How to Create Engaging Content Over the Christmas Period

 

rawpixel-191157-unsplash

 

How to Create Engaging Content Over the Christmas Period.

Are you thinking about how you can make your social media channels standout over this festive period? Here are our top content ideas for you to explore.

 Festive cover and profile photo

Change your cover and profile photo to a festive one to get yourself, your team and your followers in the Christmas spirit.

Your cover photo is like your hoarding. Do you have any information, products and/or offers you could showcase specifically over the Christmas period? Even if that’s not the case just having a festive cover photo with office decorations will do the trick. Similarly, you could add a Santa hat, mistletoe or a snowflake to your profile picture. Make sure you have consistent festive cover & profile photos across your social media channels.

Create a festive offer

Christmas is one of the biggest spending seasons of the year. It makes a lot of sense to curate special offers for the Holiday season. You could influence a sale by creating ‘limited time only’ offers that will instill a sense of urgency in potential customers. Offering FREE shipping (if possible) will definitely push customers to buy from you online.

Create content with a festive twist!

If you are able to get an emotional response from your audience or simply get them excited about the holidays, that’s creating your ultimate engagement on social media.

Get your audience talking. You can create polls on your Facebook page. You could ask people about their favourite Christmas moment, or get them to compare two products in a poll.

If you can somehow talk about food on your channels, then definitely use that to your advantage. Share recipes, cooking tips etc. or get your followers involved- ask them to share their experiences, tips & advice. E.g. you could simply ask – Choose between this or that? Pigs in Blankets or Devils on Horseback?

You could also share tips and advice on decorating your home, gifting & gift-wrapping ideas. Sharing useful information on social media always wins.

Tip- Keep it simple. Research indicates that people generally remember content grouped in three so try and choose three main points and communicate them point wise.

Festive giveaway

Everyone loves a giveaway, especially this time of year! Hosting a festive giveaway can generate loads and loads of engagement on your pages. Just make sure the prize is lucrative enough. You could do an advent giveaway- a prize a day for 12 days of Christmas. Be sure to use consistent images everyday and talk at length about the prize to keep the audience hooked and have them come back for more.

Think of your end goal too, what are you trying to achieve with this giveaway- it could simply be a means to get more people into your FB messenger list or raise brand awareness or grow your email list. This will help you design the giveaway. You could set up a competition with asking holiday related topics or inviting your audience to share holiday specific photos.

Host a festive event

Even though we are living in the digital age, there’s nothing quite like a real event where you get to meet real people! You could co-host an event with a local influencer or a local popular online community. Create engaging invites for this event and you also get to create loads of fun content at the event, which you can share live or later.

 The joy of living is giving

The holiday season is a great time to show that you care. You could host a festive event at the charity that you support. Get your local followers involved; ask them to donate blankets and jackets for the homeless. This will potentially generate a lot of engagement on your page and also bring together a lot of people as well.

We wish you a Merry Christmas! 

Schedule your Merry Christmas and Happy New Year posts in advance! Think of creating something fun whilst still reflecting the true identity and values of your brand.

Tip- A video will generate more engagement compared to just an image.

Make the most of after Christmas Sales

A lot of people are on the hunt for offers, deals and discounts right after Christmas. Jump in on this and have your offers ready in time for Boxing Day. You could even roll out the offers online on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. You know what people do after their big meal, get online and look at sales!

 If you have some content ideas for the festive period, please share them with us in the comments down below! Have a great December 🙂

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

If you have found this article useful please feel free to share it with your friends and contacts.

Keep up to date across all our social pages:

Facebook: mc square marketing     Twitter: @mcsquareltd

Instagram: mcsquaremarketing     LinkedIn: Michael Cuschieri

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

More, More, More – Social Media Masterclass

MORE, MORE, MORE
More Social, More Engagement, More Business!

The Event – 14th July 2016
In today’s business world social media marketing is one of the most efficient ways to market and grow your business. Many companies are already benefiting hugely from this growing channel and it has most definitely become an integral aspect of any successful brand’s marketing mix. The aim of this conference on the 14th July 2016 is to help business stay on the leading edge of our social sphere. Your experience will include the sharing of invaluable social media knowledge and experience that will ensure your company or organisation stands out from your competitors online and helps increase your ROI.

mc_square_marketing_social_media_masterclass_London

Who is it for?
• Business professionals already using social media to increase their online presence and credibility but wanting better results
• Businesses that want to step up their social media activities
• Businesses wanting to start using social media and looking for an insight into the most up to date direction to take.
• Business owners and/or their marketing teams.

