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Hashtags; Networking in Quarantine by @lorisica #launchandfounders

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by Lori Sica

Hashtags; Networking in Quarantine by @lorisica #launchandfounders

The Quarantine Trend

Most folks in the United States indicate the month of  March as a turning point in the Covid19 pandemic. Other countries were already locked down in quarantine. Schools were closing. Public parks and beaches were off limits.  Some states went into full lockdown, some were in partial lockdown. In the absence of social gathering, women who connect and inspire always find a way to shine.

Enter Twitter

Seeing a need, an insightful and fully caffeinated entrepreneur connected a diverse group of women on Twitter. Tweets among the group were posted daily, sharing ideas and creative strategies. Some posts offered gardening and baking tips. Others included at-home work out routines and recipe shares. The twitter stream filled with supportive messages for a mom awaiting the birth of her child. Some even asked for advice to improve content for a new website. The views from windows, local neighborhoods and landscapes in participants’ home towns, provided a “local” backdrop. Posting photos of newly crafted work spaces inspired new ideas. The tweets became a 24 hour, daily check in across several time zones. It was amazing.

Real Connections

This was a time of hardship and real people get real about their feelings. Many folks were facing difficult issues, and needed a place to chat about it. Everybody was uncomfortable with the level of uncertainty of the future. Folks opened up about loved ones suffering from the virus, or businesses facing bankruptcy. Moms tweeted about the stress of having children at home, and on computers all day. In the same vein, people living alone, shared about the lack of contact and connection in quarantine.  In what felt like vast hopelessness, this thread provided good company, with  listening ears. It was a healthy outlet to share and express real feelings.

After three months of daily engagement, Jen Vallina, a photographer who possesses great branding skills, suggested creating a unique hashtag. After that, content marketer, Canva expert, and creative super star,  Nicky Pasquier drafted a logo to brand the hashtag. And just like that, a network of brilliance was born. Welcome to social media, #launchandfounders.

 

All Are Welcome

On any given Friday, multiple tweets and retweets invite people to follow folks. For example, one particular #FridayFollow challenge was to mention five people worth following. The tweet thread lasted six days, encompassing hundreds of tweets. Pretty powerful. It is not a members only club. Anyone can tweet and respond, using the hashtag.

Join The Conversation

In an era where social media is spreading fear and exclusion, #launchandfounders is spreading hope and inclusion. It is a hub of creativity and inspiration. There is no judgement. Thereby, it is safe place to share what matters. Also,  participants  support each other by engaging in twitter chats and live events, hosted by #launchandfounders. They are actively commenting on each other’s blog posts and subscribing to their podcasts.  The support is gracious and inclusive. Networking is happening every day. In conclusion, hashtags can be everything, or just one thing that brings the world a little closer together. Much like a great cup of coffee.

 

Why You Should Not Ignore Lead Generation Metrics by @ninafpineda

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by Nina Pineda

In recent years, there have been many changes in the consumer buying process wherein online research plays a huge role. In one study, researchers found that 94 percent of B2B buyers research online first before they decide on a purchase. Coincidentally, almost 70 of these buyers prefer learning about a brand through online articles than traditional advertisements.

There are also more communication channels wherein the business and customers can forge relationships. Unfortunately, there’s also an increased noise and competition. Lead generation allows businesses to be heard and connect with their target market despite the noise.

Instead of simply casting a wide net and pray for a catch, lead generation enables marketers to build and nurture relationships with their target customers and move them closer toward acquisition. Lead generation and lead nurturing are both important to the business, as these ensure that the time, money, and resources are used efficiently.

Just like any online campaign, there are metrics involved in lead generation that you shouldn’t ignore. Here are some of them and why they should be given extra attention.

Performance

Conversion rate (CR) is the most important metric in lead generation because it measures how long it takes for you to convert an online visitor into a customer. The other metrics such as time to conversion, support the conversion rate. Simply put, it measures if your entire campaign is successful or not.

A lead generation initiative is not effective without a call-to-action (CTA), which basically tells the viewer what to do after they’ve read your content. It could be as simple as asking them to visit your website or try a free demo or even provide their email address in exchange for free content.

Click through rates (CTRs) measure the effectiveness of your CTA. If you ignore CTRs, how will you know if your CTA copy is effective at all? You need to measure CTRs so you can improve your CTAs.

Marketing

Not all leads are made equal. Measuring the quantity of your marketing quality leads (MQLs) is important because it looks into the number of leads you generate that make it to the sales teams, who in turn, will go after the hottest leads with the highest possibility of conversion.

Measuring your MQLs is also a way of computing your return on investment (ROI), another metric that shows if the money, time, and resources spent on the campaign yielded positive results.

