Being Honest with Your Social Media Marketing

Earlier this week, during a discussion about social media content, I asked the person across the table to really think hard about “why would anyone follow your social media channels?”

Amidst the rush and excitement of setting up different social media channels this is, without a doubt, the hardest thing to answer and address.

However, only by addressing it or at least attempting to do so, can you begin to create a social media strategy that might succeed.

Why would someone follow you on Facebook? Instagram? Twitter? Snapchat?

Honesty is the Best Policy

Take a step back, look around, and you’ll see that the business and marketing worlds are rife with people saying one thing and doing another.

“We need to push the hard sell in this campaign.”

“We need to cram as much information in as possible.”

“Those images are fine.”

If you audit the social media actions, and attention, of both yourself and your family and friends you’ll quickly see that we’re all incredibly selfish with our time.

If it doesn’t interest us, or capture our attention or imagination in one way or another, we’ll scroll past without skipping a beat.

Yet even though this is true for 99% of the population you constantly see social media channels filled with rubbish, with sales posts, with generic content and with zero offering or value.

Behind each of those accounts is a business owner, marketer or consultant wondering, “Why is nobody following along?”

It’s because nobody cares and the sooner we’re all honest about it, the better. The sooner we’re honest about asking and answering the key question above, the better! 

How to Improve Your Organic Social Media

Being honest is the first step but what’s next?

In order to develop social media channels that people actually care about and want to follow you have to tap into their wants and needs.

What’s going to make them stop and listen?

People follow brands, businesses and influencers for lots of different reasons.

For some it could be for education, inspiration or information/updates. For others it could be for escapism, desire, humour, entertainment or debate.

There are countless reasons out there and defining your target audience needs won’t happen instantly but take a piece of paper (or phone, laptop etc.) and begin the brainstorming session.

After that, pair your audience needs with the types of content you can create for each channel and get cracking. Testing and heightened awareness will be your friend from this point onwards…

Other Channels

You might’ve noticed that this blog, and message, focuses specifically on “social media”. There’s a reason for that.

I know it’s easy for everyone to lump social and digital together but other digital marketing channels behave differently and consumers are more or less receptive to different strategies within each.

In 2018 you can guarantee that the majority of your new email subscribers expect a sales pitch at some point or another. If you can make it good, and worthwhile, then go for it!

In PPC advertising the hard sell is also universally expected. In the case of search ads you’re catching someone right at the crucial moment of need, so if you can help them, sell away!

Podcast advertising, remarketing, influencer outreach, sponsored posts… There are so many options out there waiting to be utilised for the hard sell.

Organic social media just isn’t one of them…if you want to grow a following and succeed…

--

If you’re unsure about what organic social media content is exactly, in 2018, then get in touch for a chat here.

The Death of Facebook…Again?

If you’ve followed the rise of Facebook over the last decade you’ll probably have heard about “the death of Facebook” on more than one occasion.

As the world’s biggest social media platform Facebook is an easy target for everyone from advertisers to governments to regular users in the general public. As a result, we’ve seen this type of headline time and time again.

Is this really the end for Facebook? What does the future hold for the channel synonymous with social media?

Pivot, Pivot…PIVOT!*

You don’t need an MBA or years of experience in the business world to recognise that Mark Zuckerberg has been a pretty impressive founder and CEO up to this point.

With this in mind, and a history of acquisitions including Instagram and aggressively attacking competitors like Snapchat, it’s fair to assume that Facebook will pivot and react, as and when younger audience attention shifts.

However, even with this in mind it’s unlikely Facebook will ever again become the “go-to” place for younger audiences. This is primarily because it now has such a large adult and senior audience that the numbers will almost certainly always skew upwards.

Also, when you combine the fact that Zuckerberg is unlikely to turn his back on the highly lucrative mature audiences anytime soon with the age-old understanding that kids, teens and younger groups always want their “own” space, on and offline, it’s safe to say Facebook will most likely never return to its younger, cooler image of approximately 2008-2012.

*Who got the Friends reference?

Segmented Digital Messaging

Marketers and advertisers are no strangers to segmented audiences and messaging and this may develop further in the coming years, more so than even at present.

