10 Years Later: From the Desk of the CEO

3Sep

It is really unbelievable to think that 10 years ago this month The Go! Agency was born with one client, two employees (myself and co-owner Dale Griffen), and a bucketload of dreams for the future.

Flash forward 10 years to today, we have a full roster of clients, talented staff, beautiful offices, and a future pipeline filled to the brim.

Dale and I never thought about what the future would hold when we started The Go! Agency. If you can’t remember what the online world was like back then, let me remind you. While email marketing, blogging, search engine optimization (SEO), and online advertising were fairly proven mediums, social media was the wild west packed with snake oil salespeople. Companies large and small were jumping at the chance to try out this new medium, setting aside large portions of their marketing budgets to give it a whirl. And there were ample “experts”, “gurus”, and the like popping up all over ready to take advantage of that.

At the time, the difference between The Go! Agency and these so-called “gurus” was that we never confessed to be 100% experts. Why? In the constantly changing landscape of social media marketing, we were, and remain merely specialists, as we are continually in learning mode. Other big differences are that we have solid marketing, public relations, and online experience—all keys to being a success. Plus, it was beneficial to have a desire to learn, be agile, and understand that you wouldn’t always get the results you wanted. Some concepts and strategies might have worked amazingly one day, but the next day would be killed and replaced with features that didn’t work and would make you go back to the drawing board. We wanted to approach our prospective and current clients with a holistic approach and offer organic campaigns that would be able to change on a dime and focus on the client’s needs; we were never focused on pushing buttons and cashing checks. Our focus was on client’s success—that was our win. Not making millions of dollars in a matter of months and then fading away.

Fun Fact: One of our biggest direct competitors at the time was highly visible and took on LOTS of business very quickly. That agency lasted only a few years, and two years ago their CEO responded to a job listing I put up for an entry-level Social Media Account Executive. True story.

We wanted our agency to be built differently than others we had observed throughout our professional careers. We wanted ours to be honest, transparent, results driven, and have an intense focus on the client experience. Our desire was to have a roster of clients that were a pleasure to work with, who were invested in success and growth, and that would help us create that almighty win-win-win scenario. Triple wins are my favorite.

When it came to staff, we wanted to hire talented individuals that were interested in creative growth, were engaged with their work, and were focused on their clients. We also wanted to create an environment where there were no office politics, no drama. And if there was, the environment would move these individuals out of the organization organically.

Sitting here today, we’re pleased to say that all of this was achieved. Our current roster of clients is not only diverse, but includes one of the largest international athletic brands (Under Armour) that organically found us based on reputation alone. We will drop everything to help a client on a moment’s notice and the focus is always on them, which is so amazing to see.

Our team is a team. We work together through stressful times and quieter times. Just last month we all went on a company cruise in the Caribbean to blow off steam, bond a little, relax, and zip line! And you know what? Everyone enjoyed one another, no one was avoiding one another—it was relaxing and refreshing.

So is there anything we would change looking back over the last 10 years?

No. Nothing.

Every situation that may have been negative brought forth contemplation and experience that helped us grow stronger as a company. Every employee who didn’t work out, every client that we had to fire, and even those times when the wi-fi didn’t work during an important client meeting…these moments all brought forth a great amount of experience that we are able to now share with our clients.

We’re now in such a sweet position. We’re surrounded by a team of wonderful individuals that we consider not only our team, but also our family. We look out for one another. We work together to get the best results for clients. We are emotionally attached to the work. And to top it all off, we have a roster of clients that respect our team, understand our value, and collaborate with us on taking their success to the next level. See, I really can’t complain.

So where do we go next? Our team and our roster of clients will always evolve, ebb and flow. But our goal is to continue to grow from our vast experience working with clients, one another, and in the marketing industry as a whole to build an even stronger agency that will last for another ten years, and much longer beyond that.

And we will continue to add services as and when we see the need across the board. This year alone we have added a few new services that our clients were eager for that immediately brought them great levels of success and results. So expect much more of that in the future.

Overall, The Go! Agency is about working with companies to provide global solutions that will help them market and sell their businesses with less cost, less time, and more efficiency.

This is why our consulting services are currently one of our fastest-growing services, which I am personally fulfilling. Throughout the last ten years, I was able to really identify where my passion areas were: working strategically within a team, creating marketing and sales scenarios that create proven success, problem solving on a dime, motivating marketing professionals that are overwhelmed, and many more.

