Is Your Social Media Marketing Social?

16Jul

For decades, marketing was a fairly straightforward job. Regardless of the medium, the goal was to present the client’s product or service in the most positive light possible so customers would buy, buy, buy. There was no mistaking that all the content produced was advertising, commercials, and sales. Now, however, social media has changed everything. Perhaps it’s that the general populace has become keen on what marketers are trying to accomplish or perhaps it’s the technology that we currently use. Regardless, social media marketing requires a different type of approach, one of humanity and warmth.

The whole premise of social media marketing is to have have instant access to a company’s representative. That’s right, a live, human representative. The same should go for your content. It needs to have that human spark to it. How exactly does one go about reclaiming the humanity in an industry that was once very shallow? Here are some of the best ways to keep your social media content down to Earth:

Respond quickly. When a customer contacts you on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or one of the other websites we all know and love, you need to respond the same way you would if it was one of your friends asking you a question, which is quickly! The days of being put on hold are coming to an end and the best social media marketers keep their response times low.
In addition to responding quickly, your tone should be organic. You should have a natural, friendly feel to everything you write and depending on your industry, you should add some personality to each post.
Raise engagement. How do you strike up a conversation in real life? With questions, statements, and general icebreakers. Social media is no different. Present content that will get the dialogue going. Ask a question in the form of a poll, quiz, or just a simple inquiry into your customers’ thoughts. Then, when you respond, try to act in a professional, yet comfortable nature.
Share! On your personal page, what do you do if you see something that your friends will enjoy? Well if you are a good friend, you share it. Your business page should be the same. If you see content out in the wild landscape of the internet that pertains to your customer base, try to share it often. This will bring a lot of attention to your pages as well.

Making sure that there is a conversation and human tone to your social media content will satisfy customers and have more followers show up. It is helpful to always examine how you are writing and to make sure it doesn’t seem too robotic.

Share your thoughts on humanity’s role in social media below!

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The Best Ways to Lockdown Your Customer Base

By Christopher Tompkins

14Jul

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

It’s a question that every business owner must ask: Who are my customers? If your answer is “whoever has money”, you are fooling yourself. Every single product or service has an intended audience, even if those who sell it do not want to believe it. As you begin to step into the social media world, this is something that must be thoroughly explored.

Figuring out just who your customers are, where they are, and what they want to see will help your social media marketing succeed.

For established businesses, you may know the people that buy your products. However, do you know what demographic they fit into? One technique we always promote to our clients at The Go! Agency is buyer profiles. Create fictional customers that fit your usual demographic. Give these “people” as much detail as possible. Start with one and see how far can you go. What is his or her age? Gender? Race? Beliefs? Income base? Geographic location? All of these ideas are very important when you begin to formulate a social media plan.

After you have created a few buyer profiles, you will have a better idea of who exactly you are trying to sell to. Details are key! This will guide you on how you should write out your posts, as well. Tone, references, and content should be molded to accommodate a specific niche audience. After all, you wouldn’t write the same social media post for Jesse Custer, a 33 year old conservative male truck driver who lives in rural Texas as you would for Maria Stark, a 50 year old female who runs a web company in Manhattan who tends to vote Democrat, would you? Even if you have a general hygeine product, you will at least be able to determine if you are targeting cost-conscientious families or wholesale purchasers.

After you figure out who your customer base is, you need to find them. Younger audiences currently gravitate towards Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest. Older internet users are sticking with Facebook and LinkedIn. Twitter seems to find a home for many individuals. This will also help you further refine exactly what to share. Instagram, obviously, focuses on the visual. Facebook is a nice mix of both and tends to prefer native content. LinkedIn allows users to share articles easily.

So, if your answer to who your customer is “whoever has money”, you need to reassess your business with this exercise. Otherwise, you may struggle with social media marketing. In reality, your business as a whole will benefit from figuring out who exactly you are trying to target.

What other ways do you know of to pinpoint your audience? Share your thoughts!

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Spotlighting Your Employees On Social Media

By Christopher Tompkins

13Jul

Business, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media, Social networking, Uncategorized

Are you proud of your employees? Prove it on social media! A subtle promotional content curation idea we have found that works is spotlighting your employees. This puts your whole company in a good light by showing your followers and fans that you care about your teammates.