Cost

Lead generation is a long-term, huge expense, so you need to measure if the costs are worth it. The most important cost metrics you need to focus on are the cost per lead (CPL), which tells you how much you spend in converting an online visitor into a lead, and cost per acquisition (CPA), which shows how much you spend to make a lead do something for you. Focusing on these two will show you if you are spending more than what you are getting in return.

Sales

The most important metric you need to check is the sales qualified leads (SQLs), which are leads who have been studied by both marketing and sales teams and are deemed ready to be converted into actual paying customers. Just like the MQLs, the quantity will show you if your efforts are working.

Channel and Content

Paying close attention to the channel origination rate helps marketers focus on the most prolific ones. Apart from zooming in on the best performing channels, marketers must also study closely how they keywords are performing. An effective and seamless integration of keywords and channels will help boost any lead generation initiative.

Make These Metrics Work for You

Measuring these metrics are important because not all visitors who find your website are ready to buy, and it is up to find ways to lure them in and coax them closer to the purchasing stage.

Lead generation is not just about publishing content or putting up a website and waiting for the customers to come pouring in. These days, consumers know they are spoiled for choice and marketers are leveraging on data to win the mind games.

 

Nina is part of Online PR Team of Spiralytics. She launched her career as a web copywriter but eventually jumped into SEO and Online PR out of curiosity. This curious cat may be easily amused by memes, & Korean Drama series but she is keen and driven in achieving results when it comes to work. Don’t let the petite physique fool you; She has a big heart wherein her other half, family, and friends fit in.

 

 

 

 

5 Core Pillars of Social Media Marketing by @ImAnkitPtl

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by Ankit Patel

Social media marketing is a key element of fruitful marketing and numerous marketers realize the potential for business growth utilizing this platform. It is rapidly becoming the most vital part of effective digital marketing strategies. This platform is ideal for businesses because it requires minimal financial investment and, when executed correctly, it can assist to grow your business.

As a study by HubSpot, more than 90% of all marketers confirmed that their social media endeavors have generated more exposure for their online store. Then, almost 80% of them said that social media efforts increased traffic for their business websites.

Following are some questions to ask when characterizing your social media marketing objectives:

  • What are you expecting to accomplish through social media marketing?
  • Who can be your target audience?
  • Where and how will you discover your target audience?
  • How would your audience utilize social media?
  • What message would you like to send to your audience through social media marketing?

Social media marketing can assist with diverse goals, such as:

  • Augmenting website traffic
  • Building conversions
  • Raising brand awareness
  • Creating a brand identity
  • Improving communication and interaction with key audiences

 

5 core pillars of social media marketing

 

1. Strategy

Consider your business goals before you begin making social media marketing strategies.

What are your prime objectives?

How can you accomplish your business goals with the assistance of social media?

A myriad number of businesses utilize social media to boost their brand awareness, while others use it for driving website traffic and sales. Social media can likewise generate engagement around your brand, build a community, and serve as a customer support channel for your audience.

Which social media platforms would be best for marketing?

These days, most utilized social media platforms are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest. There are also some smaller platforms, such as Tumblr, Anchor, etc and social messaging platforms, such as WhatsApp, Messenger, and WeChat. It is better to choose a few platforms that you believe your target audience is on than being on all platforms.

What sort of content would be beneficial for you?

Various kinds of content include business, educational, entertaining content, etc. And it can be in the form of images, videos, or links.

First, you have to comprehend what kind of content will attract your target audience. A decent place to begin is to create a brand identity that will allow you to answer these questions. And you can always change your strategy according to how your social media posts perform.

 

2. Planning and publishing

Social media marketing for small businesses starts with having a consistent presence on social media.

About three billion individuals utilize social media. Subsequently, by being active on social media platforms, you are allowing your brand to be found by your future customers.

Posting a blog post, an image, or a video on a social media platform is very easy and popular these days. It is much the same as posting on your own Facebook profile. But instead of posting content arbitrarily, you should schedule the content ahead of time.

 

3. Listening and engagement

When your business and social media keep on growing, a conversation about your brand will grow as well. Individuals are going to comment on your social media posts, tag you in their social media posts, or send you messages directly.

Also, people on social media could speak about your brand without letting you. So you will have to monitor the discussions about your company on social media. If it is a positive comment, you get a chance to delight them. Otherwise, you can offer support and fix an issue before it gets worse.

To expand your reach on social media, you also need to publish great content that your audience likes, at the right timing and frequency.

 

4. Analytics

Regardless of whether you are posting content or engaging on social media, you will need to learn how your social media marketing is performing. Are you reaching more people on social media than you did the last month? What number of good mentions will you get every month? How many users have utilized the hashtag of your brand name on their social media posts?

A fundamental degree of such data is given by the social media platforms themselves. You can utilize the wide range of social media analytics tools available to get more in-depth analytics information or to easily compare it across social media platforms.

