Author: Phoebe Moore

In today’s digital age, businesses have a huge choice of marketing channels to choose from. From email to social media, there are many ways to reach out to potential customers – new or existing. One channel that often gets overlooked is SMS marketing. SMS marketing involves sending promotional messages directly to customers’ mobile devices. In this blog we are breaking down five reasons why businesses need to adopt an SMS marketing strategy:

 

1. High Open Rates – SMS messages have incredibly high open rates. In fact, it’s estimated that 98% of text messages are opened, compared to just 20% of emails. This means that SMS messages have a much higher chance of being seen by potential customers. This is particularly important for time-sensitive promotions or urgent messages that require immediate action. 

 

2. Personalisation – SMS marketing allows businesses to personalise their messages to individual customers. This can be done by including the customer’s name in the message or by sending messages based on their past purchases or preferences. Personalisation can help businesses create a more meaningful connection with their customers, which can lead to increased loyalty and sales.

3. Cost-Effective – Compared to other marketing channels, SMS marketing is relatively inexpensive. Most SMS marketing platforms charge per message sent, which means that businesses only pay for what they use. This can be particularly beneficial for small businesses with limited marketing budgets.

 

4. Reach a Younger Audience – SMS marketing is particularly effective at reaching younger audiences. Studies have shown that younger consumers are more likely to respond to SMS messages than older generations. This is because younger consumers are more likely to use their mobile devices for communication and are more comfortable receiving messages from businesses.

5. Increased Engagement – SMS marketing can help businesses increase customer engagement. This is because SMS messages are typically short and to the point, which makes them easy for customers to read and respond to. Additionally, SMS messages can include calls-to-action, such as “click here to learn more” or “reply with YES to claim your offer.” These calls-to-action can help businesses drive traffic to their website or increase sales.

 

In conclusion, SMS marketing is a highly effective marketing channel that businesses should consider adding to their marketing mix. With high open rates, personalisation, cost-effectiveness, the ability to reach a younger audience, and increased engagement, SMS marketing can help businesses build stronger connections with their customers and drive sales.

 

If you want to implement or improve your current SMS marketing strategy then get in touch here! 🚀

 

When your profession falls within the realm of digital marketing, you are essentially required to be spending more time on those pesky little apps more frequently than the average person, which brings a whole different meaning to ‘bringing work home with you’. This can often lead to what is known as social media burnout, and potentially a lack of motivation within your job role. 

But how do you take a break from social media when it’s your literal job? Well, the solution isn’t always easy, but as long as you take these necessary steps, we may be able to mend your problematic relationship with social media.

 

But first, what exactly is social media burnout? 

According to Mayo Clinic, general burnout is defined as “a special type of work-related stress — a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.” Although it is not deemed a medical diagnosis, experiencing burnout can lead to more complicated conditions such as depression and physical health issues. 

You don’t have to be a social media manager to experience burnout, however, according to a 2018 study, social media burnout is its own phenomenon with its own unique symptoms at times, for example: 

 

–  Emotionally and physically exhausted

–  Increase in anxiety

–  Emotionally drained

–  Inability to focus or finish tasks

–  Finding no value in your work

 

So how do we tackle this? Read on to learn our top 4 ways how to avoid social media burnout.

 

1. Set strict boundaries with your post-work routine 

Although this is easier said than done, it is vital that you dedicate a good portion of your time post-work, to step away from the screen and anything work-related (trust us, your screen time will thank you later…). 

With social media being your profession, the lines can often be blurred as ‘checking that one quick notification’ can often have you sucked in for 30-plus minutes…so you need to learn how to quite literally unplug yourself. For example: 

 

– Log out of your work email and social accounts

– Turn off notifications for work communication channels i.e Slack

– Or simply keep all work accounts off your personal devices

 

As the saying goes, out of sight out of mind. Being able to have that disconnect period will not only help with your work-to-life balance but will also improve your overall motivation during working hours.

 

2. Schedule some time for yourself  

Yes, we know this is the most cliche contender on this list but sometimes cliche is the only answer! Even if you’re consuming social media in a more ‘leisurely’ way, you still haven’t allowed your brain (and eyes!)  time to rest and wind down. 

Just like a good portion of the gen-z and millennials, simply ‘putting your phone in another room’ only adds more stress and anxiety to the burnout you are already experiencing (in other words, the dreaded ‘FOMO’ takes over), so it is key that you invest in some good old-fashioned self-care so you actually enjoy your time away from your screen. 

