Category: General

10 Steps to “SEE FIRST” on Facebook

10 Steps to “SEE FIRST” on Facebook – January 2018

With the major changes announced by Facebook last week, business page owners and marketers will need to rethink their approach on maximising the opportunities that Facebook has to offer – Please note has and not “had” as some people seem to be announcing!

The changes in algorithms is not the end of Facebook for businesses. We simply need to regroup, re think and come up with alternative and creative ways of reaching the 2.1 Billion users of the platform.

One step you can take immediately is to recommend your followers to add your business page to their “See First” list under their preferences. This is a functionality that many people do not use or even aware off. It is a way of saying to Facebook, I really like this page and want to make sure I see their posts as they are important to me, so please show them on my timeline.

So what action do you need to take?
We suggest you contact your loyal followers and ask them to take a minute to action this in order not to miss out on your social media activity. You can do this by putting out a post and giving them a guide on how to do this (even send them here if you wish) or maybe even email or message them on messenger, whichever is the easiest for you.

To help, we have written a simple step by step guide to show users how to set their preferences and hopefully to get your page on their “See First” list.

6 Must Do's on Social Media


10 Steps to “SEE FIRST” on Facebook

How to let Facebook know which Pages’ posts you would like to see prioritised in your timeline. Follow this easy to follow step by step guide to get this done on your own page.

1. Log in to your personal Facebook page

seefirst 1

2. In the top left-hand corner, click on the 3 dots on “News Feed” tab

3. Now select “Edit Preferences”

seefirst 2

4. This will bring up a pop up screen with various preference choices you can amend.

seefirst 3

5. Select “Prioritise who to see first”

6. This will then bring up the profile photos of various business pages you have liked or followed, as well as personal pages of friends.

seefirst 4
7. You then can filter whether you want to select which group you want to select from:

Friends, (Business) Pages or People you see first
As a business you want to encourage your followers of your page to select your company’s business page!

seefirst 5

8. Whichever filter you select you will then be shown the profile photos of those pages

9. You now simply need to select which ones you want Facebook to prioritise on your timeline by clicking on the profile photo.

10. Once you have selected all the pages you want prioritised just click on “Done” and return to your Facebook page and enjoy seeing what everyone’s been up to!

You can also download a electronic version of this guide here

Oh, one more very important step:

You need to add our mc square marketing Facebook page as one of your See First pages or this whole exercise will not work!!! 😄😜

6 Must Do's on Social Media

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Keep up to date across all our social pages:

Facebook: mc square marketing     Twitter: @mcsquareltd

Instagram: mcsquaremarketing     LinkedIn: Michael Cuschieri

How to ACHIEVE and CELEBRATE SUCCESS

I have today returned from an incredible few days in Newcastle in the United Kingdom, where I was attending a conference for Business Networking International (BNI) Directors 2017. So, I thought it was appropriate to share some of the knowledge, tips and quotes that I took away to apply for my businesses.

Before setting of last Thursday, as we should al do prior to attending any event, I had set my objectives for attending as a BNI Director Consultant in the Hertfordshire West Central Region. These were:

  • Learn new processes and initiatives that other leaders have tried and tested, that help professionals make more money
  • Network with over 250 other attendees, both those that I have now know for over 8 years as well as meeting new likeminded professionals
  • Share my knowledge and experience to hopefully add value to others.
  • Have some fun.

I am delighted to say I well and truly achieved all the above and a lot more and if I were to summarise my takeaways in just words they would be:

SUCCESS  |  RELATIONSHIPS  |  SMALL GAINS  |  CELEBRATE

Martine Wright MBE

Following some early morning business networking our event started on Friday with our great host for the 3 days Greg Davies introducing our guest speaker Martine Wright MBE.

A truly inspirational person that shared with us her “Power of 7” following her amazing journey since being injured in the 7/7 bombings in London. A great story to show that “Anything is Possible” and how that event changed her life forever but only through making Choices, Maximising Every Opportunity, Embracing Change, Teamwork, Marginal Gain, My Team Me and the Principal of Belief! WOW what a story and thank you for sharing this with us and I can’t wait to read her new book due out in July. You can actually pre order now on amazon too.

RELATIONSHIPS

The importance of building strong business relationships came through from several speakers including BNI UK National Directors, Charlie Lawson and Tim Cook as well as Phil Berg, Mike Holman and Ewan Sturman on “The Referral Process”. Do you know your staff, your team and what about your customers? Or should we say, “How well do you know them?” Do you really know what they enjoy doing out of work, what makes them tick, do they have any specific goals?

You need to be making time to ask and discover more about them so you can get to know them, help them achieve success too and to be able to also say “Thank You” to them appropriately – by giving them gifts that they like!! And guess what? During the process, they will also start learning more about you too and get to know “why” you do what you do! Put all this together and people will be happier to use and even promote your business to others for you.

