A Beginner’s Guide to Facebook Insights

Posted on: September 7th, 2015 by admin No Comments

The Facebook Insights feature can be a useful tool when developing a marketing strategy. This feature can help you to track the performance of your business page on Facebook, providing useful information such as the reach of your posts and the number of users engaged.

There is a tab at the top of the page that will take you to Insights, where you will find an overview of your page performance. Information includes the number of people who like your page, the post reach and the number of people engaged. There are also graphs that compare the performance in these areas with the previous week. You can click on each of the sections for more detailed information.

The post reach section can be particularly useful when trying to establish which of your posts achieved the most ‘likes’. It also shows how many people have hidden posts, reported them as spam or ‘unliked’ your page. This can help you to decide what to post in future.

For a more detailed analysis of the reaction to your posts, you can use the Posts section. This shows the response to each of your posts, including negative feedback such as a user deciding to hide the post. A hidden post does not necessarily mean that you shouldn’t post anything similar in future. Often, you may find that the greater the reach of the post, the more users hide it. The same post may have also received more ‘likes’ than usual. An increase in both positive and negative feedback may simply mean that the post had a greater reach than is typical.

Another useful feature under the Posts tab is the Post Types section. This shows the performance rate of different post types, based on reach and user engagement. For example, some pages may find that more users engage with the post when it is a link or a photograph, rather than a status update. This may prove very useful when you are deciding what to post.

Running a successful page does not only depend on what you post, but also when you post. The Posts section also includes a graph that details when your page fans are online. You can use this feature to choose the best time to post in order to reach the most fans.

Once you are familiar with the Insights section, you will find it valuable to the running of your Facebook page.

What is Brand Storytelling?

Posted on: August 25th, 2015 by admin No Comments

The power of storytelling has altered little down the years, except in the forms and media in which they can be told. Stories draw people in and they entertain, excite and interest in equal measures. This can hold true for a business story too, charting how a company was formed, the idea behind it and how the idea has led to a product or service that improves customers’ daily lives. This is the essence of brand storytelling, which now forms one of the main elements of content marketing. It aims to take an audience on a journey using consistency of images and messaging that evokes a response and generates a personal attachment to the brand.

Tell the Brand’s Story

Behind each development of a company is a story and telling these stories can have the largest impact when told through a client’s perspective. Brand stories keep the message clear and straightforward, outlining origins, core values and how they have helped their clients. The story will be authentic, but creative, looking to inspire an audience and take them with the brand.

Brand Storytelling is Emotive

Brands look to create personal connections with their target audiences, so brand stories tend to be emotive and are stories which can be related to. The messages and signals a brand sends out not only informs a potential client, but helps them form an opinion and a feeling about the brand and whether they believe in it or not. Including personalities, humour and other emotions to tell the brands story can resonate with people, creating an instant connection. A story that makes such an impression on people will linger with them, and be more likely to be shared with their family and friends, extending the brand’s reach.

So Many Available Platforms

In the digital world of today there are so many media platforms for brands to use to convey their message. Brand storytelling has a reach across all of these channels, and can be adjusted accordingly. From television and radio through to internet adverts, brand storytelling is a powerful tool to reach any or all demographics.

Brand storytelling is not inventing a story, but showing why a brand exists, what it does, and how customers can benefit from it. It looks to compel an audience to buy in to the brand and its values, to generate interest and increased engagement with the brand.

Tags: brand storytelling, branding, promotion

A Beginner’s Guide to Facebook Advertising

Posted on: August 13th, 2015 by admin No Comments

Facebook is one of the largest social media portals in existence. When we combine this fact with the recent changes to the ranking policies of Google, it becomes clear that targeted advertising is an excellent way for a company to reach its intended audience. Still, there are many who may be unaware of how to properly take advantage of these advertising benefits. Let us take a look at some of the basic steps and concepts to keep in mind.