 

5. Advertising

At the point you have more funds to expand your social media marketing, social media advertising is one area that you can consider. Ads on social media help you to reach a wider audience than those who follow you.

Nowadays, social media advertising platforms are so powerful that you can determine precisely who you want to show your ads to. Depending on their backgrounds, interests, attitudes, and more you can create target audiences.

 

Wrapping up

It’s pretty much clear that social media marketing has its advantages, so if your business does not already have suitable profiles, create them! Fill out your business’ information and publish a few attractive content material to start gaining followers. With consistent updating, the right social media marketing strategy will lead to increased traffic, higher conversion rates, improved brand loyalty, and significantly more. It is stated that social media marketing has many advantages so if you are not the part of social media HURRY UP and JOIN it.

 

 

Ankit Patel is a Marketing/Project Manager at XongoLab Technologies LLP which offers top-notch mobile apps development services globally. As a hobby, he loves to write about new & upcoming technology, business, and marketing. His write-ups have been published on popular platforms like TechTarget, SmallBizDaily, JaxEnter, Social-Hire, TorqueMag, and more.

 

 

 

 

 

What are the Most Common Social Media Questions and Answers by @DONNAAMOS

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by Donna Amos | Featured Contributor

There is always something to learn, whether you are a solopreneur starting social media marketing or in a big company with vast marketing experience. Some questions might seem simple to ask, but the answers will put you in a better position to improve your fan base, run your campaign successfully, and convert your followers into leads. We have compiled the most common yet critical questions and answers that will steer you to your success as you avoid costly mistakes in your marketing campaign.

 

1. Is social media important for my business?

In today’s world, social media cannot be ignored in any business. Maintaining a presence on social media channels is by far the best way your business can associate with your potential and current customers. The platforms will let your audience know you are ready to listen to any concerns and willing to resolve them. With social media, you will be able to offer additional customer care services besides emails and phones.

2. How can I choose the right social media platform for my business?

The right platform for you will depend on the kind of business you are running. Your audience might not hang out on every platform. As such, the best way to identify the right channel will be by researching and identifying various networks that you think could work for you. Having made a list of platforms, examine them critically to narrow down to the best one.

Still, if you are searching for a reliable way to reach out to your customers, try Facebook. Facebook has always served as the ultimate platform to promote your product or service, make announcements as you respond to people’s messages and comments. As a solopreneur, it is advisable to stick to one channel for the first months and cover more platforms as your business, and digital marketing bandwidth grows.

3. How do I get many followers?

People will always crowd on your social media channel if you give them a reason to follow you. Many are drawn to the content they can identify with; resources that can add value to their lives. It is best not to concentrate on your bottom dollar. People are searching for images and content that contribute to their lives positively, such as motivational quotes, beautiful pictures of loft apartments, or a news update.

To get started, you can come up with the materials that you are drawn to. Chances will be your potential customers have an interest in the same kind of content. Also, invest in high-quality copy and photos. Another commonly used approach is sharing exclusive contests and promotions for online followers and all good freebie lovers. Lastly, dedicate your time to demonstrate loyal engagement. Showing your online community that you care for them can help you succeed. You can achieve this by liking, following, posting, and making loyal relations in the digital environments.

4. What type of content should I post?

The type of material you share on your social media platform should resonate with your audience. You should keep in mind that your ideal customer is the one showing interest in your brand, service, company culture, and philosophy. A good rapport is created through effective communication. Ask your customers what they need, offer to them what they inquired, and then tell them you delivered it to them. Study competitors feeds to see what resonates with their audience.

Always avoid sharing frequent promotional posts. You can humanize your company by posting informational content, like links to your blogs or any useful article. Diversifying the content in your brand will help you reach a bigger audience, and at the end of the day, you will have a more compelling online feed. Researching to understand the atmosphere of your social media can lead you to influencers who can be your source of inspiration.

5. How often should I post on social media?

The ranking of your post is increased by frequent posting, and this allows your content to reach more people. It also essential to remember the adage, quality over quantity. You don’t have to post if your content is not perfect yet. The frequency for sharing on social media varies from platform to platform. Nonetheless, for you to stay relevance, consider posting at least once in a week on your primary platform.

You can also learn from your top influencers in the market. Base your calendar on those accounts that you consider successful. Performing some A/B testing and analyzing the results at the end of every month can help you identify the days and times that you received the most traffic.

Here is our advice:
Facebook post once per day or five times a week.
Twitter post 3-5 tweets per day.
Instagram start with once a day. Even big brands only post 1.5 times per day.
Linkedin one to two business-related posts per day.

6. Can I succeed with limited time and resources for social media marketing?

It is always a good idea to get the help of a social media marketing expert if you can afford one. The other option would be outsourcing social media services, which seem like a more practical choice for solopreneurs. Maintain one agency for outsourcing all your marketing activities, such as creating content, designing and advertisement. An agency will also help you develop a cohesive approach to maximize your benefits so that you don’t have to worry much about your time and resources.