Above all, I have identified that one of my true passions is working with individuals and companies collaboratively to solve their problems, work out the kinks in their strategy, and help them reach their true potential. I began offering this here and there to clients as consulting and over the past few years I have been very lucky to worth with hundreds of different companies in this arena…and enjoyed every minute of it. Some call it coaching, others consulting. I call it real talk—and I love being able to help with my direct and honest approach. It brings me lots of joy.

But I digress. The Go! Agency is our heart and soul, and Dale and I couldn’t be prouder of what we as a company have achieved during the last decade. Sitting here and trying to remember all of the many events that we have lived through (recessions, hurricanes, changing political climates) it brings joy to my heart to see that as an agency we have been resilient, stuck to our values, and never altered our ethics for a paycheck. We continue to do work that we believe in, creating amazing results and ROI for clients that believe in us. I think this is a good place to be in, don’t you agree?

Under the Influence: An Intro to Social Media Influencers

By Christopher Tompkins

19Aug

Social Media, YouTube

Social media influencers are social media users who reach a wide audience and have established credibility in a given industry or field. The influence of these individuals outweighs that of the average social media user. While social media influencers technically exist on any platform or network, they are predominantly on YouTube and Instagram.

A typical social media influencer displays the following characteristics.

• Authenticity. Influencers are perceived as genuine. The audience sees an influencer as an independent party rather than a brand spokesperson.

• Credibility. Stemming from the above, Influencers are trustworthy and impartial. Indeed, the trust has already been established: the audience members are following the influencers for reasons unrelated to any brands or sponsors.

• Expertise. Influencers are seen as having experience and knowledge about their industry or topic of choice. This expertise does not have to be professional: many beauty vloggers are not professional makeup artists or cosmetologists.

• Relatability. Influencers are approachable and accessible, albeit charismatic. Even celebrity influencers (Kylie Jenner, Cristiano Ronaldo, Chrissy Tiegen, e.g.) make efforts to humanize themselves and empathize with their audiences.

Why They Matter
Social media influencers are a major force in digital marketing. They have risen in prominence over the past decade, so this trend seems to have staying power. But why should you include these people in your marketing strategy? Here are just a few reasons to incorporate social media influencers into your marketing campaigns.

Influencers humanize your brand. As we touched on above, social media influencers are relatable. An influencer’s success (and often livelihood) depends on connecting with his or her audience. They want to be embraced by their viewers and/or followers, so most of them need to prove that they are just like their viewers and/or followers. True, there are social media influencers who seem more perfect than others, but even these models will put a face to your brand. Whether an influencer is relatable or aspirational, your brand will be humanized by the connection with a real person.

People trust peers more than companies. Who is more trustworthy: your neighbor or an ad? Your boss or a commercial? A friendly acquaintance or an anonymous stranger? Time and time again, studies have shown that people put more stock in the recommendations of their peers than in a corporate advertisement. Experience is the best teacher, so why wouldn’t you rely on an experienced source who you already trust? Even though followers might not have ever had any personal interactions (i.e., meeting the influencer in person or having an actual conversation with that person directly), they still see an influencer as their peer.

Influencers are better able to reach an audience. Influencers already have a following of their own. Likewise, they are already sharing content that relates to your brand or to your brand’s industry. In short, their audiences are already interested in content just like yours! Social media influencers will therefore be better equipped to reach your target audience than traditional advertisements. Additionally, their audiences seek out the influencers content. These followers are actively trying to engage and consume content that will help further your branding and your marketing goals!

Influencers and marketers have long-term relationships. Social media influencers should be part of your longterm strategy, not just one campaign. Influencers will likely stick to the same or similar content and audiences over the course of several years: your brand will be able to grow with them. You can actually build a relationship with an influencer, using that influencer as a resource repeatedly.

In our next blog, we’ll discuss the different types of social media influencers and help you determine which is best for your brand.

Would you like to unleash the power of social media marketing? We can help! Visit us today to arrange your free consultation!

Our friends at Mobile Monkey have some wonderful influencer tools and tactics that you should check out! You can learn more by visiting them by clicking here!

Instagram Pitfalls: 10 Things That You Need to Avoid At All Costs

By Christopher Tompkins

12Aug

Instagram, Social Media

One of the secrets to increasing your social media engagement is bringing your content strategy to life with visuals. And when you are ready to tell your company’s visual story – Instagram should be one of your first ports of call. Not only is Instagram one of the fastest consistently growing social media hubs out there, it can also bring you up to 15 times more engagement than your average Facebook posts.