Tip: Consider pausing your social media notifications so those pings and buzzes don’t tempt your hand to start scrolling…

Block out some time each week (whether it’s during work or after) to do at least one of the following: 

 

–  Indulge in  foods that make you and your body feel good

–  Close your laptop on your work breaks, and avoid checking your socials

–  Incorporate a non-screen-related activity into your weekly routine

–  Replace instant messaging with phone calls or face-to-face dates

–  Schedule strict time in your diary for screen breaks throughout the day

 

Don’t get us wrong, it is completely unrealistic to expect someone to completely ignore their phone for hours for the sake of “avoiding burnout”, but dedicating at least 2 hours of your day to a screen-free activity will do wonders for your mental health and work to life balance.

 

 

3. Do nothing…no we mean like nothing

It’s not unheard of to feel the unsaid pressure of ‘making every moment count’, especially during out-of-work hours and days off, which in turn actually turns our leisure time into, well…hard work. And yes you guessed it,  this will only add to the burnout you are already experiencing. 

Take time for 100% downtime, and this does also mean as little phone use as possible. Due to your job role, your brain automatically links these apps and activities to work. If possible, you should dedicate these ‘do nothing days’ to essentially detoxing your brain i.e not looking at a single social media notification for a whole 24 hours. 

Although challenging at first glance, having these ‘do nothing, see nothing days’ can work amazingly if incorporated into your routine strategically. 

 

 

4. Ask for support

According to Inc.com, one of the industries with the highest turnover rate in relation to burnout is Social Media and Marketing, due to many struggling to find that work-to-life balance. 

You may have tried every trick in the book, locking your phone away, cooking a delicious meal or having a hot bath…but your burnout is still stronger than ever.  At this stage, you should reach out to a trusted colleague or manager to express your struggles so that you can work together to establish your next steps, as your mental health is a priority. 

Remember, you are a valued member of your team, creating some outstanding work! Your teammates should always have your best interests at heart, and admitting you need some help, whether that’s mentally or simply just on a project, is nothing to be ashamed of.

 

At the end of the day, we are all only human and experiencing burnout does not make you a bad employee or bad at your job, sometimes we just all need a ‘do nothing day’, which in turn will not only benefit your company but your health and wellbeing overall. 

Need some support with your social media planning?

Get in touch with our expert team today by booking a call – we look forward to hearing from you!

Want to improve your site performance, and lower your bounce rate? It’s time for a landing page refresh. The most successful landing pages take the viewer on a journey from pain point to solution, no matter if they’re completely new to the brand or if they’re returning to the site to compare with competitors.

It’s vital to invest time and effort into your site experience- to build a strong first impression following from your paid and organic marketing efforts. In this article, we’ll go through the most important things to remember as you embark on creating a high-converting landing page.

First up, what sections are vital to include on your landing page?

 

Hero section

The very first section on the page, complete with a memorable headline and eye-catching visuals to capture attention and interest. Show the product, either static or in use, and address the audience’s main pain point(s) in the headline.

 

 

Social proof section

Tied to the hero section (as seen in the above example), make sure the audience can see straightaway that your product can be trusted. This could be in the form of ratings, testimonials, publisher accreditations, or short-form quotes that relate to the audience. If you’ve got UGC of your product- create a gallery! A video speaks a thousand words when building the audience’s confidence.

 

‘Why’ section

This section gives your chance to pitch to your customers – why should they care about your product? What does it provide? What does it solve? What makes it different from any competitors? 

 

‘Shop’ section

Once your customers start to learn about your product and what others are saying about it, it’s time to give them a clear opportunity to buy. Outside the CTA buttons distributed across your page, this section allows you to collect up all the vital information about your product (what’s included, features, variations, price etc) plus further incentives to buy (trial periods, free shipping etc).

 

You might like to include multiple sections for each type, if there’s lots to educate on and you don’t wish to overload your page visitors. Just make each section unique and provide value of its own.

Now we’ve set out the key structure to follow, it’s time to share some website wisdom. Read on for the proven strategy to create a high-performing page that speaks to your audience.

 

1 – Lead with education

How to keep your audience engaged from start to finish, as soon as they cast their eyes on your site? Educate from the beginning- in the initial headline, tell them how your product can solve their problem, to ignite their curiosity. 

As they scroll through your page’s contents, you’ll take them on a journey from problem to solution, and why exactly this product would be valuable to them. You’ll educate them, engage them, and motivate them to buy- they’ll get value from you, and in return you’ll get a more likely sale.