Clear Objectives

Much like any standard advertising campaign, it is first essential to understand your objectives. Facebook makes this simple by offering choices such as:

Page promotions
Inbound traffic
Client conversions
Application exposure

All of these can be selected and Facebook will streamline your subsequent ads to reflect such needs.

Selecting the Audience

In other words, it is wise to work smart as opposed to hard. Facebook gives you the opportunity to choose your specific target demographic. You can select metrics such as age, location, gender and language. You can further hone this focus with other options including interests, behaviours, connections and even ethnicities. Any product is much more likely to resonate with a discrete audience.

Financial Concerns

Next, it is important to select a budget. In essence, this signifies how much you want to spend on your unique campaign. Please note that this figure can be set to a daily target or for the lifespan of the advertisement. Depending upon the figure chosen, Facebook will display the estimated “daily reach” of the campaign. Another benefit here is that you are now able to determine how much money is spent within certain markets or to reach a specific goal.

Ad Placements

This is the final and perhaps more important step. There are three main locations where an advertisement will be featured. These are on the Facebook Newsfeed, on smartphone applications and within the “trending” section that is found on the right-hand side of the normal Facebook screen. Never forget that the type of audience that you reach can be determined by which one of these is utilised.

These are some of the first steps required to create an effective Facebook advertising campaign. By following such suggestions, you can be certain that your product or service is able to enjoy the exposure that it deserves.

Tags: Advertising, social media, social media advertising

How to Run a Successful Social Media Contest

Posted on: August 4th, 2015 by admin No Comments

Social media contests can be a great way of attracting interest. While there are a wide range of competition options to choose from, including some of the ideas below.

Promote Your Contest Extensively

Much of any campaign’s success is down to how well it has been promoted, and there are many ways that you can get the word out. Also, the majority of ways that your campaign can be promoted are inexpensive or free, with utilising your own website or social media profiles being two examples. Share information about your competition, and make it easy for others to share information too – but don’t just concentrate on doing so via one social media site. Offering incentives to people who do share your information, such as giving them more opportunities to win, will also help to maximise your competition’s exposure.

Make Sure That the Prize Is Relevant to Your Brand

Any competition promoted on social media should have targeted customers in mind. This is because, in order to maintain interest in your brand after a competition has ended, prizes should be relevant to your business. For instance, a book publisher should consider offering a book or a collection of books as a prize, and a travel-related business should consider offering a free stay at a hotel.

How Action-Gating Can Be Beneficial

A simple way of getting people interested in your competition is through action-gating on social media. Action-gating involves users doing something that is mutually beneficial, i.e. they share their email address with you in return for an extra competition entry. Subsequently, those entrants who are happy to be involved in the action-gating process, can also be emailed the next time you run a competition, have special offers, etc.

Stick to Simple Entry Forms

Though getting a lot of information from entrants, via social media, may seem like a good idea it may reduce the number of people who actually enter your competition. Many net users will not like to spend too long filling in a form online, and the more info you ask for the more likely people will think that entering is too time consuming. A simple form asking for the entrants name and email address is likely to result in a lot more entries, than would be the case with a form asking for too many personal details.

Have you ever run a social media contest? Please leave your comments below…

Tags: social media, social media competitions, social media contest, Social Media Tips

What Makes the Perfect Tweet?

Posted on: July 23rd, 2015 by admin No Comments

The Twitter community is known for its willingness to engage in passionate conversations and share interesting content. Becoming a part of this community is a great way to build new relationships that will help you to grow your business. Here are 10 tips for increasing your engagement and boosting your visibility with the perfect tweet.

1. Use URL Shorteners

Use URL shorteners to keep within Twitter’s 140 character limit and track in real-time the number of clicks on your URLs.

2. Use Hashtags Sparingly

Research reveals that Tweets with more than two hashtags are less engaging than those with only one or two hashtags.

3. Keep it Conversational

Strive for an approachable communication style. Tweet like you are in conversation with a friend.