AND….it is not just for kids!

One of the biggest misconceptions about Instagram is that it has a predominantly young user-base. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. The truth is that Instagram usage is nearly an even 50-50 split between users under, and over 30.

As you can see – Instagram presents a promising opportunity for users to not only enjoy a nice amount of engagement, but also interact with your target audience in a whole new manner.

BUT WAIT! Before you go and start (or continue) marketing your business using Instagram, I want to share with you 10 Instagram mistakes that you need to avoid at all costs! Let’s go:

1. Don’t Forget About Video: I see this happen all the time. Many companies are only JUST getting comfortable with taking and posting pictures, so the idea of shooting videos can be a bit intimidating. That aside, I’m telling you: you need to shoot and post short videos. It can be the secret weapon of engagement.

2. Don’t Like Everything: There is nothing worse than someone on Instagram who LIKES every post that shows up in their stream. Just imagine if you saw someone doing that on Facebook? It looks dishonest or phony. Be selective, this way you can begin to form meaningful relationships rather than countless meaningless ones.

3. Don’t Be Inconsistent: Like all of social media marketing, consistency is rewarded, and Instagram is no different. So be sure to find a schedule and number of photos that you are able to regularly post and stick to it. Don’t post 10 photos in one day and not another one for 4 weeks.

4. Don’t Go Hashtag Crazy: There is a limit to the number of hashtags that you are able to use on Instagram: 30 to be exact. But, let’s be honest, that is a massive number. You want to create meaningful hashtags, not ones that you are adding just for the sake of hashtagging. I suggest between 6 and 10 at most.

5. Don’t Be a Downer: When marketing your business, you need to stay professional and post positive things. Negativity is not your friend on Instagram. Remember, visuals emotionally connect you to your audience, so don’t put a bad taste in your audiences’ mouth.

6. Don’t Lose Your Focus: With any marketing campaign, you don’t want to deviate from your plan. On Instagram it can be easy, due to the fact that when you start you may not know what pictures to take. Decide what you want your approach to be and stick with it: stay on-brand and on-message.

7. Don’t Just Advertise: Are your only posts discounts and promotions on Instagram? Shame! You need to have an even marketing message mix rather than sell, sell, sell. Just think – no one wants to engage with someone who is constantly pushing sales messages on them, so share visuals that will bring your target consumer closer to you.

8. Don’t Post Disrespectful Content: We are not speaking about being negative here, but more so of items that can be taken the wrong way by your audience. So if you have different political, religious, or social views – your company Instagram would probably not be the place for them. People could find it disrespectful – which is not what you want!

9. Don’t Forget to Comment: If you see good content that deserves your feedback – comment! This will help you open a dialogue with another person and help engagement with your own account.

10. Don’t Forget to Comment Back: This is a rookie mistake. If someone is taking the time to comment on one of your posts, you are shooting yourself in the foot if you are not commenting back. Just think: on Facebook how valuable the comments are to your post’s success. This is no different on Instagram, so keep the dialogue going!

These 10 mistakes are things that I have seen happen again and again on Instagram. Keep them in mind when you are rolling out your campaign and you will enjoy a higher level of success, and side-stepping unnecessary controversy or negative attention.

8 Steps to Sending Effective Mass Messages Through Social Media

By Christopher Tompkins

5Aug

Social Media

There is nothing worse than receiving a mass message that has nothing to do with our needs from a person that we have never even heard of, right? I remember 4 years ago this rarely happened on Facebook and LinkedIn, but today I can log-in and be hit with 10-15 per day!

If you have taken the time to read these messages, some are very effective. They hit all of the right points to keep you engaged, while others COMPLETELY miss the mark and turn you off. Sometimes they can even anger you to the point where you remove the sender as a contact.

When done effectively with planning, these mass messages can truly benefit your social media marketing efforts.

Now a point of clarification. I am speaking about the messages which go into your inbox, not status updates that can be viewed in the newsfeed.

In this blog, I am focusing on Facebook and LinkedIn, as these two popular sites have this functionality. Here are some useful step-by-step guidelines for you to follow when creating your mass message using Facebook and LinkedIn in order to create buzz and engage your audience:

Step 1: What is My Message? First, you need to think of the reason why you are reaching out to your audience. Is it to offer them a discount, let them know about a new service or to share a new blog post with them? When writing this, you want to convey the message in a conversational way – seeming as if it was written directly for with the recipient. Remember, this is social media, not mass message central.