 

2 – Build trust with social proof

Make sure you lead not just with your words, but the powerful words of your customers. Outside your main social proof section, there might be good opportunities further down the page to include a headlined quote, or a featured UGC review- anything that will further encourage visitors to progress to purchase.

 

3 – Give plenty of opportunities to convert

Think about audience experience at all times. Make CTA buttons feel natural to their reading experience – but subtly powerful in encouraging them to make a purchase. Ensure there’s always an opportunity to move to conversion in all stages of the scroll-  but ensure you hit that sweet spot between overly-persuasive selling and an absence of clear CTAs.

And- ensure the audience members that make it to the bottom of the page get a unique push, after absorbing all the value you’ve given them as they’ve scrolled the page. All things considered, what do they need to hear?

 

4 – Be creative with layout

Avoid your landing page looking text-heavy- keep your audience engaged by making your educational content easily digestible, via labelled images, infographics, swipeable sections, etc. Images are more memorable than text blocks- think how you can keep your product in your audience’s minds.

 

 

And that’s a wrap! Your introduction to creating high-flying landing pages that stand out from the rest. Your website is where it’s at; no matter how great your paid/organic marketing is, this is where your customers are convinced to purchase from you- so make it really count! 

The key buzzwords to remember here are: education, value, engagement and memorability. By striving for these, you’ll be able to impress customers and elevate your site to a whole new level. Don’t stay behind the curve- it’s time to get ahead 🚀

 

Want to boost your eCommerce results?

That’s where we come in. Get in touch now by booking a call with our expert team- we’re looking forward to seeing how we can help you!

No matter how good your paid marketing campaigns and flows are, if you have a poor-performing website, it will significantly hinder your sales and overall conversion rate. You should see your website as your store & being the most important place within the marketing funnel as this is where customers decide whether to purchase from your store or not.

 

In this blog post, we will highlight 5 key ways to optimise your website’s conversion rate – 

 

1) Improve User Experience: A user-friendly website that is easy to navigate and visually appealing can positively impact your conversion rate. Ensure your website is mobile responsive, loads quickly, and has clear calls to action. Mobile e-commerce sales in 2022 hit $415.93 billion and this number will keep getting bigger YoY- so having a website optimised for mobile is highly important.

2) Highlight Unique Value Proposition: Clearly communicate what sets your products or services apart from your competition. Highlight the benefits and unique features of your offerings to help build trust and credibility with potential customers. This needs to be communicated effectively in your brand’s TOV.

3) A/B Test: Regularly test different elements of your website, such as your call-to-action button or landing page design, to see what resonates with your target audience. Use data and analytics to inform future designs and optimisation decisions.

4) Personalise the Experience: Personalising the user experience can increase engagement and conversion rate. Use customer data to create a more personalised experience, such as product recommendations or personalised greetings.

5) Streamline the Checkout Process: Make the checkout process as simple and straightforward as possible. Minimise the number of steps, eliminate unnecessary form fields, and provide clear and concise payment and shipping options. Ensure the checkout process is secure to build trust with your customers 

In conclusion, by improving your website’s user experience, highlighting your unique value propositions, testing different elements of your website, personalising the user experience, streamlining the checkout process and adding a pop up to your landing page, you’ll be doing all the right things to boost your website’s conversion rate, ultimately leading to an increase in sales.

If you want to improve your sites performance, please book a call with us here

If you’re new to the world of paid media or running ads in general, all the terms and phrases that come with the process can be quite daunting at first glance (don’t worry we’ve been there!).

To help ease you into the world of digital advertising, check out our essential list of metrics you need to be paying attention to when running a campaign, what they do and why they matter.

 

Hard Reporting Metrics: Ads

 

• Click Through Rate – CTR:

CTR should be one of the first metrics you prioritise as it tells you how well an ad is performing, how well it engages customers and gets them onto the site.

• Frequency:

Simply this tells you if the audience is a good size and if the set-up of the campaign has been constructed correctly. These metrics go beyond basic cookie measurements to help you understand how many times people were shown your ad across different devices, formats, and networks.

• Cost Per Click – CPC:

CPC is going to inform you of the ads campaign’s performance. 

Top Tip: If the frequency is low but the CPC is high then it’s likely not a very engaging ad, so you should prioritise iterations or refresh creatives/copy to improve this.  