We have seen several businesses both big and small create posts on a regular basis that feature individual employees. Think of this as an “employee of the month” type post. This type of content will have the following benefits for your company:

Showcasing employees will give a friendly face to your company.
You are able to establish your company and your staff as well-equipped and professional.
You will be able to inadvertently advertise your brand by explaining the employee’s work and process.
You will make your employees happy by giving them some extra attention and well-deserved praise.

Of all the social media content ideas you could utilize, this may be the most easily accomplished inside your office. It’s simply an interview and some pictures, but such a post will conjure a lot of attention. You could start with a bit of history about the employee either personally or professionally. Then, they could explain their work at your company. Everything should stay in a positive light and they can express how working for your business has improved their lives. If the employee deals first hand with your customers, you will be providing a new and unique connection for those who work with them directly. Of course, you will want to ask the employee to read it over and approve it before sending it off to cyberspace.

You can also interview and showcase customers that you have built strong relationships with. This type of testimonial will be able to explain just why a customer should choose you and keep returning, straight from the source!

Showcasing individuals is a great way to make customers, employees, and followers feel special. While these posts will take some extra time, they will definitely prove rewarding for all involved.

What do you think of showcasing employees or returning customers? Comment below!

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What Social Media Marketers Can Learn From Pokemon Go

By Christopher Tompkins

What-Social-Media-Managers-Can-Learn-From-Pokemon-Go-200x300

12Jul

Advertising, Facebook, Local Marketing, Marketing, Pinterest, Reddit, Snapchat, Social Media, Social networking, Uncategorized

Do you remember the hit game Pokemon from the 1990s? While there have been several versions since Nintendo’s original incarnation, it’s popularity returned in a big way recently by tapping into the smartphone world where Pokemon Go, a completely new game, is available for free.

Not even Nintendo itself expected its new video game to take over the world as quickly as it did. Less than 24 hours after its release, Pokemon Go’s servers began to crash due to overpopulation on their digital frontier. Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store both proudly house the massively popular game and at the time of writing this article, there are well over a million players trying to “catch ‘em all”.

Yes, it’s obvious that video games are popular. Yet by tapping into the mobile app market for the very first time, Nintendo has proven itself to understand the current trends in their field. However, there’s much more at work here than an app. From a marketing standpoint, they just accomplished a beautiful act.

Without getting into too many details, Pokemon’s popularity hit American shores in 1995 when their first two games debuted on Game Boy, the premier mobile gaming platform at the time. Children ate it up like it was the end of the world. Merchandising exploded. A TV show, a card game, action figures, stuffed toys, candy, clothing, themed stores, and much more took the world by storm. It was a marketer’s dream. Now, those children are in their mid-twenties and early thirties and have put the Game Boy down in place of an iPhone or Android device. Nintendo adapted perfectly to their original audience. Best of all, they made a majority of game play for free.

So, as social media marketers, what can we learn from this rising phenomenon? For one thing, watch internet trends closely. No surprise #PokemonGo was one of the top hashtags for quite some time. Brands that were able to somehow pull Pokemon Go into their social media posts received a nice spike of engagement. All over Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, there were tons of Pokemon-related posts. Keep in mind that all of this publicity is free. Nintendo hardly advertised this app at all!

Social media marketers should also take note on just how ingenious Nintendo was to tap into their original market. Surely, today’s children could probably borrow their parents’ phones and play, but the numbers are coming in and it’s not a surprise to anyone that the most downloads are from those same people who played the original version. Nostalgia, it is one heck of a marketing tool.

Pokemon Go would not have been as much of a success without social media and you can take advantage of the firepower of these platforms just as easily.

What are your thoughts on Pokemon Go’s quickly rising popularity? Comment below!

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Learn Snapchat In A Snap!

By Christopher Tompkins

11Jul

Advertising, Instagram, Marketing, Periscope, Snapchat, Social Media, Social networking, Uncategorized, Video

Okay, Snapchat, you have our attention. The app-exclusive social media platform is beginning to hold its own amongst the social media giants, especially for Millennials and younger users. With video’s rise in popularity, it was to be expected. Its interface isn’t exactly where it should be, but with each new update we are seeing improvements.