Step 2: Who is the Target Market for the Message? Second, you need to think about who you want to reach with the message (as the message should be completely tailored to this market). For example, sending a medical-based email to a recreational golf professional could result in removal, blocking, or spam flagging. Make sure you are aiming for the correct market.

Step 3: What is the Goal? If the goal of this is to get people to visit your website, blog, or even call in – make sure that you clearly present this information in the message. Sounds obvious, but it’s easily overlooked.

Step 4: Keep it Concise! There is nothing worse than opening a message on LinkedIn or Facebook that is miles long. Remember that on these sites communications are short and to the point. Make sure you can convey everything you want to in a very specific and concise manner.

Step 5: Choose a Greeting. Personally, after the subject line, the greeting line is the next point where I decide if I want to read on. Starting off with “Hello Friends” or “My Dear Friend” or “Treasured Business Associate” is not in your best interest. Why? Because this is not how people communicate with one another on LinkedIn….or in real life! You want to start off with something engaging that makes the reader feel as if you are writing directly to them!

Step 6: Choose a Subject Line. This is extremely important, as you want to write something compelling enough to get your audience to open the message. My biggest piece of advice is to lay off the Caps Lock key. There is nothing worse than looking at a subject line that is screaming at you. For that matter, leave out the excessive use of all capitals in the body of your message as well. This can be off-putting.

Step 7: Proof Read! In this extremely critical world, few things are worse than sending a message out to thousands of people and misspelling an element of your message. Even worse though? Get ready to be educated by the “Grammar and Spelling Police” as they give you lessons on how to spell words and form sentences. Proofreading protects you from this and gives your message that professional sparkle.

Step 8: Choose Your Platform. Personally, I believe that LinkedIn was made for communications like this. It is a networking platform and this can be viewed as an extension of networking. Facebook, on the other hand, is more specific. I would only do a mass message on Facebook if I have a target group created where they are familiar with me and my business. Why? Facebook users can be quite vigilant when it comes to hitting the “Spam” button on messages that they do not want to deal with. LinkedIn, on the other hand, allows you flexibility and makes it easy to send messages like this. The only drawback is that you can only send them in batches of 50. My top tip for LinkedIn is to make sure before you send the message to un-check the box next to “Allow recipients to see each other’s names and email addresses”. You will find this below the message box. This helps your message look more personal and direct.

Overall, these messages should be used within an overriding social media marketing strategy. Don’t send them in high frequency as they can be very annoying. Keep your messages written with your target market in mind and only reach out when absolutely necessary. Oh yeah, and drop the “Hello Friend”.

Why You Need a Professional Writer

By Christopher Tompkins

22Jul

Copywriting

You probably haven’t thought about how much web copy you see online, but take a minute to think on it. Every line of text you scroll past was written by someone, and if what you’re reading seems well-written, there’s a good chance it was written by a professional.

Between the copy you don’t think about and the long-form content you read, there are a lot of words that need to be crafted in just the right way, and that’s where writers come in. I’m going to explain why, contrary to what your ego may tell you, you absolutely need a professional writer on your team.

It’s a Lot
You probably don’t think your business needs a lot of writing done, but trust me, it does. Website copy will pile up before you know it. This includes things like product descriptions, “About Us” sections; everything that’s small individually but comes together to build your perfect website.

That’s before you get into the world of ad writing, creating content, and crafting social media updates. You might be able to hang on for awhile if you’re the least busy business owner in the world, but otherwise, you’ll be much better served by leaving it to the professionals.

It’s More Complicated Than You Think
You can write! You’ve written papers, text messages, and that one love letter in eighth grade—so why can’t you handle your business’ writing?

Because it’s hard.

It isn’t just writing one social media update or the single product description for your new launch. It’s creating and adhering to a tone that fits your company’s branding and values, it’s refreshing old copy to keep up with the changes of your business, and it’s researching industry trends to keep the conversation going with your audience. No matter how tight your budget is, you simply can’t skimp by without a professional writer.

Grammar Is Tricky
Knowing the difference between “your” and “you’re” isn’t enough to create great digital content or copy. Not only are there a lot of grammar rules for you to master, but they’re not going to be the same everywhere. Your professional writer will work with you to find and stick to a specific style so that your business’ writing can be consistent and clear across all channels.

Why does this matter? It might not seem like much, but readers are going to notice when your blogs alternate on using the oxford comma or use “gray” and “grey” interchangeably. They’ll catch on, and their impression is going to be that your business is sloppy and amateurish, and neither of those are words that you want floating around your brand!

