The power of the hashtag: What you need to know
Don’t miss out on being seen because you don’t hashtag. A Tweet with a hashtag is about 33% more likely to get retweeted and that makes all the difference between #Trending and getting #LostInTheCrowd.
What are the basics of hashtagging?
Turn any word or group of words that are important to your business into a link that can be searched for with the hashtag (#). When you’re hashtagging forget punctuation and space and keep your message clear by capitalising each word #LikeThis, know as CamelCase.
Hashtagging can help you reach out to your audience by joining a conversation they are already a part of, as well as start a new conversation for your audience to engage with.
How do you hashtag effectively?
It’s a no brainer that using hashtags can help you reach potential new customers, but how can you do this effectively? To start, think about words that people would use when looking for your business and join in on those existing conversations. If you’re lost, a good place to check for ideas would be your competitors’ social media handles - particularly those with a strong following. Look at what they are using but always remember more is less, for both scope and in presentation. Keep in mind to look for Niche hashtags that have more engaged following.
Let’s take a look at an example: “Take a look at our latest collection today! #Trousseau #Bride #WeddingGowns” Is better than “Take a look at our latest collection today! #WeddingBells #WhiteWeddings #Weddings #Brides #Bridesmaids #FloralWeddings #WeddingShopping #Springwedding #WeddingsToday”
Memorise this, K.I.S.S - Keep it Simple Social-Media-User! Hashtag and put yourself in front of someone who’d have never found otherwise.
Why should I create an original hashtag?
Creating original hashtags gives your existing followers a place to engage with your brand. This helps build social media momentum for your brand and these original hashtags can also be used for promotions, contests, events or general brand awareness. Remember to keep them clear, unique, simple and catchy. No one’s going to remember or use a complicated hashtag.
Imagine if Coca-Cola’s classic #ShareACoke Hashtag was #GoBuyACokeTogetherAndDrinkIt - would it be popular? An original hashtag gives your audience something to talk about and interact with your brand on a personal level.
Where should I hashtag?
The rule is not ‘one hashtag fits all’, each platform has a different and unique function so take your time and do your research on what platforms you think work best for your business. Each platform has an unsaid rule of how many hashtags are acceptable, Facebook posts get greater engagement with only one hashtag but Instagram posts with about nine hashtags perform better.
Make your words matter and connect with both potential & existing customers using hashtagging.
Want to know more about social media management? Find out here, or book a call to with one of our digital experts.
How to Engage Your Audience Through Social Media
Did your social media traffic skyrocket at first but is falling flat nowadays? Don’t sweat it. A lot of hours and hard work have gone into perfecting the use of this not-so-secret weapon.
We all start with zero readers and zero traffic anyway and anyone can write a blog but it's what you do with it afterwards that counts.
Once you perfectly understand how Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram strategies work and which can benefit your business best, you will be an expert at handling them and many other factors mentioned down below.
Facebook, Google and Twitter
What works: Images, videos, calls to action, industry-related content, general share-worthy content.
What doesn’t work: Lengthy content, bland content, poor business/related/share-worthy balance.
Videos and images, which are mostly used for redirecting consumers to your website, are essential to catch the eye of social media readers, though video works a little better to hold the reader’s attention.
The main ways to get traction with your blog, to get your readers to back up your business is:
- Get them to go straight to your website or store
- Get them to like and follow
- Get them to share your content
Let’s illustrate that with a few examples :
Three people see your business posts about a “2 for 1 sale”. These posts just likely to be seen, and not shared. Once people start liking and sharing your posts, you’ll start to see new eyes on your page. In the case of a fitness coach, for example, try and get your readers excited to see and share those workout tips and you’ll have a better chance that someone who needs trainer will come across them.
Once you’ve gained the attention of your readers with a photo or video, a call to action is the ideal way to guide them to their next step. That being said, calls to action can be used for almost every type of post. These posts may not lead your reader straight to your website, they will, however, get you more likes and shares.
Packaged in with the importance of shared content is the name of your business. Every time your post is shared, someone new has the chance to see you.
That’s brand-recognition!
On the other hand, lengthy content, bland posts, and a poor balance of business/industry/shareable don’t work well on these media channels. People do not have the attention spans to read posts that are more than a couple of lines long.
