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Ace your Black Friday Facebook Ad campaigns

Want to start prepping for Black Friday, but unsure where to start or what’s best to focus on? 

 

As we all know, Black Friday is the biggest time of the year for businesses and with this comes a lot of prepping and strategic planning to get the most out of it. In this article we will help clear up a few important focusses pre-Black Friday.

 

Pre Black Friday build up – Building up your traffic

 

Black Friday sales and traffic won’t appear out of nowhere, which is why building up your re-engagement and retargeting audiences is so important pre-Black Friday (the earlier you start, the better). 

 

These specific audiences are already warmed up to your brand and products, therefore come Black Friday when presented with your best promotions these specific audiences are much more likely to convert, in comparison to an audience that has never seen your products before. 

So, what are re-engagement and retargeting audiences?

 

Re-engagement audiences are people who interacted with your brand through watching or engaging with your brand’s social media content, profiles or ads, but haven’t visited your site. 

 

Retargeting audiences are people who have visited/interacted with your website. 

 

In addition to these audiences, you should also be building an email list. This can be done by offering your website visitors a newsletter, ebook, webinar, discount or something else of value in exchange for their email address.

 

An email list is another excellent way to present your Black Friday promotions to customers who are engaged with your brand, making them a warm prospect for conversion. This is also a different approach, as some potential customers may be more receptive with email marketing compared to Facebook advertising.

 

Know who to target during Black Friday

 

After building up your traffic before Black Friday, you may be thinking ‘who should see my ads on Black Friday itself?’ As mentioned above we recommend running ads prior to building up warm audiences to retarget, however there is more. 

 

Alongside this, it’s a good idea to optimise Facebook’s lookalike audiences, which, in short, takes data from Facebook to create the best possible audiences you are trying to create. For example you can create a lookalike audience for:

 

– Your buyers from the previous Black Friday

– Purchasers from the last 30, 60, 90 or 180 days

– Ad engagers

– Social media engagement from the last 30, 60, 90 or 180 days

– Website visitors from the last 30, 60, 90 or 180 days

Facebook will then take existing data from customers who have taken the action you want, in order to find more people who may be similar to them, based on Facebook data. 

 

To further optimise your audiences, you could narrow down these lookalike audiences with interests (depending how big your lookalike audiences are). For example if you were selling running trainers and wanted to build out a lookalike audience of people who have visited your website in the last 180 days, you may want to add an additional audience of people who are interested in ‘running’ or ‘Nike’ (or another running/fitness brand). We would usually only recommend adding one additional audience so that you can work out which interest/audience is performing best and why. If you add to many additional interests you will struggle to narrow down which is working.

Additionally you could also use the existing results you have from the ads you’ve run prior to Black Friday to determine which ads to run over the upcoming Black Friday weekend. If they’ve been profitable, you may wish to increase the budgets for this specific time to get the best results.

 

Make your creatives stand out

 

When data is scarce, time is limited and cost for ads are high, your creatives will be your best shot at efficiently converting your audiences on Black Friday. 

 

Your creatives don’t just act as the main scroll stopper- they’re a way of telling your brand’s story and the way of visualising the solution you can provide to your customers. Promoting how your brand solves your customers’ problems instead of being solely product focussed is a good way to attract them.

During Black Friday, you’ll be competing with other brands for attention, so you want to stand out by being the best solution people are looking for. Just remember: be clear, get to the point fast, and offer your Black Friday deals.

Aside from painting your brand as the solution, it will also help to inform consumers about free shipping, discounts, and any other promotions you are running. So make sure your free shipping offers and discounts are visible to make your products more attractive at first glance.

Creatives aren’t all about crystal clear images, they’re about the message they deliver to people.

 

Reform your formats

 

During the build up to Black Friday is the perfect time to test & reform your formats &  come up with creative ways to get potential customers’ attention. When it comes to ad formats, you can experiment and test new, scroll-stopping ads. If you have always stuck to using single images as your Facebook ads, it may be time to experiment with other methods.

 

– Video ads: Did you know 85% of social media users want to see more video content from brands? That’s no wonder, especially when you look at the drastic rise of TikTok, it’s not hard to see the way social media consumers are preferring to see their content and this is the same when it comes to advertising to, as we want our creatives to fit right in with the customers feed.

 

– Carousel ads: Allow you to have multiple images per ad, allowing you to showcase more products and/or go into further detail about the products you are selling, while expressing your brand across multiple images. 

 

– Dynamic Product Ads: These particular ads allow you to show your desired website visitors the exact products they viewed or added to cart. Therefore this particular ad can be a reminder for those warmer audiences who have shown interest but haven’t quite purchased yet.

 

Tip: Every format and placement has its size and design requirements, so make sure your ads comply with these & also double check the ads are formatted correctly before publishing.

We hope this helps you kickstart your Black Friday marketing strategy and preparation before the big day! 

However, if you still feel a bit lost or you think you need additional help with Black Friday advertising this year then you are in the right place! 

Our team of marketing experts have experienced many Black Fridays and understand what’s needed to have the most successful Black Friday possible.

Book a call with us today and lets help skyrocket your Black Friday! 🚀

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How to Create Email Campaigns that Convert (A Beginner’s Guide)

Want to start creating engaging email campaigns, but not sure where to start? You’ve come to the right place 🙌

In this article, we’ll show you how to create email campaigns that stand out in your audience’s inboxes – and ultimately, get clicks and conversions.