An agency should not make you forget it’s your responsibility to come up with ideas and draw people to your brand. The outsourcing partner is best in executing. The results can be realized when there is a regular input to your social media team as well as an active involvement.

7. How do I know if social media works for my business?

Some of the essential things to tell if you are making any progress on social media is getting inquiries from customers, people engaging in your posts and asking questions. An increase in traffic coming to your business website can also show some improvements. Using a platform for managing your social media activities will provide you with data to evaluate each month. With this, you will have information showing the number of leads generated by social media marketing campaign for your brand.

This report will also tell you where the prospects come from. As such, it is easy for you to recognize the most effective platform for your business.

8. How much money do I have to spend on social media to get good ROI in my business?

It is advisable to invest your time if you are managing your social media platform on your own. Most networks are free, unless you choose to use the paid advertisement options such as pay-per-click, promoted tweets, boosting a post, among others. Your meaningful conversations, posts and subtle creativity is what will keep you moving. This also helps to attract a larger audience to your page and content. It would help if you expressed how much you value the connection between you and the audience by getting them involved in your business and other gestures like discounts and exclusive offers.

9. Who should create and manage my social media pages?

For a small business, it is best to get an experienced person to implement your social media campaigns. You should not mind hiring a person with good command on communication, sense of humor, good listening skills and excellent practical awareness of social media platforms.

A big company, on the other hand, should pick an experienced individual from the marketing department to take charge of things from account creation to its management with the help of a team of creative designers and writers. Businesses with a flexible budget and no social media marketing experience can hire a social media marketing strategist and consultant on an hourly contract.

Social media management tools can also go a long way in reaching social media marketing objectives. Various paid and free tools depend on your audience, industry, budget and social networks. Some of the best tools are:

• Sprout Social
• Hootsuite
• Solopreneur Connect
• Sendible
• Buffer

10. Is it a good thing to use social media channels for customer services?

Yes, it is brilliant to use social media for customer services. Platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter can be beneficial as they allow you to listen to what your customers want and what gives them a hard time. With these channels, you can respond to their queries immediately and resolve any issue. Essentially, these insights can help you improve your services and products based on your customer’s point of view and even introduce new ideas.

Social media has emerged to be the usual marketing tactic which helps your brand to build awareness, share and engage customers and prospects. Generally speaking, a solopreneur can gain a lot from social media marketing. The channels will help you increase exposure, boost your website traffic and eventually generate leads and sales. You will also get some useful market and audience insights that will help you build your brand loyalty.

 

3 of the Most Popular Social Media Marketing Trends You Need to Know

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What started as a channel to connect people has now become a full-fledged marketing channel. Yes, I am talking about social media.

But with numerous brands competing for the attention of the same audience, how can you make your brand stand out?

You need to focus on producing content that converts, targeting relevant audience groups, and following the latest trends. That’s the key to successful social media marketing.

Let’s take a look at what’s trending on social media and how you can leverage it for effective marketing.

1. Organic Reach is Booming

As the global pandemic led to economic losses, most brands are cutting their ad spends. That’s why marketers are witnessing a significant boost in their organic social reach.

What does it mean for you?

You can also grow your social media following organically by publishing content that is relevant, valuable, and engaging. Remember, this situation won’t last for too long so make the most of it now.

To leverage this opportunity, you should:

  • Plan your social media content calendar effectively.
  • Publish high-quality content every day.
  • Engage your audience via comments, DMs, and interactive Stories.
  • Use other organic marketing tactics such as using hashtags, location tags, Story stickers, and collaborations with other content creators.

You should double your content quality and quantity to increase your reach and engagement.

2. Influencers Are Not Going Anywhere

Influencer marketing plays a crucial role in the marketing plans of most brands, and that is not going to change any soon. However, you need to evaluate the authenticity and worth of your influencers closely.

Analyzing what value an influencer brings to the table has always been important. But with the rise of fake influencers and the de-emphasis on likes as an engagement metric, it has become even more crucial.

Many brands are partnering with nano- and micro-influencers to encourage meaningful conversations and real conversions, and not just growing numbers.

You should partner with influencers only after analyzing their audience demographics, content quality and style, and the overall value through the referral program, they can offer your brand. Even during ongoing partnerships, you should regularly monitor the traffic, clicks, leads, and sales an influencer brings you.

You should hire influencers who can attract more visitors for your outdoor events like – exhibitions, trade shows, and other live events.

This can be a lot of work. To simplify the process of influencer vetting and campaign monitoring, you should consider using some of the best tools for influencer marketing. They can help you get useful insights and make informed decisions.