4. Listen and Talk to People

Ask questions, listen and respond. Use Twitter to talk with people, not at them.

5. Keep it Short and Sweet

Research reveals that Tweets of around 100 characters perform best. Tweets of this length are long enough for you to say something of value but still short enough for others to add commentary to your retweets.

6. Experiment With Images and Videos

Drive retweets with photos and videos. Research reveals that Tweets with visuals generate higher engagement.

7. Time it Right

Research reveals a 30% higher engagement rate for Tweets published between 8am and 7pm. Tweet during these hours for maximum effect.

8. Use Clear CTAs

Optimise Tweets for action-orientated campaigns using clear calls to actions (CTAs) such as click, follow and RT.

9. Be a Good Sport

Participate in popular Twitter-themed games such as #FollowFriday and #ThrowBackThursday.

10. Maintain Frequency

Aim for the perfect blend of Tweeting and listening. Research reveals that three Tweets per day is the point where most businesses start seeing high levels of engagement.

Twitter can be a cheap and effective way of marketing your business, with a big impact possible from a minimal investment. However, using this platform for maximum benefit, and overcoming its many challenges, requires planning and patience. It may take you some time to engage with the Twitter community, but the key is to keep on Tweeting until you achieve the results you desire.

Tags: social media, Social Media Tips, tweeting, Twitter, what makes the perfect tweet

How to Gain More Youtube Subscribers

Posted on: July 15th, 2015 by admin No Comments

Video content marketing is now the leading platform for blogging and advertising a product or service. After Facebook and Twitter, Youtube is the other popular social media site for hosting videos online. If you have a product or service that you wish to market through videos, you may read the following tips to help you get more Youtube subscribers.

Be Creative with Your Content

Posting weekly videos that feature tips and guidance are just not enough anymore. Use your creativity to convey your video content in an entertaining and engaging tone in order to set yourself apart from the rest. In simpler words, your published videos on Youtube need to be outstanding and error free.

Add a Widget and Enhance Your Blog

If you already have a website that’s getting lots of traffic, take this opportunity to invite those visitors to click on your Youtube videos. A simple click of a button from your followers will be enough to add more subscribers to your list. Once you begin embedding your videos on your website, you will make it easier for your followers to find your future content.

Name Your Videos Strategically

Perhaps one of the most challenging things in creating videos is naming them. The name you have in your mind may either be too long or complex. As a rule of thumb, try and keep it as simple and relevant as possible.

Be Yourself

Don’t pretend to be anyone else as you want to portray the real you in front of the camera. Let your personality shine in your Youtube videos and pretty soon, you will find lots of people who want to connect with you.

Create an Entertaining Channel Trailer

Youtube has recently introduced a new channel design that allows content creators to create engaging trailers. These trailers let you share what your videos are all about in order to entice new followers. This is similar to movies that have 90-second trailers, which let viewers get a taste of the movie before watching it. This strategy keeps people coming back as they see that you’ve put more effort into your videos. Try and focus more on lighting, audio, and composition and be comfortable in front of the camera. By creating an entertaining trailer that highlights the best parts of your video, you’ll soon gain lots of new Youtube subscribers.

Tags: social media, social media marketing, video marketing, Videos, youtube, YouTube subscribers

Using Instagram to Market Your Business

Posted on: July 8th, 2015 by admin No Comments

Instagram can be a great way to engage with potential customers, with relative ease and little expense. However, you need to understand and exploit the features this powerful social networking platform offers in order to achieve success. Here are 10 tips to help you in your quest to tap into the power of Instagram.

1. Use Hashtags

When you use the right hashtags, you will increase the visibility of your Instagram posts. Hashtags such as #nofilter, #selfie and #throwbackthursday are popular, but they will not necessarily work well for your business. Pay attention to the hashtags used by your competitors to get a feel for the types of hashtags you need to use.

2. Tag Others in Your Posts

Instagram allows you to add tags to your photos and videos before you post them online. Simply tap the Tag People option, tap the area of the photo where you would like to add a tag and then type in the name of the user you want to tag.