Keeping It Fresh Is Tough
There’s more to writing than creating content—there’s also creating a content mix. That means posting more than the same promo with a slightly skewed wording. It’s sharing news, tips, and things that your audience is going to enjoy beyond calls to buy from your brand.

That extends beyond your social media updates, too. Your website copy will need to be updated as you roll out new products and just generally find better layouts. Staff changes will also call for writing new bios, and nothing will ruin your team’s credibility faster than flat, unimaginative bios!

So even if you had the time to dedicate to all of these writing tasks, you’d quickly find yourself struggling to create new, compelling content that wasn’t just a rehashing of the previous week’s work. In short, you can rest assured that your writer will have plenty to keep them busy and justify your investment in them!

Do the Write Thing
It’s normal to want to cut corners by not hiring a writer, but that doesn’t make it a good impulse. Instead, invest the extra resources in having a qualified writer handle your online presence. You’ll be glad you did when you’re not spending every waking moment juggling writing with your other responsibilities!

You might not be completely sold on the benefits of hiring a professional writer. Schedule your free consultation with the Go! Agency and we’ll talk about it!

A Week in the Life of a Social Media Manager

By Christopher Tompkins

15Jul

Social Media

Nobody said being a social media manager was easy! You’ve got a lot of responsibility, and it’s easy for things to slip through the cracks if you’re not careful!

That’s why I’m here. I’ve got a simple, usable checklist that you can use every week to make sure everything gets done. Across social media, these are the steps you’ll need to take for a thriving campaign!

Facebook

Check Notifications: Make sure there’s nothing happening on your page that you need to handle!
Check Reviews: Thank positive reviewers and give thoughtful comments/questions to negative reviewers.
Check Check-Ins: Are people visiting your brick and mortar store? Be aware of who’s telling people about you and what they have to say!
Respond to Comments: Good or bad, every comment needs to get a response.
Check That Posts Are Correct: Always double check that your posts were published without errors!
Invite Engaged Users: If someone likes a post, invite them to like the page!
Respond to Messages: The faster, the better!

Twitter

Respond to Replies: They’re a great source of audience engagement. Continue the engagement!
Respond to Mentions: Have a hand in any conversations about your brand!
Check & Respond to Messages: The last thing you want is to ignore a potential customer.
Like Relevant Posts: This will show your audience that your business is engaged with the goings-on in your field.
Retweet Useful Posts: Not every post can be about your brand. Share content that creates value for your audience!
Pin Featured Tweets: Is there something important you want potential followers to see? Pin it!

Instagram

Like Relevant Posts: Get involved with your community by liking their posts and news in your industry!
Respond to Comments: If your followers have thoughts on something you posted, strike up a conversation! You’ll improve their sense of brand loyalty!
Check That Posts Are Correct: Did your caption format correctly? Is the image sized the way you wanted it? Double check!
Check Follower Growth: How much has your following grown? Consider your latest content and how that may have played a role. You’ll improve your overall strategy this way!
Spy on Competitors: See what your competition is posting and how their followers are responding. If the followers love a style of content, recreate it! If they hate another type of post, avoid it!
Respond to Messages: Don’t use generic responses like “Thanks!” or a thumbs up. Respond with something meaningful to the people who took the time to reach out!

LinkedIn

Join Groups: LinkedIn groups are one of the best places to make professional connections.
Send Connection Requests: The more connections you have, the more credible you’ll look. If there’s someone you want to engage with, you’re more likely to get a response with mutual connections! Search for people by location or job title and connect with them!
Check Posts Are Correct: Professional sites like LinkedIn are especially unforgiving of bad formatting and grammatical errors.
Respond to Comments: If your content is getting attention, capitalize on that by responding to commenters.
Respond to Messages: LinkedIn messages could lead to a business opportunity, so always respond as quickly as possible!

Wash, Rinse, Repeat
It’s true that the job of a social media manager is difficult, but that’s no excuse to let things fall by the wayside. Save and print our checklist by clicking on the image below to make sure you’re making the most of your social media following and continuing to grow toward your goals!

Do you want some individualized help with your social media marketing? Just set up a free consultation with The Go! Agency!

You Can’t Do It Alone: Building the Ideal Team

By Christopher Tompkins

8Jul

Business

When it comes to sorting out your social media marketing campaign, working with a knowledgable marketing strategist is an absolute must. They should be experienced and well-versed enough to provide you with the inside track on what you need to be doing, so that you can efficiently execute your plans and quickly achieve your goals.