Avoid disappointment and BOOK your place today.

BOOK NOW

 

Why attend?
If your company is already using social media for your business then you will know how quick things change in the social world. Also you may be questioning whether you are achieving the results you had hoped for. Well you have found the right place as we have some great solutions. In addition our expert speakers will be providing you an insight into the latest ways you should now be using social media to generate more business opportunities and leads!

Social_media_marketing_world_2016

Our Keynote speaker and event organiser, Michael Cuschieri from mc square marketing has recently attended the Social Media Marketing World Summit in San Diego, the largest gathering of social media who’s who in the world. Together with over 3200 delegates (only 41 from the United Kingdom!) he listened and soaked up the expert knowledge from these thought leaders, which will impact your future social media success in business. He will now be sharing his top insights that were presented from over 100 speakers at this event, including Michael Stelzner, Guy Kawasaki, Mark Schaefer, Kim Garst, Gary Vaynerchuk, Mari Smith, Ian Cleary, Andrea Vahl, Rick Mulready, Jay Baer, Joel Comm, Shaun McBride, to name a few.

Your day is going to be actioned packed with some leading speakers in their field, each focusing on one aspect that you truly need to be embracing to stay ahead of your competitors. You will leave with practical and quick win ideas that have been proven to give success. Easy to use and refer to guides on how to implement your learning. Presentations will not be just death by PowerPoint, but interactive and you will also have the opportunity to speak to speakers during the day.

Oh we’ll have a bit of fun too! Table Tennis, Pool, Table Soccer will be available throughout the day at breaks thanks to our amazing venue Rileys Sport Bar. While our masterclass sessions will be held in a private meeting area all delegates will also have access to the venue’s wonderful leisure facilities.

rileys_sports_bar_social_media

What’s on offer?
So what will you get from this amazing event:
• Pre Event networking via exclusive Facebook Group for speakers and delegates
• A warm welcome from our event team and speakers
• Tea, coffee and pastries on arrival
• 5 Masterclass sessions delivered by expert speakers in their areas of expertise
• Tea & coffee and biscuits throughout breaks
• Lunch
• Plenty of networking opportunities with other professional businesses and speakers
• Drinks & Nibbles at the end of the day courtesy of mc square marketing
• Workbook to compliment sessions and write your amazing tips and advice you will be hearing
• At least 1 new golden nugget of advice to help your business
• Access to presenters’ materials post event (where available)
• List of delegates attending and their social media details
• Potential business opportunities through networking
• Free gift

Sound like there’s a lot on offer? Yes there is, but we just love sharing our knowledge, so book on today.

BOOK NOW

 

Outline Sessions

Session 1: Social media Overview, Statistics and HOT NEWS and TIPS from Social Media Marketing World 2106 San Diego #SMMW16

Session 2: YouTube Video advertising and how you can do it cost effectively with tips and tricks from Amy McManus

Session 3: Snapchat is not just for kids! Find out how top brands and businesses are already using and why you need to get on board from Dan Knowlton

Session 4: Websites and the importance of how you should use your website to capitalise on the traffic being driven from your social channels and how you can measure success from Keno Ogbo

Session 5: Facebook adverts. You need to PAY to PLAY! How to use Facebook Ads to help generate TARGETED Leads and enquiries into your sales funnel from Michael Cuschieri

Session 6: Live Video – How to use it for your business, what equipment you need, how to do it and when. Speaker TBC

Please are limited so book your seat NOW!


Cost & Times
Delegate rates for our 1 day More, More, More Social Media Masterclass Sessions London is ONLY £145 (+ VAT), though Early Bird prices can apply, currently at £97 if booked before the 24th June 2016

Discount
Get 10% off course bookings if your organisation is a registered charity or if you have 2 or more staff attending we can offer a discount (not applicable to Early Bird pricing).