3. Mention Others in Your Posts

Mentions on Instagram work similarly to those on other social networking sites in that you use the @ symbol, followed by the name of the user you would like to tag, to tag others in your posts. When replying to users’ comments, use the @ symbol or users may fail to notice your response.

4. Geotag Your Posts

Geotagging grants you the chance to add your location to your Instagram posts. This is particularly useful if your business is open to the public and you want to drive new customers through your doors.

5. Keep Posts Relevant

It can be tempting to share popular photos in an effort to get noticed but if they are not relevant to your business or to the time of the year, you run the risk of looking inconsistent. For optimal results, share relevant photos at a steady pace, for example, every day at a certain time of day.

6. Use a Filter

Instagram allows you to edit your photos by applying special effects and filters. While evidence suggests that photos with no filters perform best, you may need to use filters to achieve a coherent look.

7. Include Your Employees

You can make your Instagram page more personal by featuring your employees in your posts. Sharing photos of your employees working hard or having fun will help you to grant your followers the chance to relate to your business.

8. Run Promotions

You can run giveaways and promotions by posting an advertorial image or video and requesting reposts with a specific hashtag. You can then search for that hashtag and use the results to generate a list of potential winners.

9. Respond to Other Users’ Comments

When people comment on your photos and videos, take the time to respond to them. In doing so, you will demonstrate your attentiveness and encourage continued interaction.

10. Embed Your Posts on Your Website

The desktop version of Instagram provides you with an embed code that you can use to add Instagram photos and videos to your website. This can help you show website visitors that you are active on Instagram.

Instagram can be a cheap and effective way to market your business. When you post engaging photos and videos and interact with your followers, you will boost awareness of your business and perhaps even win over new customers.

Tags: instagram, instagram marketing, social media, social media marketing

A Beginner’s Guide to Google+ Communities

Posted on: June 26th, 2015 by admin No Comments

Long gone are the days when businesses could rely on traditional forms of advertising like print media, banners, and business directories. Today, an Internet-savvy generation commands a much more intricate approach to business advertising, and whether your outfit is small or large, you’ll have to get involved. One of the more niche corners of the Internet is Google+ Communities, which is where you and your customers can find over 150,000 public and private forums to discuss relevant topics in.

What is Google+ Communities and Why Does it Matter?

Google+ Communities is a collection of groups that focuses on specific topics. When you join a group that is relevant to your business, you can participate and broaden your target audience. To join a community, log in to Google+, select communities from the left hand panel, and find one that is relevant to you and your business’ interests.

How Should You Use Google+ Communities?

Remember the days when people used to build backlinks by leaving spammy comments on blog posts? Well over promotion and a lack of usefulness in Google+ Communities is just as offensive, so put a stop to that tactic before it even starts. Instead, you need to draw inspiration from the dedicated users over at Reddit, who actively participate in discussions and offer information without expecting anything in return. While this may seem counterintuitive when you pit it against old-fashioned marketing tactics, becoming a known community member will generate significant attention for your business.

It’s worth being aware that you can only share a blog post in a Google+ Community once. So, if you are a member of multiple communities, choose the one you’ll post your blog in carefully. Fortunately, if the community is public the post will also appear on your business’ wall. If it is private, it won’t.

Can You Create Your Own Community?

On the off chance that one of the 150,000 communities out there doesn’t meet your needs, or you simply want a little more control over the process, you can create your own. Much like your Google+ page, your community allows you to alter the aesthetics to a degree, as well as the description. Be aware that you only have one chance to choose whether it is private or public, you can’t switch between the two.

If you’ve ever visited a forum, you’re already halfway there when it comes to basic Google+ Community skills. Always remember not to spam, don’t self-promote too often, and do be a useful participant.

Do you use Google+ Communities as a part of your social media efforts?

Tags: Google Plus, Google+, google+ communities, social media, Social Media Tips

Why Should You Be Guest Blogging?