Keep them short and concise! Don’t post bland, filler content like, “Happy Friday!” unless people have a reason to share it. “Happy Friday, here’s a hilarious cat meme” can improve brand recognition, but only if shared - use humour to your advantage.
Try to find your balance between business and shareable content.
What works: Images, videos, industry related content, general share-worthy content.
What doesn’t work: Lengthy content, bland content, business-related content, long texts.
Pinterest is ALL about pictures. People usually go on Pinterest to look for creative ideas. If your business provides projects, how-tos or even the means with which to make ideas happen.
For example, a hardware store will greatly benefit from Pinterest: once people get the ideas from you, they’ll come into your store to buy the necessary tools to get the job done! (Remember, brand-recognition!).
The best use of Pinterest includes non-business related content. Show people ideas that may lead them to your business, but don’t try to sell them right then and there.
Last but not least, the text attached to Pinterest posts is often ignored, so any applicable text should go into an infographic displayed as an image. That isn’t to say that you shouldn’t use any text. Although a small headline or message will suffice here.
What works: Images, video, projects.
What doesn’t work: Mostly everything else.
The whole point of this platform is to get users to follow you and talk about what you have to offer. This works best for restaurant accounts because your customers can post images of your food for their friends to see. This also works great for accounts posting about home improvements. Here, your business can post projects and progress pictures of what you’ve been working on. Seeing these images and sharing them can work well to compel the reader to seek you out.
Do not dismiss the reviews!
Now that we’ve covered the main social media channels, let’s discuss other ways they can be used. Facebook, Google, and other media channels support reviews. Reviews play a big role in a business, as they can make or break it. 92% of consumers now read online reviews and star rating is the number one factor used by consumers to judge a business.
You may be thinking “I can’t control what people rate my business”, and you’d be right. However, you can control how you respond to people. You can turn around even the angriest rater by replying to their review in a quick and professional manner. Check out our articles about how to respond to positive as well as negative reviews.
Listen to Your Audience
Social Media Listening is the process of monitoring digital conversations to get a better hold of what customers are saying about your business. This is ideal to identify your customer's pain points and responding to their questions and complaints.
This phenomenon is bigger that social monitoring. The difference can be explained with this simple quote : "Monitoring sees trees; listening sees the forest".
The short and sweet of this is that you need to be researching your competitors and your peers. What are people talking about, liking, and sharing, and how can you get in on it? You’ll want to shape your social media strategies around what’s getting the best traction everywhere else. Get researching!
Increase the Quality and Quantity of Your Website’s Traffic
The importance of SEO should not be ignored. When you search for your business’ name or keywords related to your work, how high on the results page does it appear? The more you and your readers are mentioning your name and other keywords in relation to your business, the better your SEO results will be.
Finally, Measure your Results in The Long Term
Finally, take a step back and look at what you’re doing. Naturally, you’ll want to look for what’s working and what isn’t. Whether you’re counting likes and shares by hand or using Google Analytics to track the information for you, understanding your trends may just be the most important part of the process.
Find out more about social media and how it can help grow your business, book a consultation now.
How to Use Paid Ads to Grow Your Facebook Following
There are over 1.56 billion users active on Facebook everyday and over 4 billion active users globally. This means there’s plenty of real estate to cover to help your business grow. This is where Facebook Paid Ads come into play and we’re going to show you how to get the most out of them.
Facebook Paid Ads are a simple and cost-effective strategy for your business to reach a specific demographic. According to Facebook, “With Facebook Ads, you can create targeted ads to reach different audiences and meet your business goals.” It seems pretty straightforward, but let us elaborate. You can promote your custom ads and content to reach an audience of your choosing. What’s more, you can use the ads to collect data that will help you improve the ads to increase their efficiency.
When building your ad, there are a few important factors to consider:
Your demographic
Deciding what audience you want is one of the most important parts of optimizing your ad and reaching people who will want to follow your page. Choosing a broad range can be effective for some businesses, but you’re much more likely to see results by narrowing your terms.
For example, let’s say you’re selling video games. You will want to target men and women between the ages of 15 and 40 with interests in video games (obviously) and entertainment since that’s where your customers are likely coming from. If you’ve optimized your audience to your business.
A persuasive message
Your Facebook Ad has limited space, so make sure you’re saying exactly what needs to be said and get right to the point. Are you offering a deal? Hosting an event? Showcasing products? Make your message clear to your audience and give it a call to action! Don’t forget to add an image, too.