Or will you?

One of the downsides of getting a robust and forward-thinking plan from an expert is that you still need a certain level of skill in order to execute that plan. I know, it seems like a catch-22: you get a plan from an expert because you are not an expert, but expert plans are best executed by experts. Even with the perfect plan there are hundreds of pitfalls that need to be avoided.

In my experience, I find companies that use a team to execute their social media marketing strategies tend to be the most successful. I have trained teams ranging from 100 to 2, and the common factor to success is simple: each team member knows the roles and knows who will be in charge of that role’s duties.

Don’t worry about getting new staff for each role: one person can be in charge of multiple roles, as long as that one person is skilled in each. Not everything is trainable, especially on the fly. Social media marketing is an investment into your online future, so you want to make sure that you trust the leaders of your team. Your reputation will be on the line. Here are the six main roles that you should be thinking about when you are getting ready to execute your social media marketing strategy.

Project Manager: This person is key, as they will be in charge of, well, managing the project itself. Project Managers ensure that team members meet all objectives and hold everyone accountable to deadlines and budgets.
Copywriter: What is social media all about? Content! If you do not have the time or the skills to create quality content, you need to enlist a copywriter. Grammar, punctuation, and attention to detail are a must.
Graphic Designer: How do you make sure that your brand looks consistent across the board? Visuals, my friend. Whether your visuals consist of images, videos, slideshows, or channel branding, you’ll need a pro (if only to ensure that your graphics don’t look like they were designed by an intern).
Advertising Specialist: Do you know how to utilize social media advertising platforms? If you don’t then you need to hire someone who does. Of course, you could always wing it and risk losing tons of time and money with little to no results.
Analytics Specialist: Are you successful? What is working for your brand and what isn’t? If you have no idea, then you need someone who revels in tracking data. This role should extend beyond social media and into your website itself!
Website Designer: If you hired a website designer to create the perfect website (perhaps at a substantial investment) without making arrangements for ongoing maintenance, you’ve made a mistake. Having a support person on hand is necessary in today’s digitally-driven world! This is especially true if your objectives are sales, conversions, email signups, and similar goals via your company website. If your website isn’t working, then neither will your marketing efforts on social media, or anywhere else, for that matter.

So there you go! These roles will form the basis of a nice, well-rounded team. Although I have seen all of these roles filled by as few as two people, most teams will need more. This goes back to what I said earlier: you must make sure that anyone filling any of these roles–especially employees who fill two or more roles–is qualified, professional, and actually has the time! Remember: you are only as strong as your team!

The Ultimate Monthly Checklist for Growing Your YouTube Channel

By Christopher Tompkins

26Jun

Social Media, YouTube

So, do you feel like an official YouTuber yet? You’ve been consistently filming new videos, are checking your analytics every now and then, and are even sharing your content on your other social media platforms—go you! But let’s not forget about one thing: The work doesn’t stop here. A YouTube channel doesn’t get successful overnight, and it won’t continue to be successful if it’s not given the TLC it needs. So, how can you ensure you’ll keep a steady trend of growth on your channel? By making sure you hit these checkpoints every month:

1. Formulate a new content strategy.
No one watches the same video over and over again forever, so why would you keep your content strategy the same every month? It’s always best to switch things up! But let’s get one thing clear—you shouldn’t switch up your content strategy “just because”. Don’t throw some adorable puppies into your video “just because” it’s popular on YouTube. Think back to your analytics; see what your audience is responding to and how you can get them to keep coming back.

For example, if my company, The Go! Agency, was going to upload a new video, I would consider what my audience is already responding to. If my “3 Steps for Successful Copywriting” video was a hit last month, I might consider breaking that down into an entire series. It all depends on what my audience is engaging with.

Furthermore, when it comes to creating a content strategy, it’s important to actually block out some time where you’ll be able to get creative. Add the exact date and time to your Google calendar, write it down in your notebook, or do whatever else you find will help you remember to come up with a strategy for the month.

2. Curate relevant content.
Remember how I mentioned that it’s a good idea to curate videos from other channels to add to your playlists (so long as they suit your overall brand)? Well, curating this content shouldn’t just be done on a whim—there should be a strategy for how you select videos for each playlist.