BOOK NOW


Your More, More, More Masterclass Ticket (inc vat)
Full Name
Email Address



Times
Thursday 14th July 2016
09.00 – Doors open for registration
09.05 – Open networking
09.45 – Masterclass Sessions commence
16.30 – End of Masterclass Sessions
16.35 – Drinks and nibbles + Networking

The Venue
Rileys Sports Bar, 80 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4TE
Nearest stations Charing Cross and Piccadilly Circus
Telephone: 020 7930 0393


Future workshops
Social media Strategy – Developing a strategic approach to maximise the business opportunities available from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn (Intermediary Level) ½ day – Register your interest here

Getting Started – Introduction on how to use Facebook and Twitter for your business (Beginners level) ½ day – Register your interest here

In-house courses
If you require, we can arrange to have this event or other bespoke social media workshops delivered either at your location or any chosen preferred venue. Please ask for more details here or call our office to discuss.

Further enquiries
Twitter: @mcsquareltd  |  Facebook: mc square marketing
Phone: 020 8367 5659
Email: [email protected]
www.mcsquare.co.uk

What’s hot in Social Media Marketing? #SMMW16

Social Media Marketing World 2016
San Diego

IMG_8945    IMG_8701

WOW – yet another amazing SMMW conference hearing from the experts and meeting like-minded professionals in the digital and social media industry.

Following a long flight to San Diego courtesy or Virgin Atlantic and Delta Airways the learning soon began with pre conference workshops on Sunday afternoon. I chose to attend a session on “How to create videos on your mobile device that your audience will watch and share”. Some great tips on how to capture better filming, use of light and depth of focus. Introduced me to the Filmic app which helps you shoot better films too. Now need to practice!

The official conference then kicked off in true social media style with a networking event on the USS Midway with over 3000 (only 42 from the UK!!!) delegates enjoying the food, drink, entertainment, including flight simulators and tours of the ship itself. For those not used to networking the Networking Bingo Card game was a great way and opportunity to meet lots of new people and sharing experience and knowledge.

The conference then kicked off the following morning with Mike Stelzner from Social Media Examiner sharing his findings from a recent survey they carried out. Some of these I have highlighted in my overview paper for you to download. Next we hit the road running with the streams of workshop sessions, 10 running at any one time!!!! This is where decisions had to be made as to which to attend. My plan was to focus on what I believed would benefit our clients to ensure we continue to add value and get them results.

The topics we chose were also in line with what I believed were the key MKT’sMust Know Takeaways from the whole of the conference:

–  Live Video is the answer to success
–  Snapchat is here
–  You have to Pay to Play – Social Advertising
–  Content Marketing is still alive

IMG_8846    IMG_8708

Throughout the conference we were lucky to hear from some amazing experts including Mari Smith, Gary Vaynerchuk, Kim Garst, Mark Schaefer, Jon Loomer, Rick Mulready, Ian Cleary…. To name just a few. We were also delighted to have managed to get one of the Keynote Speakers, Mark Schaefer do a LIVE BLAB with us back to the UK and my business coach Denyse Whilier. Once again thank you Mark for your valuable time and contribution. If you missed this, look out for our video recording due to be uploaded soon or go and see him live in Dublin in May – Book here

So if you asked me what my 4 MKTs were, they would be:

1 – LIVE VIDEO
This was by far the biggest message that was consistently projected or touched upon in most sessions. Last year it was about “Native Videos” on Facebook this year it was about the power of using “Live Video” to engage with your following or to use it to grow your “tribe”. It’s about “Video in real time, at the right time”

As Kim Garst put it “LIVE VIDEO plays a big part in the know like trust factor”. It’s all about building relationships and showing your real self and not worrying about the actual broadcast itself but the content and messages you are sharing.

Whilst Facebook Live is probably the biggest player in this arena so far, we are also seeing growth in use of BLAB too and of course Periscope is still alive and kicking, unlike our little Meerkat who has left the social playing field. Look out too for YouTube who are already trialling their “Live streaming” offer.

2 – SNAPCHAT
Well until the conference I was not 1 of the 100 million users already snapping away on this social media channel!

With the number of daily video views going from 2 Billion to 8 Billion in less than a year, we need to jump on this opportunity. The time is right to join now and start building your following. As Gary Vaynerchuk said “you need to go to where the attention is at its highest” and Snapchat is where it is for him at the moment. Other big brands are using this channel through having key influencers like SHonduras, ShaunAyala and celebrities like DJKhaled endorse or promote their products.

