7 Essential Social Media Marketing Life Savers

4Jan

Advertising, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Marketing, Pinterest, Snapchat, Social Media, Social networking, Twitter, Uncategorized, YouTube

HELLO?! Is anyone out there? Millions upon millions of people are online, why don’t they see my page? Social media marketers might be asking themselves this if they do not see the desired engagement on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media marketing platforms. It doesn’t mean you’re terrible at marketing. You just need a little help.

As a professional in the social media marketing world, we spend a lot of time on official social media sites. We can’t type in the letter F into an address bar without our browsers compulsively prompting us to go to Facebook! However, to be truly effective and engaging, you need more than just the basic sites. Here are the top social media marketing life-saving websites, tools, and apps that will ramp up your marketing game.

1. Hashtagify – Let’s face facts. A hashtag is only good if it’s popular. This is where Hashtagify comes in to save the day. Type in a hashtag to see if tons of people are talking about it or if it’s dead. As you’ll quickly learn, a hashtag is a very time-sensitive tool, and I’m not just talking about calender-centric ones like #ManicMonday or #MerryChristmas. They focus on trends and hot cultural topics and should be used accordingly.

2. BuzzSumo – While Hashtagify helps you see what hashtags are popular, you will still need a tool to help you find the best content. You should note that BuzzSumo Pro is not cheap, but the free version will help you discover the best shareable and popular content on the web.

3. BundlePost – Bundle Post’s tagline is “Stop managing your posts. Spend more time engaging.” This tool can help you with the quantity side of social media marketing. Sharing and curating others content is essential, albeit time-consuming. Bundle Post can automate a personalized bundle of content for your social media accounts. It even works alongside Hootsuite.

4. Hootsuite – Speaking of Hootsuite, it’s rare to find a marketer who isn’t in love with this tool. You can find content, schedule your posts, and study analytics inside one lovely tool.

5. StayFocused – Here’s a secret. Our brains do not automatically block all distracting content. We work on the sites many go on to play, so we must ignore a whole lot of enticing content while we’re trying to execute marketing strategies. StayFocused will help you stay on task by limiting the amount of time you spend on distracting websites. This is great so you can keep moving and complete your task. A Google Chrome extension is available for free.

6. Grammarly – Ah, the typo – destroyer of worlds. Luckily, Grammarly has the power to fight back. This handy tool will help your copy become sharper, more engaging, and grammatically correct. Remember your English teacher in high school? It’s like her, only nicer.

7. OneTab – Social media marketers need to research and do A LOT of web browsing. On average, most managers visit 200 web pages a day. That sounds like a nightmare for those who only like one or two tabs open at a time. Well, OneTab is here to help. It’s a fantastic tool that will combine all our pre-existing tabs into one, shareable web page that adds a bit of convenience to a chaotic day.

So, next time you shout “HELLO?! Is anybody out there?” You can rest assured, there are tons of people out there, and these tools well help them notice your brand. Your company’s visibility has the potential skyrocket and your following to increase exponentially. Try a few today and get back to us and tell us what you think!

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How To Tackle Facebook Video’s Mute Trend

By Christopher Tompkins

3Jan

Business, Facebook, Live Video, Social Media

It’s time to crank up the volume – or is it? Over 85% of Facebook video viewers watch their favorite video content on mute. Why is this? Well, to be honest, it’s because people are watching where they shouldn’t be, like in the office, in line at a store or in class. The ethics of WHERE to watch is a different subject entirely. Instead, marketers need to focus on how to accommodate people’s desire to keep things quiet.

There are two main elements that the most popular and engagement-heavy videos possess.

Strong visuals – Okay, so people don’t want to use their smartphone or computer’s speakers. That doesn’t mean your content has to be any less compelling. You can give them quite the spectacle if you know how. If you’re telling a story, make it so dialogue or sounds aren’t needed to successfully relay the message. The best way to do this is a strong focus on action, bright colors, and an obvious focal point.

Captions – If people aren’t listening, you might have to make the message more obvious. Captions are an extremely popular way of executing social media videos. This is especially important for those who are trying to express more complex ideas such as a news story, recipes, or professional tips. This essentially takes away the need for an audio element.

All that being said, no video should be without sound completely. The follower should have the option of enjoying music, narration, or more. Just because many people aren’t watching with the sound pumping, doesn’t mean that everyone likes a silent experience. When picking sound, you should have something people will remember as much as the visual!