First, you’ll need to start by subscribing to other channels that create similar content to yours. From here, you might want to set aside an hour or two at the beginning of each week where you watch a few of these videos and then select the best ones to add to your playlists. Remember not to check this task off of your list too quickly—you’ll want to take your time curating only the best content.

3. Engage with your subscribers.
Your audience doesn’t just want you to talk TO them; they want you to talk WITH them. People want to feel like they are a part of an online community. So, help them experience this! Engage with your subscribers by asking them what video content they want to see next, liking and responding to their comments, and giving them shout-outs in your videos when necessary. The more they feel like they know your brand, the more they’ll want to stick around.

4. Engage with other YouTube channels.
Yes, the main group of people that you want to engage with are the ones watching your videos. However, it’s important to pay attention to what else your audience is watching. What other YouTube channels are they interested in? Whatever those are, make it a point to like their videos and comment with positive feedback. By doing this, their audience members will be more inclined to engage with your channel since it provides similar content.

5. Spy on your competition.
Keep an eye on perfect content! Look at what your competition is doing right, and get inspired to create similar content for your own channel. While you should NEVER copy anyone else’s idea to a T, you should always try to put your own spin on content that has received a lot of engagement.

Also, it’s crucial that you take a look at how your competition is engaging with their audience. How are they responding to comments? What are they doing that’s different from your current strategy?

6. Pre-film enough videos.
Feeling like you’ll soon need a break from content creation? While you never want to film videos to the point of burnout, you also can’t leave your audience hanging. Every month, make it a point to film 3 to 4 extra videos that you know can be uploaded in case you’re unable to create “new” content. Make sure that these videos are evergreen, as you’ll want to be able to post these at any time.

7. Stick to a regular upload schedule.
Do you ever see those YouTubers whose upload schedules are all over the place? If it annoys you, it definitely annoys the rest of their audience. That’s why you need to stick with a regular upload schedule! But don’t just pull days and times out of thin air; remember to look at your analytics and see when your audience responds to videos best.

Do you need more advice on how to continue growing your YouTube channel? Schedule your free consultation with The Go! Agency!

No Time to Create a YouTube Video? Try This!

By Christopher Tompkins

24Jun

Social Media, YouTube

Are you hitting a wall when it comes to producing new video content? This is typical for many businesses. At the end of the day, producing quality videos takes time – and you need to focus on running your business! So what do you do when you don’t have enough time to create regular video content to keep your YouTube channel engaging for your subscribers?

Let me introduce you to YouTube playlists and the secret to curated video content!

What are YouTube playlists and why are they beneficial?
Playlists are a way of organizing videos on your channel around a specific topic, keyword, service, product, and much more – whichever works best for your brand. For example, if you are in charge of a restaurant’s YouTube channel, you might have your videos organized into the following playlists: How-To’s, Today’s Special, Chef’s Kitchen, and Quick Recipe Tips.

While it is optimal to add your own videos to your playlists, you can also curate videos from other YouTube channels.

Just think about it. You share content on your various social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) and many times you are sharing articles or content that you found online which is from another source. The reason you share it is that not only will your audience enjoy the content and engage with it, but it also helps you keep up with consistently posting to your social media channels.

My top tip is that when looking for videos to curate and add to your playlists, you make sure that these videos already have a high level of engagement and views. This illustrates there is already a proven audience for the video and it may bring a bit more shine to your own channel. The more regularly that you execute this process, the more alive your channel will look. It is the perfect go-to when you don’t have the time to produce your own original content.

The only catch? While you can easily find videos that look like they are suitable for your playlists at first blush, make sure that you watch them from start to finish. They need to be on brand and have a message that dovetails nicely to your own branded voice. Sometimes even the most seemingly perfect video could have some negatives lurking somewhere in the middle or end.

Ok – let’s get you started!

How do you create a YouTube playlist?
Now that you’re aware of all of the benefits of YouTube playlists, it’s time to learn how to put one together. Here’s the breakdown in 3 easy steps:

1. Plan the perfect playlist and name it!
For example, if I was going to do one for our company, The Go! Agency, as we are a digital marketing agency I may focus on the following playlists: Social Media Tips, Website Design Hacks, Organization Tips, Copywriting Handbook, etc. Naming your YouTube playlist “How-to’s” is a fine start, but it’s just not strong enough. Think of how users would find your videos. What topics would they search for? You need to make sure that your playlist name is keyword-rich. Therefore “How-to’s: Cake Decorating” could be a stronger choice.

