What The Presidential Election Can Teach Us About Social Media

8Aug

Advertising, Email Marketing, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Local Marketing, Marketing, Periscope, Pinterest, Snapchat, Social Media, Twitter, Uncategorized

You may not have noticed if you’ve been in outer space for the past two years, but it’s time for the Presidential Election again. Everyone knows who the two major candidates are and what they stand for. By the time November hits, most of us will be able to recite the many commercials by heart.

Social media has had a substantial role in spreading Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump’s thoughts and opinions. It also allows everyone else to state their own thoughts about issues and who they want to vote for. Where does this put a business amongst all the debates and promotions? For one thing, this whole thing can be used as a learning experience. Here are the top lessons to take away from the Presidential Election that you can use for your own social media marketing:

Negativity spreads. Unfortunately, we have seen controversial tweets, posts, and other forms of marketing and due to the reachability social media grants us, it’s not easily forgotten. That being said, if something negative is said about your business online, social media becomes a tool for you to be able to contain the situation and address the problem in a professional manner.

Positivity spreads. Yes, even if though negative messages can spread quickly, so can well-crafted, beneficial content. Your followers are both your audience and siphon, they have the ability to amplify your reach by sharing, retweeting, and commenting.

Advertising works. What would an election be without ads? What would a business be? Facebook, Twitter, even Pinterest offers advertising opportunities for your brand’s message to spread all over the world, or just around the block.

News and social media are symbiotic. Current events and social media seem to be in a give-take relationship. While social media is supposed to reflect the real world, the opposite can happen and a good or bad Tweet could raise headlines. Be sure to be knowledgeable of trends on social media and how you can use them.

The most important thing to take out of this is that everyone is watching. Be sure to choose your words carefully, but you do need to speak, or your lack of internet presence will make you look obsolete.

What marketing tactics have you learned from this election? Share with us below!

Click Here to Subscribe to Our Free Newsletter

Instagram Stories: Snapchat Clone Or Effective Marketing Tool?

By Christopher Tompkins

7Aug

Instagram, Snapchat, Social Media

They say imitation is the sheerest form of flattery, right? Well, Snapchat, prepare to get flattered. Instagram released a new feature to its popular mobile app called Instagram Stories. If that name sounds familiar to you, it’s because Snapchat released a feature called Stories not too long ago. Both of these tools do almost precisely the same thing. They allow users to see a series of photos or videos, equipped with all sorts of fun, customizable options, for the time period of 24 hours. After the day is gone, so is your chance to see the content.

This is in the wake of Snapchat’s rise in popularity and it’s projected only to grow in popularity. If Snapchat poses a threat to any platform, it’s Instagram. Yet just because Snapchat thought of this intuitive design first, does that mean Instagram Stories is just a rip-off? It’s actually a slight improvement over the original thanks to a more convenient infrastructure. You can easily access stories on your home page along with a handy “Add” button on the top left. Though it is taking notes from the Snapchat’s original philosophy, and only allowing camera access, as opposed to your photo album. Content needs to happen NOW for it to qualify for Instagram Stories.

This is even further proof of video’s rise in social media. It’s increasingly vital to a successful social media campaign that its marketers incorporate video in some way. Additionally, because we are beginning to see more “time sensitive” features, this leaves a few things to consider.

First, platforms are utilizing the concept of “live” more and more. Because of this transition, each post needs to count and grab your audience’s attention right away. Second, the importance of having a strategy is more crucial than ever. Systems like the two Stories are beneficial tools, however. You could use these glimpses into your brand’s world by offering flash sales as well as content relevant only to the moment.

Social media gurus and marketers need to learn to adapt to these types of upgrades. Already, we are seeing major brands utilizing Instagram’s new feature and promoting their story through other avenues such as their traditional Instagram posts, Twitter, even Snapchat itself. Change and adaptability are cornerstone elements of social media marketing, and the best in the business knows how to make it work in their favor.

What do you think of Instagram Stories? Comment below!