3. Video Content Will Continue Dominating Social Feeds

Video content is already gaining higher traction and it will continue to do so.

After video posts, video Stories, IGTV videos, YouTube, and TikTok, now content creators will also be leveraging Instagram Reels. Instagram has recently introduced its short 15-sec video feature that will allow users to create videos with music and other filters and share them.

Your marketing strategies will only succeed if you’ll deliver what your consumers want, exactly when they want it, and in the way they like. That’s why videos and platforms have become a must.

72% of customers prefer to learn about a product or service via a video. And they are likely to retain 95% of a message shared via videos.

Aren’t these statistics enough to tell you the importance of investing in video marketing?

Ready to Boost Your Brand’s Presence on Social Media?

As always, the world of social media is evolving.

You should capitalize on the current market trends, experiment, analyze what’s working and what isn’t, and optimize your social media strategy accordingly. Remember, optimizing your marketing strategy is a continuous process and that’s the only way to succeed.

Are you ready to keep up with the changing social media trends?

Do you have questions about how to proceed with your next social campaign? Ask them in the comments below.

COVID-19 and Effective Social Marketing Strategies by @DONNAAMOS

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by Donna Amos | Featured Contributor

Social Networks, Marketing and a Global Pandemic

The world is nothing like it used to be at this moment in time. The global COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything everywhere for the time being. The reality is, too, that things may never go back to the way they used to be. This influences all aspects of day-to-day existence as well. It has even had a massive effect on how businesses approach digital marketing. If you want to master social media marketing for the pandemic and beyond, then you should look into these strategies as soon as possible. You should approach marketing on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn nowadays with all of the caution and smarts in the world.

  1. Focus on Audience Targeting

If you want to track down leads and strengthen engagement in a big way, then you should take the time to focus on audience targeting. It can help to turn to devices such as the Facebook ads manager. If you utilize this, then you’ll be able to track down an audience that’s practically tailored to your specific preferences and wishes. If you want to figure out who exactly needs to see your latest advertisements, then you need to make in-depth targeting one of your top aims.

  1. Help Social Network Users Get Breaks From the Harsh Realities of Life Nowadays

There is no disputing that life nowadays is difficult and unpredictable for so many people all around the globe. That’s the reason that it can be such a good idea for businesses to help social media users get welcome breaks from all sorts of difficulties. People more than ever need pleasant distractions that can put genuine smiles on their faces. It can be an intelligent idea to integrate joy into news pieces. If you want to post a relevant story for your audience members, then you should think about possibly implementing fascinating video clips. You should think about possibly introducing them to other things that may pique their interest levels as well. Virtual tours of intriguing destinations may just do the trick.

  1. Zero in on Context

It’s critical to zero in on context. There’s no arguing that this pandemic has influenced people all around the planet. There’s also no disputing that its effects in many cases hit close to home. That’s the reason that the smartest businesses out there should study up on how it has affected cities, towns and communities all over the map. If you want to avoid doing anything insensitive unintentionally, then you should make a point to study up on regional matters that may change how you approach your social network “voice” during the pandemic. If you hear about a small town close to you that has experienced particularly significant job loss as a result of the pandemic, then you may want to reconsider how you handle your posts that are relevant to all of its locals.

  1. Evaluate Things Over and Over Again

Nonstop reevaluations can do wonders for businesses that want to approach pandemic social network use intelligently and sensitively. Markets are evolving more rapidly than ever these days. That’s why you need to go above and beyond to reevaluate matters with significant frequency. You should reevaluate your marketing campaigns. You should reevaluate your rules as well. Things that you implemented a month ago may no longer be pertinent or appropriate. You should realize that the only thing that you can actually predict is that situations will never be the same. Reevaluate how you move forward with blog posting times, video clips, response times and beyond. Something that may have been acceptable or perhaps even beneficial half a year ago may be completely out of touch nowadays.

  1. Analyze All of Your Creative Choices at Length

It’s critical to meticulously analyze your creative choices that involve social networks. Think about the tone you use any time you caption Facebook or Instagram posts of any kind. Think about your keyword selection. Think about your blog subjects. It can even help to think about the images you choose to adorn your sites. It may not be fitting to take things too lightly at this moment in time. If you want to approach social network use sensitively, then you may want to limit your jokes for a while. People aren’t exactly in the mood to be rolling around on the ground laughing. Although you shouldn’t rule out humor entirely, you should make a point to approach it both delicately and sensitively.

Consider human contact as well. You may want to stay away from any and all references to excessive touch. Showing images of people embracing passionately may not be something you want to do for quite a while.