SMALL GAINS

We all know that having goals and objectives are vital in business but how many of us have a process to help us achieve them?

Dan Kelly introduced us to his OST approach – Objectives, Strategy and Tactics which he has applied to his business. Your strategy and tactics must be kept simple and realistic and could be based on regular monthly campaigns, each delivering a small increase in results.  Similarly, Julian Lewis as part of his “Do you Zig or Do you Zag” session highlighted how you could set challenges for your team over a period of time but with regularly weekly milestones. He also reminded us that as leaders our role is like a coach and how we can inspire people to achieve. This was brilliantly demonstrated through the short video clip of the “Death Crawl scene form Facing the Giants” I totally recommend you watch it.

https://youtu.be/-sUKoKQlEC4

CELEBRATE

Many speakers talked about how they congratulated and awarded their teams on achieving results and ensured they celebrate their success. And of course, not to forget thanking clients for using our products or services. Why? Because it shows appreciation and motivates people and helps with retaining your clients. People love recognition when they have achieved something.

From a simple phone call or thank you card – of course relevant to something they are interested in through having built your relationship! Invitation to exclusive events to feel like they belong to an elite group because of their achievements, such as Dan Kelly’s Pareto Club in Norfolk and The Green Club of Brian Gates and Kathryn Saggers. Or it could be a financial contribution, small or large, to an external social event or simple gift.

BNI Conference 2017 #BNIDC17

If I were to summarise my takeaway in one phrase it would be:

“Success in business is all about building strong relationships, achieving growth through bite size gains and celebrating every time.”

 This is what BNI helps you achieve! As a member for 12 years, I am truly passionate about the organisation and the way we help other professional businesses make more money as it has done for my mc square marketing business. To find out more about how your business can benefit from the ethos of “Givers Gain” please do get in touch. Wherever you are around the world I can help introduce you to possibly your next biggest client!

you deserve to be referred more business

And finally …

I couldn’t end my article without including some inspirational messages from some of the other top speakers I was privileged to listen to. A big thank you to you all for planting that important nugget in my mind to now act on.

“My knowledge is irrelevant without the ability to empower others to take action from it” – Phil Berg

“Ignorance on fire is better than knowledge on ice” – Kathryn Saggers

“The Upward Spiral – A positive ATTITUDE leads to Positive BEHAVIOUR which leads to Positive RESULTS!” – Niri Patel

“81% of employees are motivated to work harder through APPRECIATION” – Peter Higgs

“Get more deeper relationships, not just meet lots more people” – Ewan Sturman

“Leaders do things that followers are not expecting” – Julian Lewis

 

 

 

How to go VIRAL? Pokemon Go!

On July 6th a digital phenomenon hit the US, Australia and New Zealand. It was the resurgence of what was once a hugely popular card game back in the nineties – Pokémon. Only this time, it had returned in the form of the mobile augmented reality game Pokémon Go. Just over a week later, the game had doubled Nintendo’s market value to £23.5 billion, putting it back on the map. Now available in 35 countries, not only has the game managed to successfully attract millennials – a target market reluctant to play ball with direct advertising – but it has also re-captured the hearts of its original fans. So how has the team behind Pokémon Go managed to do this in such a short space of time and what lessons can we learn?

While no one could have predicted the speed in which word spread about the game, it wasn’t just luck. There are a number of factors that have helped with its success so far.

pokemongo 1

1 – Know your Audience
The right players were onboard from the very start. The game was jointly developed by Niantic, the Pokémon Company and Nintendo. It just so happens that Google is a major shareholder of Niantic which will have helped to take augmented reality to the next level with the integration of Google Maps. Nintendo is also part owner of Niantic, which will have helped with the publishing of the game. In addition, both Google and Apple collect 30 per cent of in-app purchases so they are fully committed to the current and future success of the game.

2 – Be part of their life
Pokémon Go has successfully weaved itself into everyday life. The game uses Google Maps to integrate the real world with its virtual universe, so players have to catch Pikachu and other Pokémon creatures from their phones in real life locations such as pubs and restaurants. While AR has already been widely adopted by brands such as Aldi and House of Fraser, none have succeeded in taking it to this level.

3 – Create demand
Thirdly, by starting in the US, it created a huge buzz around the game. Naturally, the UK wanted a piece of the action, and so rather miraculously, a hack was ‘leaked’ which enabled players to download the game by changing their phone settings. After just two weeks in the US and a few days in the UK, it already had around 21 million daily active users in the US, surpassing Candy Crush’s peak audience of 20 million users.

4 – Plan to monetise
Fourthly, the game generates countless opportunities for local businesses and brands. The team behind the game has been clever not to alienate other sectors and instead, are working collaboratively on various in-game purchases and sponsorship deals. A number of businesses have bought the in-game ‘Lure’ item (which at a cost, brings Pokémon to a specific location for 30 minutes), to drive footfall. Another example is Japan’s McDonald’s which is to become the game’s first sponsor, with 3,000 plus restaurants becoming “gyms” or battlegrounds for Pokémon collectors.