• Return on Ad Spend – ROAS:

When purchases start to come through this is the perfect time to be checking ROAS via Facebook Ad Manager or your preferred third-party platform. Your ROAS is a good indicator of your overall ad performance whereas, blended ROAS is an actual source of truth for your marketing efforts as a whole.

• Conversion Rate – CVR:

Once a consumer has clicked on your ad, it’s time for your site to do the rest! This is the ideal point to be checking your CVR to ensure everything is working smoothly from audience quality to purchases made. 

Tip: A low CVR can represent a poor-quality audience or that an error may have occurred on your site i.e incorrect landing pages or dead links. 

• Cost Per Acquisition – CPA/CAC:

Your CPA is a super simple metric, which can make a huge difference in your ongoing strategy. It shows how much it is costing you to get a single purchase and is great for collecting the right data when re-targeting customers and creating creative iterations. 

• Average Order Value – AOV:

This is a great metric to show how easy it will be to scale your campaigns. For example, If the AOV is really low you could try a bundle in the ad creative, show multiple products on the PDP or add an upsell CTA to the landing page. 

• Cost Per Thousand:

This metric is important to show the overall cost of your advertising, per one thousand advertisement impressions via your site or landing page.

 

Hard Reporting Metrics: Shop

 

• Marketing Efficiency Ratio – MER:

Your MER is the percentage of sales that have been spent on ads. And in this case, the lower the number, the better! This metric will give you a true reflection of the efficiency of your marketing efforts.

• New Customer CPA – nCPA:

This is an important metric to watch when looking to break down what part of the funnel you need to work on. The pulse of your brand’s advertising should always be reaching new customers and it’s important to keep a consistent flow coming in.

• New Customer ROAS – nROAS:

Going hand in hand with your nCPA, your nROAS shows sales from your new customers/ blended ad spend and is a great way to show if your new customer marketing efforts are delivering well.

 

Soft Reporting Metrics: Ads

 

• Thumb-Stop Ratio:

Simply put, your Thumb-Stop Ratio shows how well your thumbnails are performing when stopping people from scrolling on the platform. Without a good thumb-stop ratio you may find it hard to get people engaging with your creatives.

• Hold Rate:

Your Hold Rate answers the question of ‘How long is the audience watching the video for?’ – and again, helps when going forward with creative iterations. For example, could changing the transition or hook help increase your hold rate? 

Top tip: People don’t mind longer content, as long as it’s engaging! 

• Average Watch Time – AWT:

Alongside your Hold Rate, the AWT metric is a good indicator to show when people are dropping off or start scrolling past your content. For example, if the majority of your audience is scrolling after 6 seconds, what can we improve after that 6 seconds to make it more engaging? For example, do the clip transitions need to be quicker, or are there any unengaging clips that can be removed?

• Click Quality:

With your Click Quality, this will help identify the overall quality of your site speed/landing pages i.e if the bounce rate is higher than usual, are you appealing to the right audiences and is everything working cohesively for the customer experience? 

• First Time Impression Ratio:

Finally, the First Time Impression Ratio allows you to see what percentage of your audience is actually new. It gives a real picture of your audience and is vital when it comes to prospecting audiences.

 

 

And there you have it! That’s the complete rundown of our essential marketing metrics that you need to consider when approaching your brand’s advertising. 

If you’re looking to take your digital marketing strategy to the next level, get in touch with us today at [email protected] to find out more.

Let’s set the scene : you’ve got a product or service to promote to customers, and you’re communicating its value via your chosen marketing channels to reach new purchasers. But once your business is up and running, your existing customers will become your biggest asset.

It can cost up to 5 times more to acquire a new customer than retain an existing one. But it’s not just the all-important cost to consider here. It’s that intangible but insanely important concept known as brand loyalty. 

Increasing customer retention (ie generating loyal customers) by only 5% can increase your profits by 25-95%. And it’s 3 times more likely that an existing customer will purchase from you, compared to a new customer. Let that sink in.

 

 

Loyal customers will be your company’s lifeblood. They already know you, they already love what you sell, and they’re more likely to advocate for you to their family and friends. So it’s important to keep your relationship with them transactional – give them value back, engage with them, and they’ll more likely return to purchase again and again.

An important aspect of your marketing strategy should be relationship marketing. That is, strengthening your relationship with your customers via your marketing channels, from your social media content to email marketing. This involves considering and addressing their needs, pain points and interests as you move through the year – and providing content that will resonate with them, whether it’s entertaining, educational or inspirational. 