Snapchat began with an original concept. Users could send each other pictures or videos with an expiration date. Don’t blink, because once you click on a picture, it will be gone and never able to return. Not even the creator could see it (hence, the ghost mascot). You can probably see how young people would find this entertaining, but businesses wouldn’t really find a use for it.

One of the more significant updates in Snapchat’s history is Stories. There, viewers can see pictures and videos of the creator’s choosing for up to 24 hours. It was just enough for businesses to begin to flock to the mobile app.

Yet the biggest issues marketers face is Snapchat’s lack of reachability. We’re not talking about numbers, there’s already 100 million snapchatters out there and that number is sure to grow as younger internet surfers flock to the eccentric software. We’re instead talking about Snapchat’s lack of searching power. If you know a user’s exact username or their Ghost-styled QR code, you won’t have a problem. But what if a user just wants to search your name? They may have difficulty finding you.

There is a helpful third-party app called GhostCodes, in which you can search their database of Snapchat accounts. You can find them based on industry, name, or subject matter. It is a helpful app that Snapchat itself could learn from.

Social media video rules apply with Snapchat. They are short and able to have a filter. Just very recently, Snapchat added their Memories feature. This allows users to upload pictures and videos from their device’s camera roll. They are slowly shifting away from “once and done” style they used to have and grew popularity through, but in the same token they are gaining the attention of serious social media users.

The most unique and fun features Snapchat offers is Geofilters. They utilize a smartphone’s location services and present overlay graphics that are exclusive to the area. You will find a special Tampa filter in Tampa, Denver filters in Denver, you get the idea. Businesses can also make their own, but that is a bit of a process.

It’s time to start thinking about Snapchat but most importantly, it is time to see how video can help your online marketing.

What do you think about Snapchat? Comment below!

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5 Ways to be an Insta-Pro on Instagram

By Christopher Tompkins

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10Jul

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

In 2010, one of today’s most popular social media platforms, Instagram, debuted and in no time, it began to catch speed. Now, in 2016, there are over 400 million users. That’s an insane amount of users! While it doesn’t compete with its parent company, Facebook’s 1.6 billion users, the powerful picture-centric platform is becoming a time-tested tool for online marketers.

Throughout it’s run, we have seen a few changes in its infrastructure. For one thing, its algorithm now follows similar rules to Facebook and Twitter, which presents posts not in a time-linear fashion, but rather in an order the website thinks you will like. As we posted on our blog yesterday, there are many ways marketers can use algorithms to their advantage. Another major change was an aesthetic shift earlier in the year. Their iconic logo changed to something well, less iconic. Yet their layout did become more sleek and in theory, more user-friendly. Yet regardless of the changes, there have always been some constants to Instagram and helpful tactics in which users can promote their content effectively. Here are the top 5 ways we have found to be the most useful:

Share videos- Yes, Instagram started off as a photo-exclusive website but they have recently become aware of the effectivity of video. Between Vine, Snapchat, Facebook Live, and Periscope, video is starting to rock the house. So, Instagram allows users to create and share 15-second videos. For those unfamiliar with social media video trends, 15 seconds is actually a substantial amount of time. Every second counts in these short quips and you should dazzle them up with apps like Ripl and Pic Play Post.
Picture moderation- Those sepia and black and white filters are very cute, but don’t overuse them. Moderation is key when trying to make them snazzy, but you should also be aware of your subject matter’s balance. Like all social media marketing, there should an even flow of interesting posts and sales-oriented content.
Connect with Facebook- Instagram wasn’t always owned by social media giant Facebook. However, marketers can use their partnership to their advantage by syncing your contacts so all those Facebook followers of yours can see your Instagram content when they follow you!
Optimization- Don’t forget to fill out your profile information! We can’t tell you how many profiles we see that are lacking essential elements such as website addresses and other contact information. When uploading external documents, you will want to ensure they are the right size and the essential elements do not get cropped out when published.
It’s recommended to post a max of 3 times a day. Quality, and high-engaging posts are the most important for Instagram, especially after their new algorithm has been implemented. You will want to be sure your followers “turn on notifications” for your profile and comment on a few things as well. That way you will stay at the forefront of your account.