Click Here to Subscribe to Our Free Newsletter

Go For The Gold! How The Olympics Affect Your Social Media

By Christopher Tompkins

6Aug

Advertising, Business, Email Marketing, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Local Marketing, Marketing, Periscope, Pinterest, Reddit, Snapchat, Social Media, Social networking, Twitter, Uncategorized

If you can believe it, it’s time for the 2016 Olympics! Yesterday, the opening ceremonies commenced, and the whole world watched with their flag of choice waving in their hands. These flags were also waving on Twitter thanks to a new development the social media giant implemented especially for the games.

You can see the update for yourself. Go on Twitter and enter #USA. An American flag emoji will pop up! Twitter has also created emojis for other elements of the Olympics. Ranging from #Archery to #Gold, these little illustrations will be sure to grab attention to your business profiles quickly.

On Facebook, we will see new bright and flashy updates throughout the games and Google is sure to impress us with unique Doodles. The Olympics’ influence goes beyond emojis and doodles, however, it comes with both opportunities and hurdles.

First of all, the internet is going to be as busy as the Rio streets talking about their favorite athletes, their country’s standing, and maybe a controversy or two. The Olympics are going to be trending for a while. What does this mean for your business?

As always, it is important to stay relevant and knowledgeable about what’s happening in the world. Depending on your industry, it may be a challenge to incorporate #Olympics or other festive messages, but it is possible with enough brainstorming.

Be sure to keep a positive voice. There will be plenty of people putting down athletes, administration, and whole countries out there. Your job is to use the best parts of these games and somehow craft them into a way to spread your brand. You can have “Olympic-themed” photos, contests, sales, and more. Finally, be patriotic! This is one of the times people tend to back their country and show pride. Make sure you promote your country’s colors on all your accounts.

Since cyberspace is going to be crowded, be sure to have your message as sharp and impactful as possible. The Olympics can muster up just as much engagement as the Holiday season if executed correctly. You need to use this opportunity to your advantage, and you can truly win gold for your business.

How do you plan on incorporate the Olympics into your marketing? Comment below!

Click Here to Subscribe to Our Free Newsletter

Yes, Even YOU Need Social Media Marketing

By Christopher Tompkins

4Aug

Advertising, Business, Facebook, Instagram, Local Marketing, Marketing, Pinterest, Social Media, Social networking, Twitter, Uncategorized

Have you ever said, “Yes, I know about social media, but it’s not really for my business.”? What about “We just don’t see the point in that stuff.”? We’ve heard it all before and guess what? Social media is for everyone.

Professionals from a wide variety of industries are benefiting from using social media marketing and online advertising. For example, this presidential election has used Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms much more than previous years. Almost every day, Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump tweet something that ends up on the headlines. Social media has not only become synonymous with news, but with communication in general. That being said, some business owners still don’t think there’s a place for them on the internet. Here are some the top misconceptions about social media that are holding people back:

“I don’t have anything to post.” A supposed lack of content seems to be a reason why a lot of people do not want to sign up for social media. It’s a fair concern. After all, empty timelines and newsfeeds aren’t pretty. However, even those with a plethora of original content need to share interesting articles, quotes, pictures, videos, recipes, listings, and more. So can you! Even if you don’t have anything to say, you can find relevant content.

“My business is too old school.” While you may feel like your business is set in its ways or reflective of a bygone era, there’s a place for you on social media. (Even the Renaissance Faire has a Facebook page!) Companies that you would never expect to be online are thriving there. The reason for this? That’s where the customers are. Adapting to the market’s needs is critical to surviving the fickle market. Plumbers, Mom and Pop shops, dentists, all are on social media because they understand the general public is trying to connect with their trusted companies and locations.

“I have all the customers I want.” Yes, we have actually been told this one before. Sure, some businesses are at the maximum capacity that their staff and resources can handle. Luckily, social media goes beyond making a sale. It’s about connecting with your pre-existing customers and offering a convenient method of communication.