The end result? Increased brand loyalty. They’ll feel a connection to your business and the values you stand for – because you’ve blurred the lines of the business/customer relationship, instead cultivating a strong tie of shared values and trust. Your ‘brand’ won’t be seen as an impersonal name or service, but a giver of value, inspiration and confidence.

 

Why is brand loyalty important?

Once customers get to know you and like what they see, from a strong first impression at the first sale, their advocacy will grow. By delivering a consistent experience, with a TOV that connects with your customer base, from your marketing efforts to your customer service, your customers will more likely come back for more. 

 

 

If customers value what you provide, via consistent activity across your channels, they’ll be more likely to purchase again from you and tell others to give you a try. Think of it like a strong friendship of sorts- if you keep nurturing them, they’ll do the same for you. And your brand will have a considerable band of supporters behind it, strengthening your brand image.

Consider a brand you feel loyal to, and ask yourself why that’s the case. Do you identify with their values? Do you feel inspired, entertained, motivated by the content they create on socials? Did they provide infallible customer service, going above and beyond? 

There’s many ways to boost brand loyalty- and it can be a long game. There might be many competitors out there- how can you stand out, and go the extra mile, to surpass expectations? We’re here to help with that.

 

How to boost your relationship marketing, by channel

First of all, a key factor to consistently keep in your mind : your customers’ experience of your brand. It’s not what you think they’ll value, but giving attention to what works – eg what gets engagement on your socials, what prompts a positive review. Keep doing more of that as you grow your awareness of your customer base and what’s important to them.

 

Social media

This is most likely the most common touchpoint for your customers to stay up to date with your brand and engage with content you create. After you’ve chosen which channels best suit your audience, from Instagram and Pinterest, to Twitter and LinkedIn, it’s time to place ‘engagement rate’ on a pedestal. It’s not just how many followers you have, but whether people are engaging well with your content.

So give them plenty of opportunities to do just that. And keep it varied. From value-based infographics to educate them around their interest niche, to BTS content that they might find entertaining or relatable, figure out what your audience best responds to. What do they like, comment on, save?

Prompt communication by asking questions, creating polls- and reply to engagement in good time. Your followers will love to feel recognised and valued by you- and they’ll more likely come back for more.

 

Email marketing

With your email channel, you’re one step ahead. Your subscribers chose to sign up to receive updates and exclusive perks from you – all you need to do is nurture that relationship, and keep it consistent. Segment your audience according to their past activity (purchases, browsing history), and create campaigns that would resonate with them – and gently encourage them to purchase from you.

It’s also crucial to create email automations that communicate a message to your audience at significant times- such as when they abandon cart, or they haven’t purchased for a while. How can you get back in their radar in a personable way, without sounding ‘shouty’?

Ensure your subject lines are enticing to sustain a good open rate, and put time into create value content, delivered straight to their inbox. This could be a ‘how to’ article linked to a product you wish to push, or a blog feature designed to inspire.

 

Customer service

It’s important to ensure your customer service and marketing team are aligned, with shared goals for building customer loyalty. Whether by phone, email or live chat, your customers’ contact time with you should feel personalised to their individual needs and journey with your brand. Taking the time to log all customer details in a CRM system is a great way to offer a fully personalised experience, that will make your customers feel valued.

 

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As we’ve seen, a vital part of your marketing strategy should be catering to the relational aspect of customer relations, and making your brand feel like a dedicated allyship to existing customers. They’re often your company’s lifeblood, so make sure their relationship with you extends beyond their first checkout completion, and you’ll both enjoy the value of a win-win situation.

If you want to secure a marketing strategy that goes beyond the transactional, our expert team is here to help 🙌 Get in touch with us now to find out more.

Digital marketing is a constantly evolving field, and one of the most important aspects of a successful digital marketing campaign is the ability to iterate and test creatives. This is particularly true when it comes to Facebook advertising, as the platform is constantly updating its algorithms and features, and what works today may not work tomorrow.

Creative iterating is the process of testing and refining different elements of your ad, such as the hook, call-to-action (CTA), video or/and images. By experimenting with different variations of your ad, you can gain a much better insight and knowledge into what resonates with your audience and dramatically improve the performance of your campaign.