Posted on: June 15th, 2015 by admin No Comments

If you have recently started an online business, a blog or even just published a simple website online you may be wondering how you can drive visitors and maybe even customers to it. There are many different ways to do this, however, the quickest and simplest way is by guest blogging. Guest blogging is posting your articles on other peoples blogs, and here are a few reasons why you start doing it today.

Increased Exposure

When you have a new blog or website it can sometimes get lost amongst the billions of other websites online. You can stop this from happening and increase your exposure by writing posts for other peoples blogs. This is a win-win situation for both yourself and the blog owner, as you can give them some great content for their readers and also piggy-back off the success of their blog, to turn their readers into yours.

Shows Authority

If you are writing great articles and using them for guest blogging you are not only getting increased exposure as mentioned above – but you can show people that you are an authority in your niche. A well written, informative article used on a popular blog can show people you know what you are talking about, and they will be more likely to click through to your website for more information.

Networking

Guest blogging is a great way to network and interact with people who are interested in what you have to say. When you choose a blog to submit your post to – try and choose one that has a high level or interaction. If people comment on or have any questions about your blog post make sure you reply back to them in the comments section in a helpful and timely manner.

BackLinks

Guest blogging is also a great way to get some backlinks to your website or blog which can give you a boost in the search engines. When you submit your article to the blog, you can often include a byline where you can write a little bit of information about yourself and include a link or two to your own website.

How do you feel about guest blogging?

Tags: blogging, guest blogging

5 Ways to Increase Brand Awareness on Social Media

Posted on: June 10th, 2015 by admin No Comments

We all know what social media is, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Pinterest; and a myriad of others, all waiting for us to promote our own brand – help their activity, and increase their advertising revenue. But how does our personal brand benefit from these social media platforms?

Firstly, no matter what you do, or how big you are, not all brands benefit from all platforms. When you get a large well respected blog closing a particular social media account, an account with 38,000 followers, closed due to lack of generated traffic – it shows that social media is very much a horses for courses situation. Fortunately, for most of us small fish, there are things we can do to maximise the potential of our accounts. Here are five which may help.

Know your audience

Know your target audience. If your online business involves homemade meat pies and pasties, there’s little point in becoming socially active on pages for vegetarians. Likewise, why try to extol the virtues of electric cars – on a page for petrol-heads. Knowing your target audience is the singularly most important factor when it comes to gaining the benefits of social media.

Connect with your audience

While you’re trying hard to increase traffic to your pie and pasty site, so are thousands of others. Personalise your brand with statuses and posts. How you did this, why you did that, ask questions which evoke comments from your audience. Just visiting your chosen pages daily and copy/pasting links won’t do it, and will be construed as spamming. And nobody loves a spammer.

Optimise your site for smartphones

Unless you optimised your site for Google’s smartphone algorithm by 27th April, you’re probably already losing out. Not just on search engine listings, but on smartphone traffic to your site. More and more people are using smartphones for social media contact, and research points to the fact more impulse sales are already being generated from mobiles than any other media.

Use graphics where possible

Graphics are beginning to play a much larger part in all aspects of marketing than they ever used to. We’ve all heard the old adage, ‘a picture is worth a 1,000 words,’ and it’s certainly true in today’s digital marketplace. Remember the last time you looked at the menu outside your favourite restaurant – full of mouth-watering photos of mixed grills and Sunday dinners.

Track your traffic

At the beginning of this article I said not all social media suits all brands. There are plenty of apps available to track where your site traffic originates from. Use them. If you find one site over a few months isn’t worth the effort, concentrate your efforts elsewhere. Remember though, unless you keep your site updated with fresh products, blog posts and news, all this increased social media activity, and hopefully extra traffic, could count for nothing when it comes to generating sales.

How do you increase your brand awareness on social media?

Tags: brand awareness, brand awareness on social media, branding, social media, Social Media Tips