In the run up to Black Friday, email marketing is an important channel to be investing time in to elevate your sales.

No matter the email marketing platform you use, professionally-created email campaigns are a great way to creatively advertise your products with an audience that’s already invested in your business, and nurture strong customer relationships with a clear brand identity.

 

How can you ensure your emails stand out from the rest?

 

Building a strong campaign

So, what are the key elements you need to be paying attention to?

 

1. Subject line (/preview line)

This is the first thing your audience will see from your campaign, and it’s vital you ensure it entices your audience to click on the email and view it- so make it count!

 

Here’s some examples of email subject lines – which ones stand out from the rest?

 

Consider what would attract your audience’s attention as they scroll through their inbox and see your brand’s email. Have you got any promotions running? If so, include how much your products currently cost (for a limited time only!), or how much they could save.

Alternatively, use a powerful CTA to compel your audience to click – this could evoke a sense of ‘fear of missing out’ if they don’t click, eg:

Subject lines that create a sudden surge of interest, but don’t disclose all information unless the recipient clicks to read it, is a great way to raise your open rate.

The use of emoji is up to you and your brand guidelines – but if you’re going to use them, stick to one or two. Their bright colours often help to direct the eyes to your subject line, over other emails in the inbox.

 

2. Copy

Your email’s copy is the perfect place to communicate your brand’s personality and encourage conversions in a creative way.

Keep copy punchy and easy to read, to communicate your message in an engaging way. 

 

An example of simple, punchy copy from H&M’s email marketing – smoothly leading to a CTA.

 

Bear in mind that most recipients will be checking their inboxes on their phones – ensure you get to the point in a few lines to sustain their interest.

Draw attention to any offers or discounts with bold text that the audience will see in an instant. 

Include link buttons with CTAs to take them to relevant product page- these can appear more than once if your email is longer, to ensure your audience always has an opportunity to click and visit your site.

 

3. Imagery and graphics

Great, memorable emails include attractive graphics with eye-catching headlines, that show off featured products in their best light. 

 

Even just a simple image and headline, like Schuh’s here, is a great way to communicate your brand identity and create an engaging send.

 

Aim to keep your recipients scrolling through your email without getting disengaged and clicking away. This might mean summing up copy in an easily-digestible infographic if you wish to communicate more information (eg a list of USPs).

Your audiences are unlikely to stick around and read large chunks of text. Break them up with professional imagery, text-based graphics and links, to keep your campaign engaging.

If you’ve got a larger product offering, it might be worth creating a product catalogue at the end of each send – so recipients can easily see your new/bestselling product lines. 

 

Here’s an example of a simple product catalogue by Monki, which allows recipients to browse a portion of the product offering before clicking to view the site.

 

To make your sends more dynamic, consider creating GIFs that flicks between images, or simple animated graphics featuring moving objects. 

These may take more time to create, but they could be a great way to elevate your campaigns and engage your audience.

 

Now we’ve gone through the essential elements you need for a good campaign – how can you get started on your email planning?

 

It’s definitely advisable to plan your email calendar in advance- for example, planning the month ahead each month, or even the next few months.

 

Campaign planning

Now Black Friday’s coming up, it’s more important than ever to plan ahead to achieve a higher volume of sales. Email marketing is one key factor in the effort to engage customers and boost your conversions.

Decide how many campaigns you’d like to send out each week, and what you’ll include in each of them. If you’re building a business, we’d suggest at least 2 a week to gain an inbox presence. 

 

As part of the planning process, visualise what you want your emails’ layouts to look like, and what content you’d like to include.

 

We’d advise splitting your sends between sales-focussed campaigns and community-building campaigns. 

With the latter, prepare short blog-style articles that would interest your audience – whether that’s telling your brand story, discussing a subject of interest to your niche, or giving product-based advice. 

This is a great way to add value to your subscribers’ experience with your brand – making them more likely to purchase from you down the line.

For the remainder of your sends, focus on your products’ USPs (unique selling points) and features, and utilise persuasive, creative language to drive clicks and conversions on your site.

 

But when should you send emails for the highest click and conversion rates? Let’s find out…

 

 

Optimising your campaigns

By scheduling sends in advance, you can ensure you send out emails when your audience is most likely to open them, and buy from you. 

Consider your target audience’s lifestyles and habits – when are they going to be checking their inboxes, their phones, or working on their laptop? 

Target their lunch break, commute and after-work leisure time during the working week. Evenings are a particularly golden time for online purchases; your audience is often scrolling through their phone and catching up with their notifications after a busy day. 

 

 

With blog-style campaigns, consider when recipients will more likely commit to reading your content. Perhaps steer clear from later on in the evening, to avoid tired brains that don’t wish to commit to a longer read!

As you begin sending out campaigns, you can start paying attention to the analytics- when are more customers opening, clicking, converting from your campaigns? 

Send campaigns again at high-performing times for your audience, and test new times to see what the stats are like. 

 

Keep an eye on your CVR (conversation rate), open rate, click rate and recipient activity (What are they clicking on? What are they responding well to?)