To a certain extent businesses, marketers and advertisers already understand that different social media channels mean different audiences (think Snapchat for under 25s etc.).

As a result, and if younger users continually drop-off, or never join, Facebook the social media channel could simply become a platform to reach audiences in the over thirties market.

This would essentially represent a 180 degrees flip, as for years the channel was seen as a platform to reach teenagers, university students and those in their early twenties, but wouldn’t kill the channel by a long shot.

In the near future you could see marketers use Snapchat and Instagram to reach anyone under thirty, Facebook for over thirties and one or two other experimental channels for teenagers or seniors.

Part of the Mainstream

With all of the above in mind one of the most likely developments (it’s happening already) is that Facebook simply becomes part of the mainstream media machine we’ve all known, in some shape or form, throughout our lives.

For many the Brexit and US Presidential political results of 2016 represented a watershed moment as Facebook had reached the mainstream as a key media channel. It could even be this increased awareness, of the channel and its powers over society, that is leading to younger audiences moving away.

Whatever the reasons, becoming part of the mainstream media offering in no way means Facebook is nearing grim death. It might simply no-longer be where the cool kids hang out…although some would say that happened years ago!

What to Do?

As always it’s best to let these things play out and simply maintain an awareness of any major changes.

If you’re in the business of marketing or selling to anyone over the age of 25 then this is probably a non-issue. If you target teenage or young adult markets it’s time to get experimental…if you haven’t already.

Any other questions on social media for business, or digital marketing in general, contact me here.

Learning from Deliveroo’s Belfast Content Marketing

It doesn’t happen as often as it should but, every now and then, I’ll scroll through my Facebook newsfeed and stumble across some social media marketing that actually makes me stop, read, listen or watch…

Happily, that happened recently when I was targeted with a Deliveroo Facebook ad.

The fast-food delivery tech giant (bit of a weird phrase that…) aren’t strangers to moving with marketing trends and recently launched a #BestofBelfast campaign that thankfully let content marketing do the talking and selling.

What is Content Marketing?

Before we look at the Deliveroo ad let's just confirm what content marketing actually is.

According to Google, content marketing is “a type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online material that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services” so that’s that then.

For me, I see content marketing as one of the more interesting sides to marketing in general.

Instead of a simple “here we are, this is what we do and this is how much it costs” message you focus on providing value as a hook to draw the customer in.

This value could be to inform, educate, humour, provide a cause for thought or countless other variations and it is paired with creative text, images or video to cut through the noise of everything else out there in the ether.

Deliveroo and John Long’s Fish & Chips

In the case of Deliveroo, they caught my eye by telling me a short story (in a video under 1 minute) about John Long’s Fish & Chips, a staple of the Belfast food scene for decades that I’d never even heard of!

Now I’m interested.

Not once did the video say “buy now” or talk about an “evening special”. Instead, the video told me that John Long keeps things traditional, that he hasn’t changed his batter recipe in over 100 years and that his patrons love it. That’s what hooked me in.

Obviously it helped that the video looked and sounded great as well and you can easily see a difference between the John Long's content ad above and the more regular "order from us" ad seen below.

Lessons to Learn

So, with all that in mind what can we learn and how can we apply it to our own businesses?

The formula is simple…

Decide what type of value you want to bring to the table. Think about what is going to truly interest your target customer and then combine that with eye-catching creative that makes them stop and listen to you and you alone.

See? Simple.

It’s the application and creation that’s the hard part.

For more on content marketing contact me here.

How to Link Instagram and Facebook Accounts

At its best social media marketing can be fun, informative, engaging and/or thought provoking but at its worst it can be robotic, bland and even offensive.

With all of that in mind think carefully before deciding to link your Instagram and Facebook accounts.

The upside, of course, is that a certain level of automation can save you time and effort as a business owner or marketer but the downside is your Facebook content (or a percentage of it) will no longer be native to the platform.

In the short-term you could be saving time but long-term you might be turning people off and adversely impacting your social media marketing performance.

Now then, who wants to link Instagram and Facebook accounts?