Ads with photos are much more likely to attract attention than those without and they are more helpful; when people read information, they're likely to remember only 10% of that information three days later. However, if a relevant image is paired with that same information, people retained 65% of the information three days later.
Keep it Fun and Fresh
The more, the better! You should definitely consider making two ads instead of one so you can have multiple sets of analytics. You can then determine which ads work and which don’t. But be aware, even if you find your ads are working well, it is still essential to switch them up every once in a while so the message doesn’t stagnate. People get tired of seeing the same thing over and over again, so keep it fresh!
You’re now all set! Facebook Ads are a great way to get your products and services in front of potential customers. Facebook has some great resources to help you get started. Even a low ad budget each month can help you attract new customers and find new business. Although Facebook advertising is extremely important, creating and running ad campaigns can be a time-consuming project. Consider using our paid advertising service, and with our reporting, you’ll be able to clearly see the ROI and what you’re getting for your money.
More: 5 Reasons You Need Instagram for Your Business
To find out more about paid ads and how they can help grow your business, book a consultation now.
How to Reach Your Audience With Paid Advertising
There are several different forms of paid advertising, including display advertising, sponsored ads (such as those on Google and Facebook), and of course, search ads - just to name a few of the main ones.
So where do you start? Whilst there are many options to choose from, reaching your desired audience does require a little bit of work. Fortunately, using paid advertising to get your business across to relevant consumers is easier than you think.
Pick the right platform
In 2008, only 24 percent of the UK had a social media account. Today that number has skyrocketed to 81%. Whilst many traditional methods of advertising, such as television and print publications, still have their place, companies are now turning to digital advertising for the majority of their needs.
Tech titans, Google and Facebook are said to command nearly 65% of UK online ad market by 2021. Furthermore, this year, the overall digital advertising market will grow by more than 11% to hit £14.73bn, with Google taking a 38.8% share, valued at about £5.72bn and Facebook will grow its share from 22.7% in 2018 to 24.5% in 2019, worth around £3.62bn (campaign live). So why would you settle for anything but the best? Pick the right digital platforms and go where you’ll be seen.
Know your audience
Knowing your exact target audience is undeniably the most beneficial tool in your advertising toolbox. Not only does it give you a leg up for reaching your most likely consumers, but it also helps to pick the appropriate platform and technology to deliver your products and services. However, once you have their attention, there’s still plenty of work to do!
To make sure you are pushing all the correct buttons, you need to know exactly what to say. Well thought and engaging content moves people and will consequently move your products! It creates loyalty, trust and brand awareness, meaning your customers will keep coming back for more!
Be interactive
As the internet continues to advance, media is consumed differently by all groups of people. More and more people are getting their entertainment and news from streaming options such as Netflix and YouTube. So what does this mean for paid advertising....interaction! Interactive ads get a higher clickthrough rate of around 6 percent, whereas most digital ads remain at just under half of one percent.
Interesting advertisements tell a story that engages the audience. If you’re a restaurant owner, enticing future customers with a snappy ad no longer works as well as it used to. You need to intrigue potential buyers with an eye catching video, and a captivating call to action. Don’t tell customers what to think, but instead show them why buying your product is the best decision for them.
Keep it short and sweet
Don’t say too much. Short, effective messages that include interesting and engaging content go a long way in the paid advertising world. Hook your audience with a smart pun, a fun image or simple one liner.
Pull at their heartstrings
Whether your message is sensitive, funny or serious, it should come across as authentic at its core.
Nowadays, audiences are smarter and expect a lot more than basic pandering. They need and want to see engaging content that scratches beneath the surface of a product and that relates to them on a personal level.
That’s why today’s most memorable campaigns reject tradition in exchange for something more sincere. We understand that traditional word of mouth will forever impact a local business and the trick with this is to give them something positive to talk about! The most important thing about your digital advertising campaign should be about connecting with your audience. A little passion goes a long way.
Successful paid advertising plucks at your viewers’ heartstrings and entices them with good, relevant content. Most importantly, whatever your approach, be sure to make a connection with your audience - leave them engaged and interested. Make your digital ad is memorable and appealing, and therefore your brand will be too.
More: How to reach your audience with print advertising.
To find out how we can help grow your business, book a consultation now.