5 – Build a Social Media Tribe
And the icing on the cake is that Pokémon Go is turning into the ultimate social AR game, globally. Last weekend in Mumbai nearly 2,000 people attended the Midnight Pokewalk, with a further 7,800 interested. This Saturday is the Pokémon Go Massive Lure Party in Trafalgar Square, which already has 4,000 signed up and an additional 10,000 interested. Social media is not only a platform for creating buzz, sharing tips and promoting live events, but it’s playing an integral part in closing the gap even further between the game and reality.

pokemongo 2

Like with anything that takes off too quickly though, problems with volume arise. In this case, it resulted in a total server collapse. There’s also talks that the ‘three footprint tracking bug’ (which means tracking doesn’t work like it did at the start) was a deliberate move to reduce some of the load on the servers. However, whilst this may have impacted the experience to some extent for existing players, it doesn’t appear to have made much of a dent in the game’s popularity.

So whether you’re a keen player yourself, or you’ve been privy to a few distracted teenagers (or adults) walking into lampposts and the like, the game will reach you some way or another.

Have they got to you yet and what are your thoughts on Pokemon Go?

Visit www.pokemongo.com to find out more or just download straight to your phone

Are you a creative thinker

We have an opportunity for a creative individual looking to be part of the team in our award winning professional marketing agency – mc square marketing. Successful individuals will help deliver social media management for our growing number of clients as well as other marketing projects. You will be promoting company brands online and engaging with a target audience to build online relationships with existing and prospective customers of a brand.

watch video and find out more.

 

Applicants must have a good knowledge of how social media channels effectively work and help in business growth. Creative and strategic thinking together with the ability to communicate clearly both online and face to face with clients and team members is essential. Previous experience in delivering social media projects and general marketing campaigns for businesses and/or organisations would be advantageous.

As a potential social media assistant, any successful individual should have an active online profile across key channels such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Other channels you would be aware of should include Instagram, Pinterest, Google+ and Blogging.

This position is initially for a part time person working approx 25 – 35 hours a week with the possibility of a full time position within the company in the long term. The hours of work can be flexible to suit childcare and will be office based in Enfield, London.


Internship / Placement

In addition we are also looking for students looking for work experience in the creative marketing industry and want a Placement or Internship, either during school/college holidays and whilst at university/college. If you are interested please also send your CV marked specifically as Internship/Placement.

Applicants should contact Michael Cuschieri via email at mail@https:https://mcsquare.co.uk with a copy of their CV.

It’s not ALL about the BASS! It’s ALL about the PLANNING!

 

Why you should have a Marketing Plan for your business.

Welcome to the latest video in the series of “ADDING VALUE” to business. Our topic today is all about PLANNING!

Your success in 2015 and beyond can be achieved by simply planning your marketing activity for the next 6 or even better 12 months. Investing time in your business now will help you achieve your objectives and sales targets. Find out more in our video on how the little things can make a difference to maximising your potential. watch the video!

Important questions to be asking yourself?

  • What promotional activities should we be considering this year?
  • What worked last year and what needed improving?
  • What “Calendar Events” are important to our business, eg Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter, Father’s day…….
  • Who is our target customer and where will find them?
  • What products or services can we promote eg New product launch, late night shopping, FREE Parking, FREE gifts, 2 for 1, Special Social Media Management packages….
  • What channels will we use to promote your campaign eg online advertising, Digital marketing, Social media, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube, Pinterest, Instagram….. leaflet distribution, local or national newspaper and publications?
  • Who will be responsible for delivering any given marketing activity?
  • Have we set deadlines for each proposed activity?

These are just a few considerations and should you require any further help or advice please do get in touch on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or even email or call.

mc square marketing | 020 8367 5659 | www.https:https://mcsquare.co.uk

 

 

The power of Hashtags

Einstein’s Friday Formulas

What exactly are hashtags – #?

The use of the hashtag is now crucial in everyday social media as it has become a search tool. The symbol known as the hashtag is # and is put at the beginning of a word to allow users to search for posts or tweets of a certain topic. Although this has spread to Facebook, it originally started within Twitter as it was used at the end of tweets to highlight the main points, e.g. #Selfie. This search tool is a useful addition to many social media interactions.

However, it is worth noting that you shouldn’t just hashtag anything in your tweets/posts. You should choose the key aspects of what you are discussing or posting about. The more relevant they are, the more they are going to be searched and the more interaction they will provoke. For example, the #2014WorldCup was in trend more so than the #WinterOlympics this summer.

How many should you use?