Whilst 77% of users are 18+ it’s not just for millennials and one thing we should not forget is that they will also grow to potentially become your future customers. We are also living in the moment and want to know what is happening now and Snapchat gives us a network for story telling on mobile device. Short quick visuals, video and messages that are live for only 24 hours

IMG_8952    IMG_2683

3 – SOCIAL ADVERTISING
Have you noticed that organic traffic on and to your website from Facebook, is down?

This could be due to Content over load, Bad content, Poor tracking or simply Facebook Algorithms. This is because we are now in a PAY TO PLAY arena.

Again here the focus was on Facebook advertising and video advertising and little mention of Twitter. The message was also about not just placing ads or boosting posts but about how to integrate it into your sales funnel process and trigger for Re targeting marketing. No surprise either, that Facebook Video Ads are also performing and delivering results for clients. Being clear on the objective of your advert and including great relevant video content that adds value to the viewer is key.

4 – CONTENT MARKETING
Mark Schaefer, Michael Stelzner and Mitch Joel discussed at length whether there was a future for Content Marketing and Mark rightly stated that we have to adapt, so what was marketing content 2 years ago is dead, but it has now been replaced with different type of content marketing or channels to put your content on.

I totally agree with the team and what was also highlighted was that it’s not just about the numbers but also having the right people in that audience you are talking to. With organic reach falling it is also clear that our audiences are shrinking so engaging with key influencers is growing in importance, together with having a clear content marketing plan in the first place. Then you can decide on the appropriate channels to communicate through.

IMG_8873    IMG_8866

Mark Shaefer’s final keynote session to close the conference was likewise focused on both ROI of Social media and content marketing. I particularly liked his comment saying that “Content is the starting line not the finishing line” and can totally relate to the fact that “85% of people say reading content that other people share helps them understand and process brand information and events”. We really do value our friends’ opinions and continue to base buying decisions on this.

His final point to close the conference was all about what do we need to do to stand out in this noisy world?

He put it simply to “Be more human! It will create the awareness and gain loyalty”

A fantastic way to end 3 full on days of learning from the experts and now our goal is to put this into action for our social media management clients. You too can find out more about the key learnings by downloading my detailed white paper, full of notes from the sessions attended at the conference. Simply click here for access.

We will also be sharing more of our MKTs, top tips and ideas on our “Einstein’s Formulas to Success” group on Facebook so come along and join Einstein’s tribe. We’ll keep you up to date with the latest news and tips to help with marketing your business or organisation with guest speakers appearing and sharing their knowledge too. Join here

We met back up with people from last year’s conference and made some more new amazing friends too. Even met up with a fellow BNI member from Vermont, friends from Australia, Toronto, New Jersey, New Zealand, to name a few and a people from the UK too.

IMG_8661    IMG_2800

IMG_2542    FullSizeRender

IMG_8691   IMG_8686

IMG_8872   IMG_8633

50% OFF Social Media – BLACK FRIDAY OFFER

 

Save 50% on our Silver package Social Media management services! BLACK FRIDAY OFFER now ONLY £8 per day!

Your business will be seen by 1000’s of potential new clients and keep you in touch with your existing clients. We THINK creatively for you, we WRITE for you and we TALK for you on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn …… You tell us which channels you want and we can help. Or we can also advise you on the right channels for your business.

We believe Social Media is about connecting with your target market. It’s being where your clients, customers or users are, and harnessing the power of the internet with a relatively low key style marketing and making your campaign a two way conversation ONLINE.

BONUS OFFER – First 5 enquiries will also receive a FREE Social Media Strategy consultation, when they take up the social media management offer. This is valued at £500!

What you get
Your dedicated community manager will provide you with a professional social media service for 4 months at this discounted price. This offer is valid for enquiries made online by 8pm Tuesday 1st December. Number of clients able to be accepted to this offer is limited. T&Cs apply and open to new customers only. All prices are subject to vat.

Click on image to enlarge for more details

BLACK FRIDAY 15 2-1

DON’T MISS OUT! Please complete the form below to be eligible for this offer, BEFORE 1st December 2015

Register for this amazing offer

* indicates required







 

 

 

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

OFFLINE Social Media Channels!