  1. Concentrate on Expanding Your Social Networking Accounts

If you want to approach social networking intelligently during the pandemic, then you should concentrate on account expansion. You shouldn’t concentrate on conversions. Your digital marketing style should not revolve around motivating audience members to complete sales. It should revolve around expanding your audience in a considerable and meaningful way. Don’t forget that your audience members do not have a lot of cash to spare right now. They can usually only set aside funds for the basics. If you want to come out on top when all is said and done, then you should put a lot of energy and time into making your Internet following a lot more rock-solid for the future. Aim to release content that offers tangible value to people. Aim to give people access to content that’s actually vital. It can be smart to give your followers suggestions regarding all of the things that they can do to look after themselves while in confinement. It can be smart to give them suggestions that relate to getting more done while working remotely as well. Practicality is of the essence these days.

  1. Team Up With Influential Figures in Your Field or Industry

It can be highly intelligent to network with people in your industry or field who are particularly influential. You may want to join forces with widely known “influencers.” Ask an influencer if you can pen a guest blog for him or her. Ask an influencer if he or she may want to pen a guest blog for your official website. If you do this, then you may be able to gain the interest of brand new consumers. Teaming up with influencers can be a speedy and effective way for businesses nowadays to up their social network marketing strategies. It can be a win-win situation as well. That’s because you may be able to help influencers strengthen their already robust Internet followings.

  1. Get Deeply Acquainted With Your Target Audience Members

People have more time on their hands in recent times. That’s why it may be a terrific opportunity for businesses to get even more acquainted with their target audience members. It may be a fantastic idea to conduct surveys of your audience members. Take the time to discover all of the things that truly make them tick. Zero in on your audience members’ deepest emotions, too. Ask them about the things that give them fear. Ask them about the things that may give them hope for brighter tomorrows. The more “in the loop” you are with your audience members, the simpler it will be for you to please them at later times.

  1. Be Selfless

Businesses that are intelligent should aim to come across as being selfless. If you want to come across that way, then you should start by actually being that way. Do not fixate as much on your business and its aspirations. Concentrate on your audience members above all else.

  1. Test Brand New Concepts Out Right Now

Businesses in this day and age should be more fearless and bold than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic is a terrific “excuse” for businesses to test out fresh new concepts as well. It may be brilliant to test out concepts that are totally unfamiliar to you. You may want to play around with social media posting times. You may want to try new avenues such as giveaways, competitions and contests in general. Things aren’t the way they used to be. That’s why it can be a pretty safe time to do things that make you feel a bit uncertain. You should test out things that involve image selection, video clips and more.

Strategize your social plans: How can starts-ups maintain a steady social media presence? by @AlmaCausey

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Strategize your social plans: How can starts-ups maintain a steady social media presence?

“Hello, all! I am so excited for our weekend plans!” Annie exclaimed as she barged in after work.

To her dismay, no one responded. Tania was angrily sending voice notes to someone. Mike appeared like he would shatter the screen with his furious typing. And Ben, as usual, was lying on the couch with earphones on. Disappointed, Annie went to her room, stumped on the bed, and began scrolling her Instagram.

Does this scenario ring a bell?

Pretty much, every home these days has turned into a media hotspot. From adults to kids, as young as five years, are a part of the target market for many businesses. Be it leisure, apparel, accessories, and firms specializing in designer footwear or academic applications.

Leaving the debate of its pros and cons for another day, let’s discuss it from a corporate perspective. Social media has become the central focus of business entities. It started as an entertainment tool, but now it is one of the most sophisticated marketing tools for entrepreneurs. Marketers spent over $89 billion on social media advertising and marketing in 2019.

The stats only convince them to spend more. Currently, more than 42% of the world’s population has a social media account. That is over 3.2 billion users!

Clearly, marketing on social media is worth the effort. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram have become indispensable parts of customer acquisition, brand awareness, content distribution, and lead generation. All of it becomes even more essential if you are a start-up. Strategize your social media presence to maintain a steady standing in the digital community.

Clueless on how to tread here? Let us spell it out for you.

Step one: Craft a Plan that Works

First things first, you must set some attainable goals. The best way to do that is to ensure they are SMART. Below, we have the image to decipher such objectives:

Source

It is good to expand your social network. However, unless you figure out what you want to achieve via expansion, you can’t expect successful outcomes. Following are a few goals a start-up usually looks forward to pursuing:

  • Generate new leads
  • Improve brand awareness
  • Enhance web traffic
  • Increase sales

Step two: Choose a suitable platform

Once you know your goals, it is time to find which platform caters to your needs. This depends on the niche you are working in. For example, if you are in tech, LinkedIn would be a better option than Instagram.

Note that not all social media channels have the same purpose. The target audience for each is different. Given the variation, you must pick a channel where you can connect with the right people at the right time.

Source

As a start-up, you can’t afford the luxury of failing often. You need to ensure your advertising budget works hard for you. Keep it minimum, but make sure your strategies are relevant. For instance, if you are a B2B, go to LinkedIn. If you are an e-commerce agency, work on Instagram.