“I’m not tech-savvy.” Some people just don’t like technology. That’s totally fine for your personal life, but for your business to stay relevant, you will need to have a web presence. Of course, if you don’t understand technology at all, this may be easily said than done. Luckily, The Go! Agency can help your company establish itself online by administering the most modern and effective marketing techniques.

What other excuses do you have? When it comes down to it, the world is becoming more tech-based in every aspect. While it may be daunting, social media is an essential part of staying relevant and connecting to the world. Time to sign up!

Share your thoughts about social media’s impact below!

Click Here to Subscribe to Our Free Newsletter

Why Reddit Is About To Make Marketers Smile

By Christopher Tompkins

3Aug

Reddit, Social Media

From its inception, Reddit seemed to be the exception to many social media rules. Yes, you talked to people, but not people you knew in real life. You could like (or upvote) content, but you could also downvote it to internet oblivion. As popular as it is, Reddit always seemed to be an alternative to mainstream tactics. Well, one major change is in the works for the website, and marketers are sure to smile.

Reddit announced a new plan to feature sponsored posts online. This is a significant change for the platform, as it tried to keep advertising to a minimum. Unsurprisingly, like everything else with Reddit, this update is just slightly different than Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This marketing effort will do something truly unique, which will allow brands to sponsor user generated content. This means that if a company sees a post that puts their product in a positive light or is relevant to their industry, they can work with Reddit administrators to sponsor that post. Reddit will then ask the post’s creator for permission, and if everyone is on the same page, magic will happen. The user will be compensated with gold. No, not real gold, but rather Reddit Gold which is their premium service.

As you could imagine, this is something untested. Since “Redditors” have an aggressive stance on any corporate advertising, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman hopes this will be a natural and non-intrusive way to make revenue. By actually helping content instead of being a distraction, the reception may have a better light than previous attempts.

One thing Reddit and its future sponsors should be wary of is reposts. Like all other social media platforms, users tend to repost pieces of content that were not originally theirs. At times, Redditors will acknowledge this, while others are simply taking trying to get some internet glory through another’s work. Perhaps a simple reverse image search could solve some situations, but deeper digging may be beneficial to the company.

If advertising is implemented correctly, Reddit may be able to gain some steady income which will result in better upgrades for the site and it’s all uphill from there. This update shows just how important advertising is for social media platforms and marketers need to take advantage of this need. Because of this, they will deliver extensive benefits to brands and companies. Reddit’s new service is scheduled to launch August 4th.

What do you think of Reddit’s new advertising venture? Comment below!

Click Here to Subscribe to Our Free Newsletter

The Best Ways To Level Up Your Social Media Marketing

By Christopher Tompkins

2Aug

Social Media

To this day, Facebook, Twitter, and the other social media platforms proudly proclaim that they are a free service. This business model is both a groundbreaking and troublesome tactic for companies trying to promote. Users can log into their profiles worry-free and see what their friends, family, and favorite brands are up to. While individuals may not have any price to pay, companies are a different story. There are several ways to enhance a professional social media marketing campaign. Yes, some may cost some money, but their results will truly make a significant difference.

A big mistake some social media marketers make is sticking to the concept that social media is free advertising. At first glance, it certainly seems that way. Free exposure on the world’s biggest websites! It seems too good to be true, and you would be right in thinking that.

Here is the dilemma in a nutshell. Because of the “free factor”, there are many people and businesses roaming these websites. There are over 1.6 billion users on Facebook alone. Obviously, you are going to need some help to stand above the masses. Additionally, each website has a specific algorithm to help deliver what they think is the best content for each user. Algorithms may or may not put your content’s reachability at a disadvantage, and a social media marketer needs to know how to circumvent these obstacles. Unfortunately, the playing field isn’t as level as it used to be. You are going to need some secret weapons to succeed on the internet. Here are the most helpful tools that are well worth it:

Third Party Tools- As intuitive as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the others are, they aren’t perfect. Fortunately, there are some amazingly helpful tools to assist you along the way.

Hootsuite is a great tool that helps you on multiple fronts. It offers scheduling services, news streams for researching content, detailed analytics, and more. Consider Hootsuite your social media all-in-one pocket knife, equipped with tons of tools you will need.