 

 

We hope this helps as you begin your email marketing journey! 💪

 

However, if you’re needing expert help to get your email campaigns off the ground, you’ve come to the right place 🙌

Our team of marketing experts know their way around the entire process of making a high performing send, no matter the platform. 

We can help elevate your email content calendar to the next level, engaging your audiences and driving your sales.

 

Book a call in with us now, to discuss your strategy and goals – so we can get cracking on your content calendar ready for Black Friday 🚀

You’ll also be able to find out more about the other marketing services we offer, and how we could be the perfect growth partner for your brand. 

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Social Media Updates – September 2022

With Summer soon coming to a close, you’ll have likely seen both minor and subtle updates to your favourite social media apps, as the developers prepare for Q4. 

Check out this month’s breakdown of what happened in August and what to expect in the month of September on all relevant social media platforms. 

Instagram 

Instagram has taken a step back from its numerous controversial updates and seems to be working on more back-end-related features that improve the app’s overall safety. 

This was initially seen in an update which allowed users to block message requests from accounts they do not follow, as well as the feature which launched in 2021 whereby you could ‘restrict’ a certain user rather than blocking them overall.

How to Stay Safe and Secure on Instagram | PCMag

This improvement in user safety is now being seen in their latest update, whereby all accounts under the age of 16 will automatically be put in a ‘restrictive exposure category’ – unless changed manually in settings. 

Instagram’s reasoning behind this update is simply to limit any under 16’s exposure to potentially harmful content – after Meta’s own internal reportage published that Instagram can have (and is having) a detrimental effect on the mental health of many teens.

Snapchat 

If you checked out one of our latest blogs – 5 Up & Coming Social Media Platforms – you will be familiar with the app BeReal, which has officially risen to 10 million users as of August 2022! 

In the year whereby many apps have been accused of taking “heavy inspiration” from a certain popular video app…we are seeing this once again with Snapchat (and no we’re not talking about their ‘Spotlight’ feature).

Be a Part of Every Moment With Snapchat's Dual Camera! - Snap Newsroom

Snapchat has launched its Dual camera option, which has been outlined as “With Dual Camera, Snapchatters can create content using their front and back-facing cameras simultaneously.” 

Although the feature is clearly inspired by the popularity of BeReal (which many have described as “the new Snapchat”) Snapchat have made it clear that this will not be accompanied by a timer notification, and is free to use at any time like other Snapchat features.

Tiktok

With the new school year quickly approaching, Tiktok has launched a new cyber safety awareness campaign, in an attempt to educate young people about the potential dangers of online interactions. 

This campaign includes partnerships with GCA to develop an ‘interactive Cyber Security Toolkit’, as well as a one-page overview of how people can improve their online safety.

TikTok Cyber Safety program

With this in mind, Tiktok has also revealed that it will be raising awareness for cybersecurity jobs – and in particular, the need for more diverse representation in cybersecurity. 

Twitter 

Twitter is currently testing a new format for publishing links through tweets, calling it “Tweet Tiles”.  The tiles show a larger image with a more detailed description and a prominent CTA to increase Twitter’s overall link clicks. 

Twitter Is Testing Out Some Exciting New Features Including Tweet Tiles And  New Link Preview Designs / Digital Information World

As explained by Twitter:

“Right now, people on iOS and web may see and interact with Tweet Tiles that include text, images, videos, or other elements like a button from people in the initial test group. These formats are designed to easily engage with content and make your timeline more dynamic and visual.”

This update could be hugely beneficial to marketers, as it allows you to stand out on a users fast-moving feed, increasing the likelihood of higher engagement and overall CTR.

 

And that’s a wrap! 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 🚀

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How to Market your Way to Black Friday Success

It might seem like a long way off, but Black Friday is fast approaching. It’s a date that you, as a brand owner, need to be paying attention to, right now. 

Black Friday is on Friday 25th November this year, and it’s one of the most important dates in your marketing calendar. 

By planning ahead with your marketing efforts, you’ll make sure you’re fully prepped to get your products/services out there, generate hype around your offering and spur the Black Friday shopper to buy from you.

 

Planning ahead is key to succeed on Black Friday

 

Up the awareness

In the months leading up to Black Friday, it’s crucial to build awareness in your brand and product offering. This first step of the customer journey is where an exciting customer journey begins.

Many potential customers won’t be ready to buy when they first encounter your brand – but you can make sure they’re set on purchasing from you when Black Friday rolls around.

 

 

Utilise your social media channels and content marketing to build that awareness and put your brand out there. Create engaging content featuring your products, communicate their USPs and features to stem the desire to buy from you.

You want customers to add your product to their wishlists, and communicating your brand personality and story helps to cultivate a stronger customer relationship. Relate to your target audience and their pain points to connect with them.

Make sure you prioritise Reels if you’re on Instagram – the platform has been further favouring video content over still imagery – so come up with creative ways to showcase your products in video format. 

Reels = bigger reach – and that’s what you need to build your brand awareness.

 

Get noticed on Instagram with Reels – right now, it’s the best way to reach your audience and find new followers

 

It’s also worth investing in paid social media ads to get your brand onto your audience’s social media feeds – this can include boosting organic content to reach a wider audience.

 

Boost your sales

When the all-important date rolls around, you want to make sure your site is fully optimised for maximum sales, and all your media channels are pushing customers onto your site.