There are a few ways you can go about finding where your audience is hanging out.

  • A straightforward approach is to carry out the customer survey. Ask questions like which social platform they use the most, which influencers they follow the most, and from where they get their online info.
  • Another method is to deploy social media sites. Platforms like Facebook allow you to estimate the size of the audience.
  • Also, you can research the demographics of each social site through the Pew Research Center for the Internet and Technology.

Next, follow what Patrick Ward from High-Speed Experts believes, that once you’ve identified where your customer resides, you can be consistent and valuable to master your chosen social platform truly. This will definitely make a strong impact!

Step three: Analyze competitor’s social presence

As soon as you have set up your social media profiles, it’s time to do some stalking. Snoop into your competitor’s social media profiles and check what the devil they are up to. Being the newbie in the industry, you have to spot the competing parties first. You should monitor the social media presence of mid-sized and even larger corporations.

Experts recommend using third-party tools to have a closer look at competitor’s social media performance. Websites like Keyhole, SEMRush, and RivalIQ can help you audit the social media of competitors. You can study the metrics and evaluate the content they are producing.

Here are a few things you should pay attention to:

  • Posting frequency
  • Content quality
  • Comments/likes details
  • Number of followers

Step four: Design a content marketing strategy

Your content marketing strategy, in its essence, is the outline of your start-up. It contains a detailed plan that you can use to address your audience. Bear in mind; there is no general content marketing strategy template. Each business has to design its own.

Allow your creative genies to join heads and come up with a plan meant to boost brand awareness. It is not always about crafting blog posts. It includes videos, infographics, case studies, research outcomes, graphics, animations, and much more. Filter out the type of content that will allow you to reach your audience in the best possible ways.

Source

When promoting content on social media, you must go both ways: paid and organic. For the latter, you can use third-party distributors or influencers to promote your content. It will assist you in reaching out to different sources and add your content to their social channels or websites. Besides, you must anticipate the frequency of posts your audience requires. A social media scheduling tool will allow you to keep up with the pace.

Step five: Build relationships and find leads

As a start-up, your ultimate success lies in the relationships you build. Use your social channels to interact with the audience, respond to their queries, and offer free or discounted items. Take their feedback when necessary and enlighten them about your long-term plans.

Summing Up

At the outset, building a social media presence may sound simple. Yet as you advance, you’ll understand it’s a bit tacky.

Don’t fret when this realization hits you!

Many entities made it big, and you can do it too. All you need is professional knowledge and a couple of experts up your sleeve.

Initiate your journey and share with us how it goes. Good Luck!

 

How To Perform A Competitor Analysis (And Why It’s Important) by @BlairKaplanPR

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by Blair Kaplan Venables

There’s nothing like a little healthy competition to light a preverbal fire under you. With the increase of businesses moving online during this COVID era, you need to make sure that your business stands out online. If you’re one of the 1% of entrepreneurs who managed to create a business with no direct competitors, congratulations! If you’re like 99% of the rest of us, it’s time to do some homework. Stat. It’s important to know who your competition is, what they are selling, how they are selling it, where they are marketing and what they are doing right. If you know this information, you are able to work on a strategy to potentially capture their clients and grow your business.

A good place to start your investigation is by performing a social media competitor analysis. By scoping out your competition, you will be able to see where their weaknesses may lie, which is information that you can use to you advantage. For example, if you see that your competition isn’t on a specific social media network and you know that your target demographic is spending time on that social media network, you may want to build up a presence there.

 

Identify Your Competitions

What other companies are competing for the business that you seek to obtain? You should be able to identify at least five companies that are your competition. You can do this by Googling key words, asking friends and doing your own research.

The best place to start finding out information about their social media presence is via their website, where these links should be posted. It’s also helpful to go into each social media platform and search their name because sometimes websites aren’t up to date with social links.

 

Document Your Findings

Creating a competition chart is the best way to record your findings. Open up your favorite spreadsheet program (I’m an Excel or Google Sheets gal, myself), open a new document and make rows listing your competitor’s names. Then create columns for the following four key pieces of information about your competitor’s online presence:

  1. Where are they on social media? Don’t forget about LinkedIn, TikTok and other surprising places they may be.
  2. What type of content are they creating? Is it instructional or do they share personal stories?
  3. How many followers they have on each social media network?
  4. Any notes you may want to reference later.

Determine Key Opportunities

We aren’t just cruising social media to be a lookie-loo. We now need to analyze the stats that we have found. Once your chart is filled in, you will be able to see what your competition’s social media strengths are (which may be places you don’t want to compete with them) and where their weaknesses lay (which may create opportunities for you to lead the pack).