--

First, you must be an admin on the Facebook business page you’d like to connect. If that’s sorted, open your Instagram app, click on the profile section and then click on the Settings cog in the top right-hand corner. 

Within the Settings section scroll down and click on Linked Accounts.

Within the Share Settings section click on Facebook, follow the on-page instructions and you’re good to go. 

Just keep in mind that Instagram and Facebook will initially try to link your personal Facebook page. To change this click on Facebook and choose the relevant page you manage. 

Facebook Live is a Game Changer

Facebook Live was first released in August 2015 but lately, and specifically during the second half of 2016, it’s become a game changer on so many levels for businesses and brands.

Now, anyone or any business can go Live to an instant audience that would’ve been unimaginable and inaccessible just 5 or 10 years ago.

With Instagram also announcing new Live features and Snapchat constantly dabbling and improving, in the art of instant video communication, “Going Live” is going to become the norm and we’re only seeing the start of it. 

Notifications Working For You

Right now one of the major benefits of going Live on Facebook is the notification feature.

Now with the click of a button, on a smartphone, tablet or laptop, your followers will be directly notified the moment you go live. This instantly increases the chances of quickly gaining an audience for whatever you want to promote or broadcast.

This is massively different from a standard organic Facebook post that generally reaches only 5-10% of your followers.

How to Use Facebook Live for Business

What does Facebook Live mean for businesses?

As with everything it’s simply another platform, another tactic and another means to get your message out there to a wider audience than ever before.

If you’re an estate agent running a show house open day why not Facebook Live a tour around the house? Depending on the current size of your Facebook business page you could have an extra 50, 200 or 500 eyes viewing the rooms as you walk around. Not bad for one click of a button.

Boutiques could Facebook Live once per week to announce new stock arrivals and highlight best selling or on-trend pieces.

Craft makers could Live broadcast the making of a popular product or a tour around the workshop behind the scenes…

The opportunities are there and an audience is waiting, after that it’s about figuring out what works and what doesn’t, what entertains, informs or engages your audience.

The Premier League Football Problem

On a bigger level, for many brands and businesses Facebook Live, and similar features on other apps, represents a big opportunity but the Premier League may not be one of them.

Recently I’ve been able to watch full Premier League games, otherwise unavailable to a UK or Ireland television audience, via a Facebook page live streaming everything from a location most likely in Asia.

The live stream in question attained an audience of approximately 6 thousand people with almost zero promotion, simply through the organic reach of Facebook.

This represents a major issue for the Premier League going forward as Live broadcasting is only going to get bigger and it will be interesting to see how they tackle the problem.

If you feel like your business could suffer in some way my advice would be to start broadcasting and figuring out Live before the competition does. 

NFL UK Going For It

Interestingly, the NFL may be showing the Premier League a thing or two when it comes to using social media Live broadcasting.

Just this week, on Tuesday 13th December, the NFL used Facebook Live to broadcast and announce the organisation’s four upcoming International Series games to be held in London in Autumn 2017.

Despite having different broadcasting deals with Sky and the BBC respectively, NFL UK used Facebook Live to make their announcements.

The reason for this? Instant audience.

--

Take some time to experiment with Facebook Live over Christmas or January; depending on when is quieter for your business.

Live broadcasting is now just a click away for everyone. 

Why You Should Be Using Segmentation on Facebook Advertising

Taking the time and effort to take a step back and think about who your customer is and what they really want should be at the forefront of every marketer and business owner’s mind.

It can be a struggle but honing in on exactly who you want to speak to and what you want to say can save a lot of time, effort, tears and money!

With that in mind, Facebook’s Advertising platform really allows you to take advantage of that insight and clear thinking.

Targeted Messaging

Within Facebook’s Advertising platform you will be able to create custom audiences that match exactly, or very closely, to your ideal customer groups.

By taking this customer-first approach you’re effectively trimming away the fat and this in turn saves you money, as you’re no longer targeting uninterested demographics.

Perfect!

If, for example, you only wanted to put your message in front of women, aged 25-35, living in the Ballymena area with an interest in pets, you could do that.