It is also important the number of hashtags you use. Some recommend to make use of lots, whereas others suggest to only use 1 or 2. As a social media team, we have learnt there are times for both. When it comes to hashtags about business it is better to use as many as you can, covering lots of different aspects of business e.g. #Marketing #Advertising #Entrepreneur #Networking so that when someone searches for any of these your post comes up and whatever point or advertisement you were posting is noticed. Our experience has shown us that 5 or 6 hashtags have been optimal for achieving desired results with social media content (C).

Make the most of Trends (T)

However, when talking about a social trend it is useful to highlight the trend in your hashtags as there will be a specific hashtag which lots of people are looking for and using themselves. When a subject or issue is given a great deal of attention and publicity, the hashtag is universally accepted as representing and relating to that topic. This means the content and opinions of what people are posting can all be found by conducting a search using this word or phrase. We thoroughly recommend that if there is a specific hashtag trending hugely then it is advisable to use that one.

Either way, hashtags are the face of today’s social media and it can really help boost the reach (R) and engagement (E) of your posts and also the interaction from others, which will lead to more followers and likes.

What are your experiences with hashtags? Have they helped your posts reach a greater audience? Comment below or let us know on our Facebook page here or on our Twitter page here

How content encourages social engagement

Einstein’s Friday Formulas

Social media users view and share many posts everyday but many businesses often struggle to ensure that their content is among them.

Potential customers on social media (be it Twitter or Facebook etc.) are often shown many adverts by companies encouraging them to buy their product or service. The way to make your content and business stand out among all these is through social engagement.

By creating and wording your content in a specific way, you are encouraging your followers to engage with you and ask questions about what it is your business can offer them. Doing so allows you to grab their attention and sustain it as well as listening to what they have to say about your brand. Here are some tips to improve your contents ability to engage:

  • Pictures – Before you begin engaging you must first make your content eye-catching to someone scrolling down their newsfeed. This can be done by including a large, high-quality picture of something that illustrates what you’re trying to say in your post. This grabs the attention of your customers without them even reading a word of your post! This is a great start to making your content noticeable.
  • Examples of successful service – Try to post content that educates your customers about what it is you do. Share examples of successful jobs you’ve completed for customers. This encourages people to comment and ask informed questions about details of your business and gives you a great opportunity to begin interacting with them. This can also be done with screenshots of awards or positive testimonials from satisfied customers. For business pages, Facebook has a review section allowing customers to rate your business out of five stars and write what they thought of your product/service.
  • Tips & Advice – Building on the notion of educating, this next step involves posting content that gives your followers tips and advice about what your company does. This gives them more of an incentive to monitor your content and look out for your updates. The tips must be brief and to the point and illustrated with the use of a relevant picture.
  • Sharing Posts – Customers and other users love it when you share their posts. This action says to them that you want other people to read the same great content that you just read. Not only does this make your followers feel valued but it will encourage them to begin to share YOUR posts. Doing so is great as it will help you reach and hopefully attract a greater number of users than you were previously. It’s also worth commenting on the posts of your followers and asking them relevant questions about what they wrote. This helps start a conversation that will be visible to others who view the same post.   
  • Local news and Events – Make sure you follow local news and events. This is great content to share and publish as it shows that you are aware of what’s going on in your area and that you want others to know about it. Customers are given even more of a reason to follow your posts because they will also be hearing about what’s going on in their community. This is also a great chance to engage with your followers by asking if they are attending a certain event or what they thought about certain news and developments. 
What ideas do you have on social engagement through social media? Let us know on our Facebook page here  or on our Twitter page here

Social Media – 'How To' Guide

Yeah, yeah, yeah….Social Media – we all know how it’s done don’t we? What’s all the fuss about – surely we all utilise the tools for our own personal means so just transfer the same methodology to marketing our businesses, yes?

NO!

Let’s just take a step back – the last thing any of us want to do is damage the reputation of our business by not fully considering all aspects of social media and how this fits with our current business plan. Unless we have a thorough strategy for how we are to implement social media we will never be able to benefit from it’s promotional attributes.

Too many businesses jump in the deep end and set up accounts on all technologies only to then realise they need to take initial and subsequent time to create content which reflects their business and it’s brand! In addition it will become transparent that perhaps the audience they’re communicating with isn’t appropriate for the development of their business.

Social media requires planning just like any other part of a business or project but there’s no need to be afraid! There’s an acronym created by Forrester Research (http://www.forrester.com/rb/research) which can help structure your approach:

  • People. Review your target customer’s social behaviours and attitudes.
  • Objectives. Decide on your social technology goals.
  • Strategy. Determine how your objectives will change your relationship with customers.
  • Technology. Choose the appropriate technologies to deploy.

By following this approach you’ll be able identify and build upon your ideal client base/networks and cut through all the fog that could potentially hold you up in achieving your social media marketing goals. 

Go get them!