Keep in mind you’re not trying to replicate someone else’s strategy. Your social media approach should be unique. But you are looking for opportunities. You may also find content ideas that your top competition isn’t executing yet, which is fantastic news. Learn what they are doing and you can figure out how to do it better or differently. There are always opportunities on social media to create great content and grow your brand’s presence.

 

 

Blair Kaplan Venables is an expert in social media marketing and the president of Blair Kaplan Communications, a British Columbia-based PR agency. As a pioneer in the industry, she brings more than a decade of experience to her clients, which include global wellness, entertainment and lifestyle brands. Blair has helped her customers grow their followers into the tens of thousands in just one month, win integrative marketing awards and more. She has spoken on national stages and her expertise has been featured in media outlets including CBC Radio and Thrive Global. Blair is also the author of Pulsing Through My Veins: Raw and Real Stories from an Entrepreneur. When she’s not working on the board for her local chamber of commerce, you can find Blair growing the “I Am Resilient Project,” an online community where users share their stories of overcoming life’s most difficult moments.

5 Things You Need to Know About Making Money Through Instagram

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Photo credit: @virtuallydone Instagram

by Jemma Broadstock

With marketing budgets increasingly being spent on digital marketing, you aren’t alone if you’re running around like a headless chicken trying to understand the ins and outs of using Instagram for your business.

So if you have no idea how to make money through your Instagram, here’s are 5 key things to bare in mind:

 

1. Consistency is Key

If you think posting an image every now and again is going to do it, you’re wrong. You need to be showing up consistently, not only on your feed, but on your stories too.

The message in your captions, stories, bio and hashtags all needs to make sense. If the content isn’t consistently sharing the same message or your content isn’t consistently being shared, people won’t become familiar with you as a brand.

You want to get to the point where people see a quote graphic you created pop up on their feed and they know it’s you before they’ve seen your name because the message, fonts and colours are all consistent with what they have seen from you before.

In an ideal world, people should be seeing something from you daily. This doesn’t mean you have to post something new and exciting every day, instead you can show up on your stories. Share an insight into your day, or upload your to do list – people love behind the scenes content, and this will keep your engagement up on the days you don’t post.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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2. Make sales easy⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

This might seem like an obvious point, but it’s a mistake I see way too often.

The average consumer attention span is 8 seconds. Someone should be able to click onto your profile and know within those 8 seconds who you are, what you do, and who your product or service is for. Your biography should explain this clearly and concisely, with a specific call to action and a link for people to click if they want to learn more.

“Mystical goddess helping millennial women do amazing things” might sound cool to you, but no one will know what that means. Who are you? What do you do? Who do you help? If you don’t answer these questions, they will not take the time to DM and ask you, they’ll simply click off your profile.

Your copy doesn’t need to be complex; it just needs to be simple and easy to understand.

 

3. Creating connections is everything

People often talk about the dreaded ‘algorithm’ which underlies some of the curious things Instagram does such as showing or not showing our account to other people.

Don’t let this scare you! Instagram is based on connection. If you engage with your target audience, and by engage, I mean follow, DM, comment and like, Instagram will connect you with more of those types of people.

This doesn’t mean you should be downloading ‘engagement’ apps or joining ‘engagement pods’. Instagram is clever and will punish you for any unnatural or fake engagement. Instead, each day spend some time genuinely connecting with people within your network. Vote on their story polls and send them a DM if you love what they are doing. This really is the secret to success on Instagram!

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4. Being vulnerable works

You might feel that everything on your Instagram has to remain 10/10 professional at all times BUT this stops connections from being made.

As we all know, people buy from people, and to build that like, know and trust factor, you need to show your human side. You can do this by uploading pictures of yourself, running mini trainings on your stories, or writing captions that give an insight into your life.

Sharing video content has become huge on Instagram lately and with 4 in 5 consumers admitting they would rather learn about a product through a video, it’s no wonder why!

By being vulnerable and sharing the person behind the business, people feel more connected to you. Whatever your story, share an insight into your life and it will make a huge difference to the way your followers engage with you.

On the flip side, if you make your life look perfect, people can’t relate. Instead, show the ups and downs of your business. Talk about your insecurities. Share your journey. You’ll be amazed how many people DM you and tell you they can relate.

Miss the last post and panicking? Share it!

Spilt coffee down your shirt before a big meeting? Share it!

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5. Good things take time

It might not be what you want to hear, but you won’t get 10k followers overnight or get clients with your first Instagram post. A successful social media profile takes months of hard work and good content to build up.

Be patient and it will pay off.

 

 

 

Jemma Broadstock is a Virtual Assistant and Social Media Manager specialising in using Instagram for online businesses. As well as working as a Virtual Assistant and Social Media Manager, Jemma also runs Virtually Done, an online platform for those wanting to learn how to be VAs.

Connect with Jemma on Instagram.

Learn more about her services here.