Offer exclusive discounts with your email marketing, scheduling sends in advance in the lead up to Black Friday, with persuasive copy that builds hype and generates an urgency to buy from you. 

In the week before Black Friday and on the day, ensure you stand out in inboxes with eye-catching subject lines that include your discounts.

 

Think about how your emails can stand out in an inbox – what will create interest and prompt an open?

 

It’s also worth investing in paid Google Search ads, no matter your budget (PPC ads). Bid on relevant keywords so you’ll appear in your target audience’s search results. Make sure you boost those site clicks on the day your audience is more ready than ever to buy.

Now let’s consider their experience once they reach your site on Black Friday. We recommend investing time in site maintenance, ready for your influx of customers.

When customers arrive on your website, you want to ensure their journey to complete checkout is as clear and smooth as possible. Make sure your site is easily navigable, with engaging copy that persuades them to add to cart. 

Optimise your site speed to avoid slow-loading webpages dissuading impatient customers to go elsewhere. Use sites like www.seoptimer.com  to gain valuable insights in your site performance, and where you could improve.

 

Is your site fully optimised to take your customer through to checkout in the smoothest way possible?

 

Considering site content, update your product descriptions – make them punchy, so the customer quickly accesses the key information they need before they buy. Think bullet points, short phrases and broken-down sections.

Get ready to add statements that generate a sense of urgency on Black Friday, eg ‘Selling Out Fast!’ Your customers won’t want to miss out on products that look popular and seem limited in stock.

Another way to tap into the customer’s sense of urgency is to build a countdown timer on your landing page – which can repeat on webpage banners.

 

Think about how your product page can best push a customer to add to cart and purchase.

 

Phew- there’s a lot to do to secure your highest performing Black Friday yet.

Feeling overwhelmed? We can help. We’re well-versed in Black Friday preparation – and we’re ready to scale up your marketing efforts, ready for the big day.

From paid social media ads to content creation to SEO optimisation, we’re your growth partner with rich experience in helping brands soar to new heights. 

And the run-up to Black Friday couldn’t be a better time to enlist our help.

Give us a call now to discuss your goals- and see how we can help you achieve Black Friday success 🚀

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5 Up & Coming Social Media Platforms

Not even 5 years ago we would not have been able to imagine more prominent social media platforms than Facebook, Twitter & Instagram – and then came along Tiktok which changed the trajectory of social media for the foreseeable future. 

Every single one of our favourite social platforms had to start somewhere before becoming the essential apps we know them as today – with the rise of niche versions of the platforms becoming more popular as the years go on – and as business owners know, getting ahead of the trends could be crucial for the growth of your brand. 

In this week’s blog post, we will be breaking down 5 up & coming social media platforms. 

Bereal 

Launched in 2020, Bereal has made quite the name for itself in recent months, with the app’s main notification feature becoming a viral meme – which we have been finding hilarious. 

BeReal Is Going Viral, So We Created 19 Celeb BeReals That We Personally Think Are 100% Accurate

BeReal features a daily notification, at any time in the day which then gives you a 2-minute countdown to capture your ‘unedited’ face & surroundings – The app has been praised by its users for taking social media back to its authentic roots, in a world where we feel socially obligated to share only the highlights & polished versions of our lives – BeReal encourages you to simply: be real. 

Social media app BeReal: College students love it - Protocol

However, unfortunately, due to the app’s emphasis on being ‘the only real social media platform,’ it does not currently prohibit advertising for business’ – but many have used it in an interesting way to authentically connect with their audiences.

trident gum on Twitter: "made gum together might as well BeReal together https://t.co/l3nZ4UfZLn" / Twitter

BopDrop 

‘The Community for music lovers’ – BopDrop is a music-based social media platform which launched in 2020 but has gained notable popularity in 2022. The app expands on the likes of Spotify & Apple Music by combining an engaging user experience and allowing you to discover new music based on the users you follow.

For streamlined music sharing, try bopdrop

It functions similar to Instagram in regards to the interface & discoverability system – making it easier than ever for users to explore new music & independent artists reaching a wider audience. 

SuperNova

Branded as ‘The Social Network that gives back’, Supernova claims to be the ethical alternative to Facebook & Instagram – with the majority of ad revenue going to charity. To accompany this ethical take on social media, SuperNova currently only uses human moderators to combat trolling & hate speech, which is a prevalent issue on competitor platforms.

Supernova, the 'ethical' social network arrives

Although the ad revenue situation may deter some brands from advertising on the app, this would be the ideal occasion to reach a new audience as well as, give your brand a positive reputation for businesses looking to give back to charity.

Polywork

On the more professional end of the scale, Polywork is a social media platform similar to the likes of Linkedin – without solely relying on the ‘likes’ & ‘connection’ and aims to show that people are more than simply the roles they hold.

Polywork Reviews - 2022

Essentially, Polywork takes a more relaxed approach to its competitor, being the social media equivalent of “smart-casual”. You can discuss potential collaborations & simply just things that bring you joy in the workplace – which if this fits your business’s branding, maybe the perfect alternative to represent yourself professionally online.

Locket

Finally, the most unique contender on this list: Locket turns your home screen widgets into a social media platform – allowing users to share live photos with their friends, similar to the likes of Snapchat & Bereal but on a more personal level. 