RiteTag helps social media marketers understand the current trends and hashtags that are getting the most attention. This will help your content stay relevant.

Grammarly will help your team stay professional by helping their writing stick to proper spelling and grammar. Nothing is worse than a glaring typo!

Advertising- As we have said, the websites we all know and love contain algorithms designed to help the user. At times, however, this may cause an extra hurdle to overcome for marketers. To allow your content to soar above the rest, you need to advertise on Facebook, Twitter, and the others. Social media websites need to make money through advertising, but they do make it worth your while by putting your content in the best possible locations.

Outsourcing- Let’s face it. Social media isn’t as easy as you thought. There are many intricacies that need to be adhered to every single day. Your employees may be too busy to manage multiple pages. That’s why outsourcing your social media marketing is such a helpful solution. At The Go! Agency, our social media managers are thoroughly trained to handle everything the online marketing world throws their way in a quick, professional, and creative manner.

Social media marketing is too important to take lightly or to take the cheap route. Yes, it is an investment, but every business can benefit from having a strong online presence. The world is heading down a digital highway, and you need to be ready to cruise along!

Click Here to Subscribe to Our Free Newsletter

Why You Need To Be A Social Media First Responder

By Christopher Tompkins

2Aug

Advertising, Facebook, Instagram, Marketing, Social Media, Social networking, Twitter, Uncategorized

It may not be a surprise to anyone that the world is getting faster. Too bad we still only have 24 hours to complete everything. Social media is no exception to this acceleration as we see articles drop down to the bottom of news feeds faster than a falling brick.

If you want to present your company as an influential member of your industry, you need to prove you are knowledgeable and in tune with what is happening. Be sure watch relevant subject matters carefully and become a news source by spreading the word. You can retweet, share stories, or write an original article or blog post about what is happening in the world.

Content isn’t the only element of social media that demands quick attention. Account maintenance goes beyond sharing posts and staying relevant. You need a sharp eye on all aspects of your company’s profiles. During this series about how to craft an effective social media marketing campaign, we placed a lot of emphasis on planning. One of the most important pieces of a strategy is to stay attentive and responsive.

Social media is all about communication. Because of this, customers have the ability to reach out to your business through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or other platforms. They can inquire, comment, or complain, all for the rest of your audience to see. Pretty scary right? Well, it doesn’t have to be if you have an attentive social media manager watching your page.

Even if a customer goes on a rant against your company, you have the ability to diffuse it in a professional manner by responding. However, you will want to do this quickly. Ignoring a tense situation like this will only make your business look like it is either avoiding conflict or neglecting your social media page.

Whether your customers are mentioning you on Twitter or sending a long message on Facebook, you should respond within 24 hours to everything they throw at you. The sooner the better! After all, social media has become the front lines of customer service. By being quick to reply to any and all engagement, you will show your friends and followers that you care about their satisfaction.

Finally, you must be responsive to website updates. Sure, sometimes the big six (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, and Google+) will simply change the color of a graphic or move a menu. However, social media marketers need to watch out for algorithm changes. These will affect how your whole social media strategy works. News feeds can change, websites can take preference to certain posts, etc. It is important for marketers to keep an ear out for when algorithms will take effect and must be prepared to adjust.

It’s clear to see that it’s survival of the swiftest on the internet. You need to be quick and responsive to everything social media presents to your team.

How do you stay on top of things in social media? Comment below! Be sure to look out for Part 4 of our series on achieving effective social media marketing.

Click Here to Subscribe to Our Free Newsletter

Don’t Wait To Make Your Social Media Marketing Plan

By Christopher Tompkins

Dont-Wait-To-Mkae-Your-Social-Media-Plan-200x300

2Aug

Advertising, Local Marketing, Marketing, Snapchat, Social Media, Social networking, Uncategorized

The world of social media is not the place to be unprepared. Yes, the time may come when you have to publish a post on the fly as a situation unfolds, but for the most part, you should have a solid strategy at your content’s core. Planning is what separates success stories and failures when marketers try to tackle the internet.