 

 

One of the key benefits to testing creative iterations is it allows you to fine tune and double down on what’s working with your creatives and what’s not. Testing more of what is working allows you to keep producing winning creatives. As we are currently living in a world of TikTok and video creatives – when testing iterations of videos it is good to look at metrics such as Thumb Stop, Hold Stop, CTR, Average Watch Time – to see when people are falling off and are engaged most when watching your content.

Another benefit of creative iterations is that they allow you to optimise your ad for different stages of the customer journey. For example, you may use different ad formats and messaging to target people who are aware of your brand, but haven’t yet made a purchase, compared to those who have already made a purchase and are now looking for repeat business with you. This same process can also be applied to different stages of the funnel.

 

 

Prioritising creative iterations also allows you to test different ad formats. Facebook offers a wide range of ad formats such as image ads, video ads, carousel ads, and more. Each format has its own strengths and weaknesses, and by testing different formats, you can determine which one works best for your campaign and audiences.

Testing can also help to optimise your targeting strategy. Facebook provides a wide range of targeting options, and it can be difficult to know which ones will be most effective for your campaign. By testing different targeting options, you can gain insights into which audience segments are most likely to convert and adjust your strategy accordingly.

But creative iterations and testing is not just limited to Facebook ads. It’s also crucial to test your landing pages and website as well. A/B testing of headlines, images, offers and calls-to-action on your website can help you optimise your conversion rate and increase the ROI of your overall digital marketing efforts.

 

 

In conclusion, creative iteration and testing are essential for a successful Facebook advertising campaign. By dynamically experimenting with different elements of creatives, ad formats, messaging, and targeting options, you can gain valuable insights into what resonates with your audience and optimise your campaigns for the best possible results. 

It’s important to remember that digital marketing is a constantly evolving field and what worked yesterday may not work today, so it’s essential to always be testing and iterating to stay ahead of the game.

 

If you need help implementing and sustaining a dynamic creative testing strategy – that’s where we come in. Find out more about our digital marketing services here – or book a strategy call with our team here.

And just like that, 2023 is officially here! Traditional digital marketing has undergone a huge shift in the last two years, therefore many brands have had to accommodate new experimental ways of advertising. 

Just like fashion, marketing trends come and go; so it is essential that as a brand owner, you should plan your yearly marketing strategy around this fast-paced industry to guarantee your relevancy and stay ahead of the curve. 

Keep reading to discover our top 5 marketing tips to help you stay on track for everything to come this new year…

 

1. UGC & Influencer marketing

It goes without saying that UGC and video-based content remain the top dog in the world of digital marketing. Thanks to the popularity of TikTok, consumers are more likely to try a product or service if they see a ‘real person’ recommending it. 

As of 2022, 93% of marketing professionals use influencer marketing as an effective way to: 

• Reach new audiences 
• Increase brand awareness 
• Build trust 
• Drive conversions 
• Connect to wider audiences 

This new year, take extra time to learn and experiment with UGC influencer marketing in your ad campaigns, you never know the audiences you could reach!

 

2. Iterations, iterations, iterations! 

We’re all guilty of it, throwing anything at a wall to see what sticks. Let’s put an end to that this new year…

Probably one of our favourite tips on this list, make sure to prioritise iterations with all your creative content, whether that’s ad creatives or copy (based on data of simply what’s working, and what’s not working). 

Not only is this a time-saving and cost-effective way of working, but it is also the most efficient way of seeing first-hand what is working best for your audience and what your audiences want to see from you. 

“The intent with iterations is to get closer to the final product with each test. Each time you test, you make minor changes based on the feedback from the audience. When you test and learn quickly from a marketing campaign, you save time from extensive planning on an idea that may not even speak to your audience.” (cprime.com)

Remember, the quicker you test the more you will learn and this will ultimately lead to top-tier creatives that will hopefully resonate with your audiences, as well as make the creative direction clearer going forward!

 

3. Lean into learning new tools

2023 is not the time to be a one-trick pony! Take time to learn up-and-coming tools and techniques, so you’re always prepped for what’s to come. 

Whether it’s just watching a few online tutorials or even attending a full-length course, developing your skills will be hugely beneficial to your long-term success this new year, and will prove to your audience (and competitors…) that you’re paying attention to trends and staying ahead of the game. 

We recommend dedicating at least one hour a week (minimum) to learning a new skill via the following: 

• Youtube tutorials
• Paid online courses 
• Books 
• Podcasts 

A successful marketer is always learning and staying aware of technological/social changes to be at the top of their game – by staying disciplined, you can ensure that’s you!