However, if you wanted to target a broad spectrum of women from right across Northern Ireland you could still create location or age specific ads, within your campaign, to give you a clearer indication of which demographics respond better than others.

Measured Marketing

The second major benefit to segmenting your customer groups within Facebook Advertising is that you can closely measure everything.

This allows you to quickly kill, improve or double-down on the ads (and groups) that are performing or not performing.

Everything can be measured and over time this will give you a clearer picture of who your customer is and what they really want to see, hear and buy!

You might even get a few surprises! 

Social Media for Northern Ireland Businesses

Social media, in all its various shapes and sizes, has been around for at least a decade now but some Northern Ireland businesses still struggle to grasp the potential of these channels.

If this feels like you, don’t worry! It’s never too late to start and the reality is that the Internet, and subsequently social media, is still in its infancy so you haven’t missed the party.

Here we’ll briefly explain some of the positives of using social media and what it could mean for your business.

Exposure on a Budget

Everyone tries to pit digital media against traditional (local newspapers, leaflets etc.) but the reality is there is a time and a place for everything.

The one massive advantage social media has is scale. With channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat you can easily and quickly spread your message throughout Northern Ireland, the rest of the UK and Ireland and further afield if you want!

With £5, £10, £20 and so on you can access thousands of people AND you can target key demographics so you get to stretch that small business budget even further.

What’s not to like?

Opportunity

Nowadays your business is no longer confined to the high street or neighborhood you operate in.

If you use channels like Twitter and Instagram you can reach literally anyone with the right type of searching and intelligent use of hashtags.

Just imagine you sold men’s football boots and wanted to get your name out there but didn’t have much of a budget. Check out the image below! Twitter is free to download and use, and all the search cost was time, effort and thought!

View fullsize

Connection

Years ago many small businesses said they would have jumped at the chance to have the opportunity to connect with so many potential customers, to listen to their opinions and to constantly test things.

With social media we have all these options just waiting to be used yet so many businesses out there either ignore the opportunities, ignore their customers or both!

Each comment on social media from a customer, or potential customer, should be seen as an opportunity to reinforce a connection. Even an initially bad comment can turn into a PR coup with the right response.

On top of that channels like Snapchat and Instagram, with their “story” features, allows businesses the opportunity to give customers a real insight behind the scenes. Check out Irish fresh fruit and veg providers Nudie Foods (nudiefoods) for a great example of how to do it right.

--

Are you using social media for your business? If not, why not?

How to Set-Up a Facebook Business Page

Facebook is now a massively popular, and well-established, tool for businesses and brands on both a local and global scale.

If you haven’t joined the party yet or want to start a new business page for a new project, but can’t quite remember how you did it in the first place, follow the steps below and get started in minutes!

Click on “Create Page” which can be found via the drop down menu on the right side of the Facebook screen.

Click on the type of business most relevant to your business or brand.

Enter your basic details to get started.

Work through the four separate stages of “Set Up”.

After you’ve done all of that, click save and you’ll be ready to go!

Simple Local SEO in Northern Ireland

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is crucial in the digital age.

Everyone uses Google, Bing, Facebook, Twitter and more to search for local products, services or information in their area. Northern Ireland is no different.

Are they finding you, or a competitor?

Local SEO is about providing the information local customers really want.

You need to make sure your information is present, correct and consistent on all of these channels.

Research has shown that up to 34% of desktop searches and 50% of local mobile searches result in a store visit within 24 hours.

Customers are looking for information that they will then act upon.

Basic Information is Key

Getting the basics right is key to local SEO success.

Think about what your customers want to know when they search for you online.

Generally, local people want to know to your address, opening hours, key products and services and contact information.

It’s that simple.

Depending on your business you could also add information regarding important upcoming events and special offers or discounts.

Google My Business

As we’ve mentioned before, in Northern Ireland, the rest of the UK and Europe, Google is king of the search world so this must be taken into consideration when looking at your local SEO.

To get the ball rolling, visit the “Google My Business” site to begin your optimisation journey.

After that it is worthwhile to revisit all of your social channels and ensure key business facts (address, opening hours etc.) are front and centre.

Want to take things a step further? Say hello.