+ (pages only), Instagram
Analytics	Posts, follower’s growth, engagement, and traffic; basic analytics are free, advanced analytics are a paid feature	Audience growth and analysis, post engagements, trends, social media listening
Collaboration	Yes on paid plans	Yes
Publishing	Yes and you can add an RSS feed even on the free plan	Yes
Scheduling	Yes, unlimited	Yes, unlimited
Extra Features	Very customizable dashboard, bulk upload of messages on paid plans, custom shortener, multiple images in posts, content suggestions, and custom time settings	Publish send time optimization, social CRM, unified inbox, bit.ly integration

Hootsuite:
Price: Free, $8.99/month for Pro Version; Business and Enterprise plans depend on the number of users.

Primary Focus: Manage all your social networks in one spot with a customizable dashboard that lets you see several feeds at once.

Sprout Social:
Price: Deluxe plan for $59/user/month; $99/user/month for Premium Plan; $500/month with three users for the Team plan.

Primary Focus: An all in one social media management tool that lets you schedule, publish, analyze, and engage with your audience.

Choosing the right platform to use has so many variables. Each platform has it pros and cons. Do your research. Try out the free or trial plans.

If you need to plan your social media strategy and align it with your business goals better, then contact us and we’ll put together the right option for you.