In the first part of this series, we emphasized the importance of tweaking your approach and assessing what works for your brand. The same ideas apply when trying to devise a plan, only now we are applying them. Here are the six major steps you need to complete.

Think of strategizing like a treasure map to your goal. What is the bounty lying under the X that marks the spot? Better customer relations? A wider audience? The ability to promote our company’s events? All of the above? You will need to keep your goals in mind with every step you take.
Know your target market. Who is your ideal customer? Every product, whether the seller wants to admit it or not, caters to a particular type of person. To take an advantage of this step, you should create buyer profiles. Who is your ideal customer? A female in her mid 30s, middle class, who enjoys cycling? Perhaps it’s a senior male who just retired from a long and lucrative banking career? It might seem unnecessary to add the small details, but trust us, these buyer profiles will help you sharpen your content.
It’s suggested to have your posts ready to go for the upcoming week. Even if you want to post about subjects that are happening “in the moment”, you can add more in later.
Study the calendar. Plan out holiday greetings and upcoming events such as Motivational Monday, Wisdom Wednesday, Friday Feeling, and other daily and trending topics. This all should be supplemented with hashtags or keywords. With this in mind, keep an eye out for fads, pop culture happenings, and news events. Be sure to stay relevant!
O.A.R. What is OAR? Observe, Analyse, and Research! After your posts hit the Wild Wild Web, take time out to see how each post performed. Did people click the link? How many comments did it receive? Was it a total dud? You can use analytic tools such as Hootsuite to figure out what your audience is being more receptive to at this time. Be sure to do this on a regimented schedule, because we often see patterns change.
There’s nothing wrong with a little spying. Check out what your competitors are doing online. What type of posts is work for them? Obviously, you should never just copy someone’s content, yet you may be struck with inspiration when you see what other professionals share.Now, it’s time to plan! Gather up your social media team and lay out the groundwork for an effective strategy. Stay goal-oriented, knowledgeable about current events, and study which posts work and which didn’t. There are many accounts at the brink of failing that were able to recover by preparing. Alternatively, there have also been successful social media accounts who plummeted due to poor management. As you can see, preparation is key to reaping social media’s rewards.

How do you plan social media planning? Comment below! Be sure to watch out for the third part in this series about how to effectively succeed at social media marketing and what to avoid!

Click Here to Subscribe to Our Free Newsletter

Why Your Social Media Content Is Flopping

By Christopher Tompkins

2Aug

Copywriting, Social Media

Is social media an artform? We would certainly like to think so. Sure, we may not be dealing with paint or pottery, but it is a very creative industry. Whether you agree with that statement or not, it undoubtedly shares the subjectivity of the art world and like paintings, music, and sculptures, there will be some mistakes made. This ambiguity is why practicing, and tweaking your method is essential to becoming a social media master!

Certain tactics work amazingly well for some users, while the same will flop for others’ business pages. Additionally, a particular type of post could produce substantial engagement once, and it could gain little to no attention at another point in time. Like all marketing, social media campaigns require time, effort, and critical analysis to succeed.

For those just getting started in social media, well, welcome to the 21st century! Yet regardless if you are just starting out or trying to fine tune your content, this type of marketing can be daunting. Social media trends are reflective of users’ wants, concerns, and current interests. Because of this, strategizing can be intimidating, albeit necessary. It’s time to experiment a little bit, see what hits home to your audience. You need to generate creative, bold, and attractive content that is going to get your page noticed. After all, practice makes perfect, and nobody is going to visit your page if it’s empty.

To get the most out of social media, you should ask yourself these three questions:

What is the message I want to send out?
Who do I want to read it?
How do I want to convey it?

You need to be able to answer these questions without breaking a sweat. Your content, whether they are news articles, promotions, quizzes, or blogs, should abide by your goals. You are going to need some PR tactics to score big on social media, which means you will have to spin content in your favor.