All of your Social Media accounts created – FANTASTIC! Now you can just sit back and let your fan base grow without any further intervention!

Not quite!

Ok…to a certain extent your audience may grow organically just by creating Social Media accounts i.e. by completing your profiles, posting statuses, tweets, blogs etc but there is a lot more that you can do to increase your online presence and start building relationships which could lead to business opportunities.

It’s all about making people aware – if people aren’t informed then they probably won’t have the time to ‘find’ you online and become part of your online community.

Don’t forget your offline channels. As part of your regular marketing mix you should build in your Social Media channels such as Facebook or Twitter name, into you brand touch points. So what do we mean? Well let’s start with your business cards, just think how many of these you give out and if a prospective client has one, they may want to follow you and find out what people are saying about you online. What about your next leaflet or postcard campaign? Visually you could also include the logos as well as actual account names.

Your printed business stationery along with your other forms of contact such as email signatures including your iPhone and iPad, website, online directories, networking groups such as Business Networking International, BNI are all potential touch points to your brand and lead generation tools. So next time you’re getting your business cards, flyers etc reprinted then be sure to factor social media in.

As an additional optional, you will probably have seen QR codes appearing on adverts and leaflets.These are basically a bar code that people can scan which will divert them to a dedicated online page which may be your Facebook, Twitter, Blog or YouTube page or a specific page on your website. If you feel your audience would be receptive to it then put one on.

Other opportunities you could leverage are shop signs, restaurant menu’s, staff clothing, vehicles….really, whatever your product or service, there is always a way of increasing online awareness. The opportunities are endless!

DON’T WASTE THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO PROMOTE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE AND AIM TO BECOME THE GO TO PERSON FOR KNOWLEDGE AND ADVICE IN YOUR GIVEN INDUSTRY.

Do you have any other tips and suggestions that have worked for your business? Please do share them.

Go…Go….Go!!!!! GOOGLE + now open to ALL

Everybody got their trainers on…..if you haven’t then you’re never going to keep up!!!

How on earth are businesses expected to keep up with the constantly changing Social Media environment – unless you subscribe and have the time to read all the associated editorials or have a dedicated service provider to give you the heads up it’s going to prove pretty tough!

Everyone is talking about Google+ and it being the fastest growing launch of any social network. It has attracted approximately 10 million users in the first 2 weeks!!! In contrast Facebook took 2 years to achieve the same figure!

But what is it?!?!

Basically, Google+ is an amalgamation of several services we already use. The idea, according to Google, is to do them better. For example, rather than the one-to-one video call which Facebook are to rollout and Skype already covers Google+ will allow a group video call with numerous colleagues or friends (interestingly Mark Zuckerberg protested that one-to-one communication will still be the most popular use of live chat!) or you can drag-and-drop people in to “Circles” which makes it easier to share or connect with these “Circles” via video or a mobile phone app.

To find out more have a look at this quick video the Loving Social Media team have produced, giving you a brief overview.

http://www.lovingsocialmedia.co.uk/wp/2011/09/how-to-use-google-plus/

So what’s all this fuss about Social Media?!

Obviously we all know and understand the benefits from a personal perspective but how does this differ from the point of view of marketing and as such expanding our own businesses?

In a nutshell – It doesn’t!

The main objective of keeping our contacts informed, whether personal or business orientated, is exactly the same…although obviously thought in respect to the content and the management of time in creating a message needs further consideration!

So how much additional time do we need to magically make appear in to our working week to reap the rewards? Now, where’s that wand of mine!

In a recent Social Media Marketing Report where over 3000 professional marketers were questioned, it was found that a significant 88% indicated that their social media efforts had increased exposure for their business by way of:

  • Increasing traffic and subscribers to their sites,
  • Increasing their search engine rankings,
  • Generating qualified leads to do business

…to name just a few! The main benefit of all of the above also demonstrated that overall marketing expenses actually decreased by utilising this method of business exposure!

So to achieve such results, ‘how much time?’ I hear you yell!

From those polled, a significant 58% use social media for 6 or more hours per week and 34% for 11 or more hours! In addition, those marketers that have used social media for longer are inclined to invest more time and as such fully understand the benefits that can be achieved!

So how much time do you spend on marketing your business via Social Media? Why not let us know what works for you.