 

4. Take time to build your brand’s reputation and social responsibility 

Basic advertising practices don’t cut it anymore with the average consumer. With such a huge  pool of similar brands, it can be hard to stick out amongst your competitors. With that in mind, 66% of consumers are willing to consider a brand (and pay more) when said brand demonstrates social commitment. 

Make a point to highlight social responsibility efforts via marketing campaigns 

• Promoting environmentally friendly packaging 
• Promotions that spread awareness of social issues 
• Directing a portion of profit to charity/important causes you believe in

 

5. Consider new targeting solutions 

With Google set to phase out third-party cookies by the end of 2023, that could leave many brands in a sticky situation if not well prepared… 

Cookies play a huge role in target marketing by tracking a user’s behaviour, therefore this removal may have a big impact on delivering a customised experience and could drastically affect your future campaigns. 

In order to keep things running smoothly, we recommend experimenting with different forms of targeting solutions throughout the year (eg email marketing data), and to overall dedicate a good portion of time to understanding what’s on the horizon for the initial removal of third-party cookies, so you can accommodate your late 2023-2024 marketing strategy accordingly.

 

And that’s a wrap! If you need that extra push to make 2023 the best year for your brand’s digital marketing presence, or perhaps need some further advice on the big changes and trends that are due to come, feel free to get in touch with our expert team of social media marketers.

 

Socials need sprucing up? We’ve got you covered.

In this week’s article, we’re covering all things social media – so you can start 2023 off strong on your socials. There’s nothing worse than having creator’s block – so here’s 3 ideas to try if you’re struggling for content ideas and want to vary things up.

 

 

Shareable Content

Result: Reach new followers, boost engagement rate.

 

Whether you’re showing off new products or participating in trends, a great way to build up your social following and present yourself as a valuable presence is with shareable content.

In other words, this is content that your followers perceive as either valuable, entertaining or relatable – and might just share with their own followers. It’s a great way to widen your reach and get your name out there.

You could create educational carousel posts and encourage your followers to save for later (boosting engagement rate and appeasing that enigmatic Instagram algorithm). They’re a great way to communicate lots of informative content in an easily digestible way- and your followers might just reshare them if they appeal to their pain points, needs and interests.

 

 

Or – how about creating ‘memes’, made using popular culture imagery and given relatable taglines to appeal to your audience demographic. Countless accounts are turning to ‘memeworthy’ content to entertain their followers – it’s a sure-fire way to stay consistent, keep your feed interesting and present yourself as ‘on trend’ and up-to-date.

 

 

 

Reach out with Reels

Result: Boost follower count, reach new followers.

 

There’s no denying that Reels have taken the Instagram world by storm. If you wish to grow your following and curate a dynamic feed, Reels are the way to go.

The average Instagram user is more likely to spend their time scrolling through Reels selected for them by the algorithm, rather than their suggested posts. They like the dynamism and entertainment factor of videos – so Reels are the best way to reach new audiences.

Consider how you can utilise reels to prompt a follow – you could introduce your account/brand and tell your story, you could give a preview/summary of the kind of content you share, or participate in trends to appeal to your demographic.

 

 

It might seem like an overwhelming realm to venture into – but it’s worth the investment of your time if you wish to boost your following and keep up with the shift to video-based content. By creating high quality reels and keeping things consistent each week, there’s great potential to take your socials to the next level – and increase trust in your brand.

You don’t have to be a video-editing expert to excel on Reels. They can be up to 60 seconds long – but often, short-form Reels tend to perform the best. It’s all about getting viewers to the end of the video, telling the algorithm that it’s valuable content to be pushed to further accounts.

 

 

How to get started? First set out your vision, planning the clips you’ll capture, then edit them together (which can be done within the Instagram app) and add an engaging track- and text overlay to tell your audience straightaway what the Reel is about. 

Keep things punchy and fast-paced to sustain your audience’s attention and peak their interest – social media prompts a slow attention span, so if clips feel so slow, your potential followers will simply scroll past. 

Avoid this by thinking about what will keep viewers engaged – perhaps an informative caption, a scroll-stopping headline, or a question/situation that appeals to their interests and lifestyle.

Want to begin your Reels journey? Check out this useful article from Later on all things Reels.

 

Brand culture

Result: Boost follower loyalty and trust, give strong first impression on your feed.

 

To build loyalty in your brand on socials, it’s vital to split your content between subtle sales and brand culture. Sharing who you are will strengthen your followers’ relationship with you and they’ll be more likely to stick around for the long term, interested to re-convert when you do share new product releases.