Once you assess your content using these three questions, ask yourself three more:

Which types of posts are the most engaging?

Where do you see the most response? (Facebook? Twitter? Instagram?)

When are people reading your posts? (Sunday mornings? Tuesday nights?)

Your content should never contradict any of the answers to these questions, and the answers should never contradict your business’ mission statement. These are the elements of social media marketing that will either make or break a company’s online presence. Many companies don’t understand the importance of crafting a thought out strategy. Some will just continuously spit out the same type of content carelessly. Others will just use their Facebook, Twitter, or other profiles as sounding boards for sales and only sales. As you might guess, people aren’t going to flock to an “ad only” page. There are many pitfalls to avoid when trying to create quality posts.

So, why are your posts flopping? It might be time to sit down and reassess your approach. By answering these six questions and understanding where your social media posts stand, you may find the source of the problem. During your journey of internet introspection, specifically look out for inconsistencies of tone, irregular posting times, grammar errors, typos, and irrelevant content. Once you straighten out the kinks in your plan, stick to it and be patient! Social media is not typically an overnight success, so you need to keep on top of things and observe your growth attentively. Like the great artist of history, social media marketers should step back and stare at their canvas to formulate a detail-oriented plan. This was the first in a series about how to effectively succeed at social media marketing and what to avoid. Be sure to watch out for more to follow!

Share your thoughts below about how you approach social media!

Click Here to Subscribe to Our Free Newsletter

4 Approaches To Educate Your Social Media Audience

By Christopher Tompkins

28Jul

Advertising, Business, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Local Marketing, Marketing, Periscope, Pinterest, Snapchat, Social Media, Social networking, Twitter, Uncategorized, Video, Website Design, YouTube

A lot of people use social media for entertainment. It’s not hard to find funny pictures, videos, or lighthearted stories all over the internet. But there are still many of us with a thirst for knowledge. Where do we turn? Social media.

One of the most significant ways businesses can engage with customers is educating them with important facts and news about their industry. By providing informative content for your followers and fans, you will present yourself and your business in a more professional manner . This is beneficial whether you work for a B2B business or B2C. No matter if your intentions are to connect with customers on Facebook or to network on LinkedIn, educational content is a must. This may be some of the most substantial and rewarding content you send out to cyber space, so it’s important to execute it correctly.

How can you construct educational content within the constraints of social media?

You don’t need to be a professor to figure it out. There’s no reason to be intimidated about writing more in-depth and sophisticated writing, but you cannot go into it blind. Here are the top 4 ways to turn your social media accounts into digital classrooms:

Blogs- If you are reading this, you most likely know the effectivity of a blog. Long form writing is the traditional “go to” for educating your audience. Obviously, we have pursued knowledge through reading since our earliest of years, and blogging is the next step in text-based learning. This is also one of the earliest forms of internet-based communication and still holds strong now in 2016.

Podcasts- Also known as audio blogs, podcasts are once again spiking in popularity. Nowadays, you can easily create your own digital radio show and relay your message. Whether it is yourself or a hired narrator doing the talking, you can educate your audience in a wide variety of subjects. Podcasters also have the ability to make notes so listeners have access to relevant links and information. Think of it as your audience’s homework.

Live Video- With the rise of platforms such as Snapchat, Periscope, and Facebook Live, we are given the opportunity to address the world’s masses instantly. With live video we can make seminars, presentations, and product unveilings as well as covering live events. We have seen many businesses already beginning to incorporate live video into their social media strategy and its potential is just beginning to be revealed.

Quick Videos- If you have found a home on Instagram or other platforms that allow for short videos, you can utilize third-party apps such as Ripl to add information accompanied with fun animations. These are popular on Facebook and Twitter as well and can catch your audience’s attention quickly.

No matter what avenue you choose to make educational posts, be sure to advertise them heavily on all your accounts, especially if you have created a blog or podcast on your website. After all, you need to spread the wealth of knowledge as quickly as possible!

What ways do you promote educational content? Comment below!

Click Here to Subscribe to Our Free Newsletter

Our blog