Locket' is a viral new app that lets friends share photos straight to your iPhone Home Screen - 9to5Mac

From an advertising perspective, similar to Bereal this opens the door for allowing your brand to think outside the box & have fun with marketing ideas using the widget space.

 

The world of Social Media will forever be an interesting place to be, with every niche or hobby slowly being transformed into a platform where others then connect & share what they love. Who knows, maybe we will soon see Tiktok de-throned in the next coming years by an unexpected contestant!

If you need assistance growing organically on any relevant social platform, We’re a team of digital marketing experts ready to help you take your brand to the next level – book a call with us now to discuss your strategy and goals 🚀

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5 Ways to Get Your Ads Noticed on Facebook

If you’re creating paid Facebook ads or planning to test on the platform, it’s crucial to ensure your ads will succeed in capturing the attention of your audience.

Picture this – your target audience is scrolling through Facebook and browsing their feed. Your ads need to stand out – so eye-catching creatives and copy are the way to go.

To use the platform to your advantage, it’s important to always consider this audience and how you can quickly gain their attention as they scroll.

We’ve pulled together 5 ways to make sure your ads are more likely to deliver on clicks and conversions on Facebook :

 

1- Use attention-grabbing creatives

Depending on your brand image and style, prepare graphics that showcase your products in the best light possible.

Create graphics that are engaging to look at, pull in attention and quickly give your audience all the key information they need to know. That might be USPS, product features or ratings.

Whether it’s raw imagery or lifestyle imagery, your ad creatives should convey your brand personality and grow your audience’s interest. 

Just be sure to avoid adding too much text – ‘busy’ graphics can cause information overload and prompt Facebook users to keep on scrolling past.

Keep things simple- your audience can find out more about your product offering on your site.

 

2- Craft up short headlines

A great way to communicate your brand identity and assert your product as a key market contender, as well as pause a Facebook user’s scroll, is to include an eye-catching headline within your graphic.

These could be a short phrase about a featured product/collection or a punchy customer review that creates a strong first impression. 

Consider the reading experience here if there’s more than one section of text overlay. The viewer is more likely to begin at the top left and work across/down, so make sure they read the most important message first.

 

3- Test short, punchy captions

Captions appear above your ad creative on Facebook – but it’s likely your audience will view your eye-catching creative first.

Your caption provides further, and sometimes more detailed, information about your range, or a bestselling/new product featured in your ad. 

It’s tempting to give your audience everything they need to know here – but it’s best to be selective. Communicate those key USPs/features, describe your product in a sentence or two- then entice the audience to visit the site to find out more/make a purchase.

Don’t write a lengthy paragraph for your caption – on first impression, these are rather overwhelming sights. Consider the experience of your audience and keep captions punchy and easily digestible. 

Whether you break captions down into many lines or stick to one short section, they’re more likely to be read if they seem easy to read on first glance.

 

4- Add emoji in captions

If including a few emoji would match your brand identity and the personality you wish to convey in ads, then this is a great practice for drawing eyes to your captions. 

Emoji are colourful, expressive and can communicate key messages in one simple image. Whether you prefer facial expressions, objects or emoji that encourage actions (like arrows, shopping carts or timers), add a few to your captions to aid the reading experience.

Just be careful not to overdo it – more than 3 or 4 different emoji can make your ads appear ‘shouty’ and communicate the wrong message. 

Emoji like 🔥, ⚡️, 👀 and 💥 are popular choices for attracting attention and building hype, as are expressions like 😍, 🤩 and 😱. 

Alternatively, choose emoji that tie in with your product offering and represent your brand identity. For example, if you’re selling natural produce, using emoji like 🌿, 🌱 and 💚 can communicate this characteristic in an instant.

 

5- Try video content

We’re seeing the growing use of video content on Facebook ads, as a more dynamic option than imagery. This could be a short animated GIF, or TikTok-style UGC showing your product in use.

With video content, you’re able to communicate more about your product offering without overwhelming your audience. With shorter attention spans, your audience will often respond well to video content that shows your brand personality.

Why not vary up your content in ad testing with video and imagery?

 

If you’re needing some assistance with implementing and testing your ads for maximised results, our marketing specialists are here to help.

With weekly testing of new content, plus expert insights on all things paid social, you’ve come to the right place for Facebook ad creation. 

Get in touch with our team today to find out how we can help your business grow.

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Social Media Updates – August 2022

July was quite an eventful month in the world of Social Media. With viral petitions and the influx of video-based content becoming the new normal on most platforms… on some more than others 👀 

But if you somehow missed out on everything that’s been happening on your favourite apps, get the latest rundown from July, and what to expect in the month of August in this month’s instalment of Social Media Updates. 

Instagram 

To begin, let’s discuss the elephant in the room…Instagram. After receiving a very public backlash over its ‘Tiktok-inspired’ update – Check out our latest blog “Make Instagram Instagram again”: The New Tiktok Style Instagram Update Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri finally addressed the controversial update stating ​​“I’m glad we took a risk — if we’re not failing every once in a while, we’re not thinking big enough or bold enough” – Mosseri went on to confirm that Instagram would be pausing the ‘Full-Screen testing’ and reverting back to the original layout for the select users who received the update. 