Under the umbrella of brand culture, you could share ‘behind the scenes’ content, fun information about yourself/your team (the appearance of real-life humans and faces will be of particular help in building that trust!), and updates on what you’re getting up to.

 

 

Consistent activity like this is so important for your brand building on socials, to boost followers’ invested in your vision. Plus, when potential followers visit your feed and don’t feel too pushed to convert from the outset, and instead are introduced to your brand in an approachable way – they’re more likely to press that ‘follow’ button.

 

All in all, incorporating these varying content types in your social media strategy will vary up your feed and greatly appeal to the 2022 (and 2023!) Instagram user. There’s a whole host of growth opportunities out there – it’s time to harness your creative side and keep your followers coming back for more.

Let’s get it in 2023 💪

 

Psst.. 💭  If you need dedicated help to give your socials a boost, get in touch with our expert team of social media marketers – we can help you achieve the results you’re looking for (whether you’re a Instagram novice or need a specialist to work with). Find out more about our services here.

Q4 is officially in full swing! And a new quarter calls for some big changes for our favourite social media platforms. Check out November’s breakdown and what to expect this December, in this month’s instalment of Social Media Updates.

 

Twitter

Let’s begin by addressing the elephant in the room, Twitter. It truly feels like everything has gone from 0-100 since Telsa CEO Elon Musk took over the platform in October 2022. And in just less than a month, the app has seen a lot of huge changes both internally and externally…

Musk’s controversial updates have driven numerous media giants into pulling out of advertising via Twitter, due to the introduction of ‘Twitter Blue’, whereby any account (a public figure or not) could have their accounts verified for just $8 a month, what’s the worst that could happen?

And surprise, surprise, a huge uproar in “parody” accounts impersonating and trolling users completely took over the app. This uproar in toxic content spooked the likes of advertisers, out of fear of their brand being linked to hate speech and misinformation…something that Ex-Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey worked to tackle. 

The icing on the cake was Musk’s decision to reinstate the accounts of controversial figures such as Donald Trump and Kanye West, who were initially removed for committing hate speech on the platform, angering many long-term Twitter users who have “lost faith” in the platform’s morals. 

The future of the platform seems to be up in the air, with the hashtag #RIPTWITTER going viral due to the rumours of the app potentially closing down in relation to Musk’s handling of the platform. But right now, only time will tell what’s next in store for Twitter…

 

Facebook/Meta

With the festive season approaching, social media usage is at an all-time high across all different age ranges. To tackle the potential of younger users interacting with harmful content or accounts, Meta has implemented stricter privacy controls for any user who are age 16 or younger. 

This update includes restricting who can see your friend list and pages you like, hiding any posts you have been tagged in, and restricting non-connections from commenting on public posts. 

Although users can revert these updates if they choose to, establishing this update as ‘the norm’ could be really effective in keeping younger users safe online.

 

Instagram

It’s official! Instagram has rolled out its new in-app scheduling feature. With this new update, any professional account is able to pre-plan Reels, Photos and Carousels for up to 75 days. 

Depending on which platforms you post on regularly, this update could compete with scheduling apps such as Loomly, Hootsuite and Buffer…

Will you be taking your Instagram scheduling in-app or are you sticking with your preferred scheduling platform? Let us know!

 

TikTok

If you’re big on Tiktok Advertising, this is the update you’ve been waiting for…

The video-based platform has added a very insightful update to its ad manager, which enables you to gain access to specific audience information such as a user’s personal interests, app usage, gender splits and more! 

This update could be a game changer for advertisers as you will be able to perfectly refine your content to appeal to the correct audience, no matter the niche. 

“Audience Insights can help you discover new audiences beyond those that you traditionally target. If any surprising or unexpected interest categories appear, you can try targeting these interest categories to see how they perform. For example, the data may show that the beauty advertiser’s audience is also interested in apparel and accessories, or in-app games. The advertiser may then consider targeting these interests to find new ways to scale.” – Tiktok 

The update has been live since November 16th and is worth checking out! So if you start seeing ‘spookily accurate’ TikTok advertising during this next quarter, don’t be surprised!

 

And there you have it! What are your thoughts on these latest features and updates? 

Here at Social Nucleus, we have an expert team of dedicated Account Managers and creative executives who thrive in making your business’s social media presence as successful as possible, no matter the platform. Book a call with us today 🚀