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…

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

New Year Marketing Ideas for Northern Ireland Businesses

Well then!

Are you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed or are you feeling the after-effects of too much partying during the holidays?

Either way it’s time to get back at it and although January is generally when everyone tries to hibernate it represents a great month to try out some creative new marketing ideas.

If you’re going to stand out and grab people’s attention during the most dreaded month of the year you’re going to have to get creative!

Fitness Buffs!

It’s only a cliché because it’s 100% true but every January you can guarantee gym attendance will double (at the very least!), diet information will be everywhere on social media and well-intentioned New Year resolutions will be heartily made.

With all that in mind, why not give your marketing a health and fitness twist for the first month of the year?

You could do a spoof Facebook Live broadcast that pokes fun at online workout videos (in a nice way J) while promoting your latest offers or services.

Just avoid the spandex…

Tryanuary

Besides health and fitness, January, and the beginning of the New Year, is usually viewed by everyone as a fresh start and a chance to try new things or get a better grip on the more serious things in life.

This “Tryanuary” approach has great marketing potential!

Tap into this by offering something different that either solves a problem or entices your potential new customer.

For example, if your business sells Insurance, why not promote a blog that details exactly why your insurance product will help a new customer become more fiscally responsible in 2017!

This mindset is also perfect for businesses selling classes or experiences so start getting your “try something different” message out there ASAP!

New Year Resolutions

New Year resolutions are everywhere at the minute and although most of them will fall by the wayside come February they represent a great opportunity to engage with your online community.

If you want to increase brand awareness and turn customers into followers why not embark on some resolutions together to create that bond?

Restaurants and cafes could try to create and taste a new dish every month with fans/customers following along at home via Snapchat and Instagram stories.

Car salesman could set a challenge of walking so many steps each day on the forecourt and ask followers to keep up or join in via Twitter or Facebook.

How can you tie things in to your business?

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These ideas might seem like a bit of fun, but during the dullest month of the year when everyone is energy-sapped by endless sales and the end of Christmas, they’ll stand out a mile!

Remember, attention is MORE than half the battle! 

Could a Mechanic Use Snapchat Marketing?

Could a Northern Ireland mechanic use Snapchat marketing?

Last week, as I sat in my car awaiting the dreaded MOT test early on a Thursday morning, my mind started to wander.

All around me cars sat in three bays waiting to be tested and inside each was an owner worried about their car failing, more trips to the mechanics and more expenses. This happens 9-5 every weekday, every month, every year.

This seemed like the perfect potential customer group for any mechanic in the nearby area.

Can you imagine if a mechanic was allowed, and able to give up his or her time, to stand on the other side of the MOT test centre and talk to the unfortunate owners of cars that had just failed?

It would be the perfect opportunity to sell a solution to a very real and immediate problem.

Targeted Snapchat Geo-Filters

With Snapchat geo-filters that imaginary scenario is a very real possibility.

Mechanics now have the opportunity to target the small area around, and including, any MOT test centre in the country.

As car owners are sitting in bays waiting their turn they could open Snapchat, swipe across the various filters, and see something like below:

This Snapchat filter promotes “Gary’s Garage”, a fictional mechanics on the Lisburn Road in Belfast, and lets everyone at the test centre know about his “A+ MOT Results”.

Easy!

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This same type of thinking could be applied to all sorts of businesses.  

Where are the opportunities?

Also, just remember, if you’re making Snapchat filters for business you can’t include phone numbers or email addresses so get creative when targeting your customers!

If you want to get started on your own just download the Counter Digital “Snapchat for Business” free e-book here!

Great Halloween Marketing Campaigns

Marketing is a constant, year round, process but a holiday like Halloween offers some great opportunities to have a bit more fun than usual.

Consumers will generally accept something slightly different if it fits in with the overall theme of Halloween so why not try something new?

To get the cogs turning we took a look at what some of the biggest brands have done over the last few years.

Pop Culture Vulture!

In 2013 Tide, the American detergent brand, decided to release a series of Vine clips spoofing new and classic Halloween films. In the first of the series we see a Tide bottle slowly being drenched in blood at prom in a direct reference to Carrie.

It might seem strange but it’s just a bit of fun and the takeaway here could be to use classic Halloween movies with your own business.

Since Vine is nowhere near as popular now, why not create some Snapchat stories in a similar vain?

Tell Me Why?

A few years ago Topshop launched a “Trick or Tweet” campaign to promote a new Halloween fashion collection.

The campaign allowed customers to tweet Topshop their best Halloween outfits and the best tweet each day won a gift card worth £100! Not bad for just a tweet or two!

Not every business can afford to giveaway £100 per day during even the smallest of campaigns but have a think about what’s in it for your customer to engage with you on social media.

Why would or should they get in touch?

Giving Value

Tesco’s 2015 Halloween “Spookermarket” campaign was a good example of keeping things light-hearted and fun at this time of year. The main video highlights the power of video content whilst the others show just how useful it can be to provide useful tips in your industry or sector.

What tips and tricks can you offer in your industry? If they don’t match up perfectly with Halloween why not open it up to the entire Autumn season?

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Let us know what you come up with this Halloween!

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.

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

5 Ways to Use Snapchat Filters for Northern Ireland Businesses

Snapchat is now a massive social media channel, both globally and here in Northern Ireland, and with that attention comes the opportunity to get your business messages out in front of new eyes and ears.

One way to do this is by using Snapchat’s geofilters feature for your business. Filters can be seen within the app during the editing of photos or videos.

For a step-by-step guide on how to create your own Snapchat filters for business download our Snapchat for Business ebook. Right now we’re going to look at some examples to get your brain cogs turning!

One: Lunchtime Specials!

Many local cafes live and die by the customers in their immediate area including residents, workers and shoppers.

A local café could use a custom Snapchat filter, targeting only the streets around them, to notify people nearby about their weekday lunchtime specials.

How many people do you know who take sneaky selfies during work? You could be giving them ideas on where to eat at the same time!

Two: Snapchat Gigs

Northern Ireland pubs and bars are constantly hosting the best local musical talent the country has to offer but as a customer it can be hard to keep up-to-date with what’s happening, where and when.

It’s also clear, after one look at your Snapchat stories over the weekend, that use of the app rockets up during Friday and Saturday nights out.

Create a Snapchat filter telling people about the next big gig and target everyone who enters your bar from 9pm-1am on the busiest nights of the week!

Three: Changing Rooms

Massive brands like River Island and H&M have acknowledged changing room photography for years with social campaigns, competitions and hashtags so why don’t you?

Selfie culture has been around for years so why not use it to push your brand out even further? Target your shop, during specifically busy hours or days, and have your filter appear any time a customer uses Snapchat within your shop and changing rooms.

You could use this space to promote your brand logo, new incoming lines or the latest offers.

Four: Utilise Key Tourist Attractions

2.3 million tourists discovered Northern Ireland’s beauty and charm in 2015 and massive portions of them went directly to our biggest attractions. 850,000 visited the Giant’s Causeway, 622,000 went to Titanic Belfast and 465,000 went to the Ulster Museum.

If you have a product or service you’d think tourists would love you could target them in the midst of their journey around our country.

Five: That New Car Feeling!

Almost everyone takes a photo of their new car just after they’ve bought it. It’s human nature to boast or feel happy after such an important purchase and that makes it the perfect opportunity for car dealer’s to get their brand out there to a wider audience.

Create a custom filter with the garage logo, target your business and focus on the busiest day of the week to try it out.