Instagram Head Doubles Down on Video Amid Growing Backlash | PetaPixel

But before you jump for joy, it does not seem like this will be the final attempt for the company to replicate Tiktok’s undeniable success; Mosseri continued in his statement about the failure of the testing and stated that Instagram will still continue to prioritise video-based content due to its evident popularity in recent years. 

Like it or not, reels are here to stay.

Facebook 

Following on with the theme of video-based content, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has revealed that Facebook will lean heavily towards being ‘Reel’ focused, with this style of content being the fastest growing element based on user engagement. 

This is in response to Meta receiving lower than expected results in both app usage and revenue. Despite the intense backlash Instagram received for pushing a similar style of interface and content overall, Zuckerberg has stated that Facebook will be taking the same approach to Tiktok’s algorithm – whereby content by users you do not follow will be suggested on your timeline. 

“Social content from people you know is going to remain an important part of the experience and some of our most differentiated content, but increasingly we’ll also be able to supplement that with other interesting content from across our networks.”

Launching Reels on Facebook in the US | Meta

Zuckerberg goes on to confirm that Meta hopes to have doubled the amount of AI-generated content, from accounts that users do not follow, by the end of the year.

Tiktok

Ironically, the app everyone else is trying to be…seems to be somewhat trying to replicate the success of a completely different genre itself. 

It’s undeniable how influential Tiktok has become when it comes to music in the charts, with thousands of sounds trending every day – and it looks like Tiktok is looking to capitalise on this.  – Check out our blog post – Trends, Challenges And Charts: Tiktoks impact on The Music Industry 

TikTok’s parent company, ‘Bytedance’ have officially filed a trademark for ‘Tiktok Music’ with the service allowing users to “purchase, play, share, and download music. It would also allow users to create, share, and recommend playlists, comment on music, as well as Livestream audio and video” (TheVerge.com). 

A TikTok Music App May Be Coming To Challenge Big Players Like Spotify,  Apple Music

This platform would be set to rival the likes of Spotify and Apple Music, creating a more ‘interactive & social’ aspect to the platform compared to their competitors. 

It’s unclear how far in development TikTok Music currently is or if the service will even see the light of day, but with Tiktok setting the unofficial blueprint for so many established social media platforms to follow – it’s entirely possible that Tiktok could dominate the music streaming industry to the same level.

Twitter 

In some non-video-related news, Twitter has launched live tests for users to ‘Set a Status’ – so you can show/ tell your followers what you’re doing or how you’re feeling whilst you tweet!

From what has been tested of the new feature, it has been revealed that you have access to 17 activity options such as: ‘Hot Take’, ‘A Serious Case of the Mondays’, and ‘Need Advice’. 

Twitter Status

These statuses will be added to your tweets and displayed in your and your followers’ feeds; with no personalisation option available during this testing stage. 

The Status Markers have received mixed reviews with many stating that they do not add much value to the general Twitter experience – or that the statutes themselves have a very ‘gimmicky’ or ‘cheesy’ feel to them. 

But in the world of social media controversies, many are enjoying the seemingly light-hearted update and looking forward to sharing their #ShowerThoughts🚿 with the world!

Snapchat

And finally, Snapchat has officially launched the ‘Sounds Creator Fund’ to support and encourage unsigned artists to gain distribution and reach via audio uploads. Snapchat audio launched in 2020 which allows users to add a specific track to their Snapchat, similar to the likes of Tiktok. 

As explained by Snap’s Head of Music Partnerships Ted Suh:

“We want to support the independent and emerging artists that are driving creation on Snapchat. By providing meaningful funding and creative support, our goal is for artists to feel empowered to continue creating and pursue a career in music.”

The Snapchat Sounds Creator Fund will pay out $100,000 to artists who are  "driving creation" - Tubefilter

This opens opportunities for small artists to have their music featured in Snapchat Lenses or in ‘Spotlight’, leading to a higher reach and new potential audiences. 

 

And that’s a wrap! What are your thoughts on these latest features & 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 🚀

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“Make Instagram Instagram again” : the new TikTok-style Instagram update

Is Instagram turning into TikTok? Here’s what’s changed on the platform – with a Kardashian-approved petition attempting to stop the transformation.

 

Instagram has been the subject of multiple changes over the past few months – but the latest overhaul has some calling the platform a ‘TikTok wannabe’. Some Instagram users have witnessed a significant change on their feed design, as the platform tests a more ‘immersive’ experience in which videos (Reels) are given more space on the feed. 

For these users, posts take up a larger space on the screen and the background has changed to black. In other words, it’s seemed to turn into a TikTok-esque, ‘For You Page’ format.

 

How the Instagram feed appears to those with the new update – looking increasingly similar to the TikTok ‘For You Page’.

 

Even if you haven’t received the full update, you’ll notice that short-form videos are given significant priority over photo-based posts, and posts from ‘suggested accounts’ continually appear on your feed. The algorithm now seems to be finding creators and accounts that match users’ interests and viewing history, and placing them higher on the feed than users’ own friends’ posts.

 

 

How the feed appears before the newest update – with accounts being ‘suggested’ to you according to your topics of interest.

 

It means that the Instagram experience is changing into a place of discovery rather than connection with friends and family- just like TikTok. This video-sharing app was primarily made for entertainment purposes and sharing dynamic content – and Instagram quickly caught on with the highly-shared video content, creating Reels in August 2020. 