2. Seek and find suitable, and proven, content.
It’s time to start filling those playlists. Search YouTube for videos that are suitable for the playlists (new or old). For example, if I am going to add a video to the Copywriting Handbook playlist, I would use the search term “copywriting secrets” or “copywriting tips”. Then I would look through the results and choose the videos with the most engagement/views and watch them. If they fit my brand, I would then click the “add to” button underneath the video, and either add it to an existing playlist, or choose “Create new playlist.” Name your playlist accordingly – and you are ready to go and find your next video!

3. Keep it up kid!
So you have logged into YouTube, curated some videos, added them to playlists (or created new playlists), and you are….eh….done? Nope! You need to do this on a regular basis! I would suggest adding this curation process to your regular marketing schedule and add a specific number of videos to your playlists every week. Only do what you can handle. Be realistic as always. Biting off more than you can chew will definitely cause early burnout!

Curating video content is a great shortcut when it comes to brightening up your YouTube channel. While this does not excuse you from creating your own original content 100%, it gives you a little bit of a buffer to create a more cohesive content mix as well as share content that your audience will be eager to watch and engage with!

Do you still need some extra help when it comes to organizing your YouTube channel? Schedule your free consultation with The Go! Agency!

How to Track Your YouTube Channel’s Performance

By Christopher Tompkins

19Jun

Social Media, YouTube

YouTube success doesn’t just happen over night. It takes hard work, patience, and you guessed it—keeping track of your analytics! As we discussed in last week’s blog, it’s vital to formulate your SMART goals in order to establish what you want your YouTube marketing strategy to do for you.

Now that you’ve filmed a few videos, uploaded them to YouTube, and are promoting those videos on other social media platforms, it’s time to see if you’re on track to meet these goals. Of course, your business’s SMART goals will be different from other’s; however, it’s important to keep records of all of the data so that you’re able to see what changes you need to make next. In this blog, I’ll teach you the core metrics you need to be aware of when it comes to tracking your channel’s performance.

Understanding the Creator Studio
From earnings reports to watch time reports, YouTube analytics has every single piece of data imaginable to help you see if your channel is steadily growing or if it needs some work. To access this data, make sure you’re logged into your YouTube account, then go to YouTube.com/analytics. From here, you’re able to view a variety of important analytics such as these:

1. Interaction Reports
Interaction reports contain information regarding subscriber count, likes and dislikes, favorites, comments, shares, and more. Although many of these metrics seem like fluff, they are extremely important when it comes to understanding how your audience is interacting with you, and how you can better interact with your audience. With metrics like these, you want to make sure you’re being a good social listener; this means that you’re hearing what your audience is saying, and then responding appropriately.

For example, if you see that your subscriber count increased after posting a certain video, try to post more on a similar topic. If you’ve been reading through your comments and see that many people want you to make a video on a topic you’ve never discussed before, don’t be afraid to give it a go! On the flip side, if you see that your subscriber count dropped during a certain period of time, this might be due to the content you posted, or the lack thereof.

2. Watch Time Reports
Analyzing your watch time reports is vital when it comes to understanding the average amount of time your viewers watch your videos. While it’s said that the average human attention span only lasts for about 8 seconds, this doesn’t mean that you need to be making 8 second YouTube videos. Take a quick look at your absolute audience retention and your relative audience retention to see the most-watched moments of your videos and compare how well a certain video is doing in relation to similar videos on YouTube.

If the majority of your audience is skipping through the first few minutes of your video to get to the middle, or they’re leaving within those first few minutes, you might want to consider skipping your introduction all together. Furthermore, if a certain video of yours isn’t doing well in relation to similar content on YouTube, you might want to brainstorm how you can switch things up.

3. Revenue Reports
Who doesn’t want to see how much money they’re making, right? YouTube analytics provides a helpful estimated revenue report as well as a finalized earnings report for Adsense payments. With these reports, you can view your total estimated earnings from all Google-sold advertising and non-advertising sources.

YouTube analytics also provides you with an ad rates report that shows how multiple ad types are performing over time. This is definitely helpful when it comes to choosing the right ads for your audience!

Keep An Eye on Your Data
While you may be overwhelmed looking at all of this data, it’s important to analyze it so that you can continue to build your business on YouTube. And don’t go into panic mode if you see that you didn’t reach a majority of your goals; remember that social media marketing is all about trial and error. If you find that something didn’t work this time, don’t be afraid to try something new!

Do you need more guidance on how to track your YouTube channel’s performance? Schedule your free consultation with The Go! Agency!

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