Instagram is a powerful tool, especially if your business has some form of visual quality to it. We do not mean it is exclusive to artists, but rather any business that can demonstrate their work in a picture and a caption. That’s pretty much most businesses isn’t it?

What are your thoughts on Instagram? Comment below!

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How to Run Circles Around Social Media Algorithms

By Christopher Tompkins

Run-Circles-Around-Social-Media-Algorithms-200x300

9Jul

Advertising, Email Marketing, Instagram, Local Marketing, Marketing, Periscope, Pinterest, Snapchat, Social Media, Twitter, Uncategorized

Social media marketers need to be as adaptive as chameleons in today’s cyber landscape. Our favorite websites throw us curve balls by constantly changing their algorithms and layouts. As such, we need to continuously tweak our strategies. Yet how can you compete with the inner-workings of a huge website such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter?

One of the more significant algorithm changes of late has been Instagram’s switch up. They had always ordered posts in a time-linear fashion, placing the most recent items first and older posts would be further down the line. Now, Instagram seems to be taking advice from its parent company, Facebook. Their new algorithm has the website trying to predict users’ potential interest in each post. There are several variables ranging from the person who posted it, subject manner, and the amount of engagement the post already has. No matter how you look at it, it is a new challenge for marketers, like all social media algorithms.

The first step of adapting to algorithms is to understand what they are intended to do. Like Instagram, Facebook’s current algorithm is meant to deliver quality posts to the user in an intuitive way, even if they aren’t frequent users. It delivers more posts from whom you engage with the most. You will notice this when you like or comment on an update from someone you haven’t talked to in a while. Soon, you will see their posts more often in your timeline and once you continue to like them, Facebook will think these kinds of posts are exactly what you want. Seems user friendly, right? This, however, doesn’t make it easy for social media marketers when they are trying to get the word out to new audiences. Now, users do have the option to switch off these algorithms. For instance, Twitter has a handy pre-checked box that says “Show me the best tweets first”. If one unchecks that, they are back to the old-fashioned type of news feed. However, you in no way can expect users to uncheck that box. You have to be proactive!

Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter have an answer to the outreach problem they have presented. Using hashtags and keywords will save you from being lost in the updated news feeds. Yes, it seems like hashtags may be a common saving grace, but it is one of the most effective tactics to reach audiences aside from utilizing advertising services. This way, your content will come up when a user searches for the hashtag’s subject manner. Hopefully, they will follow your trail of breadcrumbs back to your profile and you will be set.

For Instagram, one of the biggest ways to stay on your followers’ screens is to request they “turn on notifications.” If people choose to receive notifications from your account, Instagram’s algorithm will work in your favor and you will begin to take notice. For Facebook, engagement is key. If you want your audience to continue to see your posts, (and of course, you do) promote commenting, liking, and sharing. You will start to notice the tides turning in your favor, but you need your followers’ cooperation.

As you can see, algorithms can be tricky. This is just the tip of the iceberg, as everyday we have to study the workings of social media to see how we can have an advantage. In the future, we are going to see more restrictive algorithms and it is important to have an expert on your team for when the time comes.

What do you think of algorithms? How do you adapt to them? Comment below!

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The 5 Best Ways To Perfect Pinterest

By Christopher Tompkins

7Jul

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

Pinterest is a very eccentric social media platform. Yet despite it breaking some traditional norms, it has a lot of potential. It’s a great place to find inspiration or a unique way to use a product. Yet it doesn’t have to be for just DIYers. Pinterest is definitely an opportunity for businesses to promote their brands.

If you are new to Pinterest, once logging on and picking your interests, you will see that posts (or “pins”) are arranged in a different way. It’s too cool for traditional linear order! But its content display isn’t the only element that is unique. Check out these great ways to be a Pinterest pro.

First of all, Rich Pins are great ways for businesses to have an advantage over the competition. They will cost you some money, but these posts have extended reach and your followers will be sure to view them easily and your content will be viewed.