Yet it seems that now, the video/image scales have been tipped slightly too far than Instagram users are comfortable with. While it’s true that short-form video content is highly shareable and engaging, and it’s understandable that Instagram has capitalised on this to optimise the user experience – it’s important that the platform keeps its original essence. 

Instagram was created in 2010 as a photo-sharing app, inspired by founder Kevin Systrom’s passion for photography. And its users’ love of creating and sharing a personal photo album with their nearest and dearest has never wavered, even in the face of change.

 

A step back in time: how Instagram used to look in 2014 – with a complete focus on users’ photos.

 

This is the sentiment behind the now-viral petition sweeping across the internet, calling to “Make Instagram Instagram again” and for the platform to “stop trying to be TikTok”. Created by Tati Bruening, the petition suggests bringing focus back to photos (not solely on video content) and re-introducing the chronological timeline that showed us our friends and family’s posts in real time.

 

Tati Bruening’s now-viral petition calling for the revival of the old Instagram platform.

 

Created only 3 days ago, this Change.org petition has now, rather incredibly, received over 134K signatures (at the time of publication) – if it reaches 150K it will be one of the top-signed petitions on the site. Notable signees include the influential queens of Instagram themselves, Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian, who have added their voices to the ring and shared the petition on their Instagram Stories.

With high-flying influencers and creators also speaking up on the changes, it’s hoped that those behind the platform will listen to what the people seem to want. Which is: retain the original purpose of the app, alongside its move to include video-based content. 

This wave of mutual dissent over Instagram’s update isn’t about rejecting change. It’s about supporting the platform’s originality and preserving the reason it was created. Updates like Instagram Stories and the ‘Favourites’ filtered feed have been warmly received by users – but this feed overhaul seems to many like a step too far.

 

A recent addition to the platform is the ‘Favourites’ feed, which allows users to create a feed full of their favourite accounts and creators.

 

 

While we wait and see what becomes of this collective call for change (or rather, the retracing of steps), it’s important to stay on top of these fast-changing platforms and use popular features to your advantage. 

If video-based content is pushed more than photo-based posts by the Instagram algorithm, it’s vital to reflect this in your social media strategy, or you risk a low reach and an even lower engagement. It’s important to be flexible and responsive to change in this landscape – despite your personal preference – so you get the recognition and reach you’re looking for.

If you need help with keeping up with social media updates and staying ahead of the curve, get in touch with us today. We’re a team of digital marketing experts ready to help you take your brand to the next level – book a call with us now to discuss your strategy and goals 🚀

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Emoji 101: A Guide to Using Emojis in your Brands Marketing

Since the dawn of social media, emojis have been a fun prevalent way of ‘showing emotion’ through any digital communication platform. 

From their start as the simple ‘:)’ emoticons to the development of the ‘emoji’ that we know today –  they have become an essential part of not just social media, but a key element of a business’s branding & advertising. 

In today’s blog post, we will be breaking down the importance of emojis in your brand’s marketing and how to start implementing them into your advertising campaigns.

But first, a bit of history on the emoji. 

 

 

History 

Emojis are small visual icons, created using Unicode Standard; the first emoji was created in 1999 by a coder employed by NTT DoCoMo, a Japanese mobile service provider. 

However, it wasn’t until the 2010’s that we began seeing emojis popularised outside of Japan, whereby Apple made the emoji a permanent part of its keyboard for IOS 5. 

As of July 2022, there are currently 3633 emojis available via Apple’s IOS Keyboard with over 100 more to become available by the end of 2022.

 

 

The Stats 

So why should your business be using emojis? 

Using emojis in your brand’s ad copy, Social Media & Email Marketing has been proven to boost engagement, CTR & open rates significantly. 

Just take a look at the statistics: 

-Facebook posts experience an impressive 57% lift when an emoji is featured

-Instagram content with emojis sees an engagement increase of 48%

-An emoji in the subject line of an email increases the open rate by 29% and the click-through rate by 28% 

But take note: Keep your emoji usage in touch with either your personal branding or the context of your post/ad, overusing irrelevant emojis to appear ‘trendy’ will not work in your favour, as they say, “No one likes a try-hard”…

 

 

Show Your Personality

Other than just being more naturally eye-catching for the audience, emojis can actually hold a vital part in how your audience sees your brand. Although the key component to any digital advertising is strong copywriting which conveys a brand’s TOV clearly, adding an emoji is simply the icing on the cake. 

Including emojis in your marketing adds more trust and a humanising factor to your brand’s image, ultimately allowing customers to stay loyal, as well as naturally boosting brand awareness. 

 

 

Emoji or not to Emoji…that is the real question

Finally, the standard for most brands is less is more when it comes to using emojis in your marketing – with 59% of consumers aged 18-34 believing companies are overdoing it. 

However, there are no rules to follow when it comes to emojis and truthfully it will depend on what you know will work well for your brand individually! 

For example…

Unicorn Cosmetics 

Although it is common for cosmetic brands to use emojis more frequently, due to typically appealing to a young female demographic, Unicorn Cosmetics takes that one step further, by ‘breaking’ the unsaid “less is more” rule and making it work in their favour. 

You will often see their ads covered with bright colourful emojis, which reflect the ‘magical’, ‘fun’ & ‘girly’ aesthetic that connects with their branding and makes them stand out from competitors. 

TUI

The ‘bog-standard’ use of emojis for marketing can be seen using Travelling Agency TUI. They use a selective & minimal use of the icons which relate to the topic of vacations/ travelling, which simply adds a more welcoming tone to their copy and is overall visually eye-catching for their audience. 

Balenciaga

Doing a complete 180, high-end fashion retailer Balenciaga refrain from using a single emoji (or much copy for that matter) in their campaigns, to keep a completely professional and exclusive aesthetic to their brand; with many higher-end brands feeling that emojis would ‘cheapen’ their overall tone of voice. 

 

And there you have it! 

If you feel that your business could do with an emoji upgrade or further guidance with your Ad Copy in general, our specialist creative team are here to help! Book a call with us and get your business growing today 🚀

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Creating TikTok Ads that Convert

Once your business has joined TikTok, the next step is creating content that converts. To be successful on this platform, there’s a formula to follow to appeal to the TikTok viewer. TikTok is a niche platform on which dynamic content keeps viewers engaged and performs incredibly well.

Read on to discover how to produce high-performing TikTok campaigns that lead to website conversions.

 

TikTok : the newest way to take your marketing to the next level

 

Engage from the start

Firstly, let’s take a moment to consider the TikTok viewer-persona. Their constant scrolling has given them an incredibly short attention span and they’re looking for instant engagement and interesting content – otherwise, they’ll scroll right past your ad.

The very first few seconds are crucial in setting the tone for a dynamic ad. Ensure you add a short caption at the start that effectively sums up what the following video is about (eg “3 ways to ____”, “How to ____” ) or entices the viewer to keep watching ( eg “Meet my new favourite ____”, “Wish I knew about this sooner”, ““Why you need this in your life”). You can be creative with this or stick to phrases like these that tend to work on the platform.

The viewer typically won’t carry on watching if it isn’t immediately clear what the rest of the TikTok is about – satisfying their short attention span is necessary in setting the right tone with your TikToks.

 

Essential elements

What do you need to create an engaging TikTok ad that shows off your product line and entices viewers to visit your site? Whether you’re creating an unboxing product focus or using UGC (User Generated Content), we’ll break it down for you:

 

1 – Always use dynamic transitions

Only use exactly what you need in each clip – if one clip is one second too long to stay 100% engaging, TikTok viewers are tempted to scroll onto the next video.

It’s brutal – that’s why it’s worth being a little ruthless with your content – what would be engaging to younger viewers? Does it keep up with the instant-gratification method that succeeds on Tiktok?

 

2 – Include a ‘human presence’

Whether it’s a hand or a face in the frame, TikToks including someone using or handling the featured product naturally engage viewers more than videos without any human presence.

 

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3 – Include captions

Depending on your clip lengths and whether or not your visual content speaks for itself, add captions to keep viewers engaged.

If your video doesn’t include a talk-through or voiceover, you can add text-to-voice on each caption, automatically converting them to spoken captions. This feature is often used on product-focussed content, so TikToks making use of this will fit right in with the viewership.

Keep your captions short and easy-to-read alongside the visual content – watching your TikTok should feel natural, and not strained or stressful to gain all the information it shows.

  .

 

4 – Add music or audio

TikTok offers a rich library of sounds you can add to clips, which can also be background music for voiceovers or talk-throughs.

 

5 – Include your brand name clearly at the start or the end

If viewers are interested in your products, they want to be quickly told where to find them. Make it easy for viewers by prompting the next step – conversion on your site.

 

6 – Finally, add a CTA

This can be a clear “Shop at ____” at the end of the ad, or something slightly less obvious but still powerful (eg “Get yours at ____”).

 

Align with the algorithm

Now you’ve got the basics for creating engaging TikTok content, what more can you do to succeed on this platform and be rewarded by the algorithm? The more people that view, like, comment and share your video, the more views you’ll get, as TikTok’s algorithm rewards seemingly engaging and popular content.

Let’s find out how you can increase your chances of higher views:

1 – Use hashtags in the video caption – before you post a TikTok ad, ensure the caption contains a few hashtags. These can be relevant to your product, market and video content (eg #grwm for ‘Get ready with me’-style content, or #howto #howtoguide), or you can find trending hashtags that could increase views.

2 – Use trending songs/audio – on TikTok, trends rule supreme and get you noticed, and this includes the audio you choose. If you identify tracks and audio clips that many users are adding to videos, see if you could incorporate these in an engaging way in your own videos.

3 – Create videos that loop – TikTok videos play on loop, and the more times you watch the same TikTok, the more the algorithm thinks it’s worth showing to others. If videos don’t have the clearest beginning and end, users might rewatch it before they even realise- if the first clip naturally continues from the last, you can trick viewers into watching your ad multiple times.

 

 

So, that’s how you can up your TikTok game and align with the algorithm. By spending some time on this platform and paying attention to high-performing content and other well-made TikTok ads, you’ll get the hang of how it’s done.

Creating and scaling high-performing TikTok content could be just what your business needs to reach new heights and attract new audiences.  If you’d like further guidance with creating successful TikTok content, or you’re interested in finding out more about our in-house TikTok services, get in touch with us today. Our Marketing Specialists are here to help your social media marketing get to the next level 🚀