Images are the biggest elements of your pins, literally and figuratively. As such, they should be bright, simple, and eye-catching. After all, they will be competing with many posts, so you want your followers’ eyes to lock onto your pins as soon as possible. Longer images work best on this social media platform thanks to its layout, but this can work in your favor, especially if you decide to add overlying text. Speaking of the written word, you have the opportunity to add captions. You will want to take advantage of this. Pinterest isn’t the place for a long-winded block of text, but a couple hundred words could help get your point across.

If your goal is to reach out to a local audience, you can utilize Place Pins. this will allow you to talk about a specific location and showcase imagery. This is a great way to show some hometown pride.

Lastly, keywords. When writing for Facebook and Twitter, the rule of thumb is a maximum of three hashtags per post. However, with Pinterest’s keywords, you can go crazy. The more the merrier on Pinterest! These will help you get a lot of attention on this popular website.

Pinterest is yet another avenue to tap into your customer base. It is growing in popularity and you should research how you can take advantage of its unique infrastructure.

How do you use Pinterest? Comment below!

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Facebook Goes Global: How Their New Translator Will Change Everything

By Christopher Tompkins

6Jul

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

Facebook has been on a roll lately and one can only assume it’s all building up to world domination. Their new tool in the works might make you wonder just how true that is. They have begun developing a content translator that will be able to work with 44 languages.

While Mark Zuckerberg may or may not have plans to take over the world, his team has provided an innovative way to communicate for the 1.5 billion users that do not speak English. As you could imagine, there are quite a few.

Of course, Facebook isn’t alone in trying to solve an age-old problem. Google has offered translation services for years and Microsoft has also been developing new technology to allow communication amongst the world’s residents via Skype. However, Facebook’s translator will be native to their website and we will be able to see posts rewritten into our native tongue. Before we get into the business side of it, just imagine the opportunities this presents to families and friends. We have always had trouble connecting to those who spoke a different language. However, that may change.

We have seen translators fail in the past. Yet with each step forward, automatic translation software is becoming increasingly accurate. You could imagine the opportunity this raises for companies who already utilize social media. Before this groundbreaking update, Facebook updates were restricted to those who could read the language it was originally written in, unless users endured the hassle of looking up a third party translator. Now, however, the tools will be right on Facebook and the language barrier will begin to fade.

What do you think about Facebook’s attempt to unite the world? Comment below!

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Social Media: The Front Lines Of Customer Communication

By Christopher Tompkins

5Jul

Advertising, Email Marketing, Instagram, Local Marketing, Marketing, Our Work, Social Media, Social networking, Twitter, Uncategorized

Customers are the lifeforce of a business. For multiple reasons, a business simply cannot thrive without a substantial customer base. Social media marketing isn’t any different. Without followers, a business is just talking to itself. Our customers are the reason we have the marketing industry in the first place, and we take that concept a step further with social media. Each post written should be catered to a business’ audience and adhere to their wants. However, this new avenue of communication does much more than that. We are able to converse with our audience in new and exciting ways that could benefit any company. Here are the best ways that a customer can receive “above and beyond” customer service.

Since communication is one of the key parts of social media, a business page should perfect their responses and reply time. Like every action a company’s representative takes, activity online needs to be professional, friendly, and proofread. However, you will also want to be quick about it. A fast response, typically less than 24 hours, will be required to keep up a good online rapport. This will also show your company’s reactivity to negative comments or reviews. Keep smiling, stay positive, and do not confront them, even if they are acting hostile.

Are you unsure about how a product is doing? Good news! Your audience is right there, waiting to be asked. Since polls are easy to complete, they are a great way to engage your audience and to receive insightful knowledge. You will be surprised how many followers will participate in a poll that is embedded in a post. You can use this to tweak current services and products or to discover what your customers want next! Wouldn’t it be great if all companies offered this?

Consumers want to buy from a company that keeps giving and social media is the way to do that. We are able to provide customers and followers with new means of communications, but you can also deliver interesting content that may not land you an instant sale, but will attract new eyes to your brand.

How do you use social media for customer service? Share your thoughts with us!

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