Did you know our team of marketers make eye-catching videos for our clients every day? And yes, we have mastered both audio AND visual elements of a video for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

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Is Your Business Using FUN Social Media Marketing Content?

By Christopher Tompkins

2Jan

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

Yes, it’s true – you can have fun at work. For social media marketers, it’s one of the core elements of our efforts. Not that we play board games and go bowling in the middle of the day, but the concept of fun, positivity, and inspiration need to be incorporated into content. It’s all about a friendly back-and-forth conversation between brands and customers. Companies need to send out a healthy dose of light-hearted content onto their platforms to achieve the friendly and potentially sales-boosting engagement we all hope for.

While there is a ton of ideas out there, there are particular posts that are reserved for when your audience is really rocking. After you spend time growing your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram community, then you can drum up some real conversations, engagement, and – dare I say it- FUN with the following ideas.

1. Contests. Obviously, contests will only work if you have participants. That’s why it’s important to hold off on hosting one until you have an active audience. But when you have enough people watching you, these fun contests get everyone talking. Neither the prize nor conditions need to be elaborate. Usually, entrants just Like the post and page, but there can always be fun and simple twists.

2. Polls. Looking for some honest feedback? Ask for it! Polls are helpful tools that aid your company in a variety of ways. On Facebook, you can take advantage of the reaction system. For instance, you can say “React with a heart for option A. React with an angry emoji for option B!” For Twitter, many marketers use the “Quote Tweet for option A, Retweet for Option B” method. There are also more sophisticated polling methods such as customizable widgets. A quick Google search will land you today’s most popular software.

3. Word games. Add some fun to your content by adding a caption contest or fill-in-the-blank post. Everyone will smile when someone enters a funny response, but they will roll their eyes if there are no responses. This is why you need an active audience for these kinds of posts.

4. Pro tips. If you are a professional, you should share your wealth of information. Choose a specific day of the week and share a tip for customers and fellow colleagues in your industry.

5. User-generated content. Ask your fans to share pictures of them using your product or service. This instills humanity into your feed. You can even create your own, unique hashtag and request people to use it when sharing. For example, the fine folks at Prisma, an image filter app, share and like most posts that have #Prisma.

These five content ideas are sure to get people talking about your brand online. They will enjoy your content and look our for your next post. After all, social media marketing isn’t a “stick in the mud” method. People should smile when they see you’ve posted something new!

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5 Mistakes Business Are Making on Instagram Stories And Snapchat

By Christopher Tompkins

31Dec

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

When Snapchat first came out, the whole point was to send a pic, and it would be gone in an instant. Just think of the possibilities! But the platform grew up and took itself seriously as a potential platform for social media marketing and communication. In fact, the folks at Snapchat made such an innovative app that Instagram began to take some notes. As they say, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.

One of the most attractive features of Snapchat and Instagram is “Stories.” Users can upload pictures or videos and they can be viewable as much as possible – but only for 24 hours. It’s being used by a huge number of businesses now, but many of them aren’t using this tool right. Here are the biggest “Stories” pitfalls to avoid:

1. Using the same content that you see on your main account. The point of the “Stories” feature is to have content on there that’s exclusively available for only that day. There’s no sense in it if you’re just posting the same content on your regular Instagram or Snapchat stream. Make your Story worth that extra step!

2. Rarely posting. Post at least one thing a day to your Story. It’s supposed to be a chronicle of your brand, and no blank spaces will do!

3. Not promoting on other platforms. Use Facebook and Twitter to promote your Story. This is an excellent way to spread the engagement of a popular profile.

4. Making boring posts. One thing about your Story is that they tend to be original content. They both solely rely on a smartphone’s camera, so many companies tend to take pics from the office such as behind-the-scene shots and snapshots from events.

5. Not using it at all. If you already have Instagram and/or Snapchat, there’s no excuse for ignoring this feature. In fact, both versions of Stories is gaining a ton of momentum and are quickly on their way to becoming the “go to” spot for users. Make sure you adapt and roll with the trends!

Stories is a brand new way to get your customers coming back for more exciting content every day. Because the content expires in a day, people need to keep in constant contact with your brand in a new and exciting way. Don’t pass this up!

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5 Social Media Marketing Situations To Avoid In 2017

By Christopher Tompkins

29Dec

Advertising, Business, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Marketing, Pinterest, Snapchat, Social Media, Social networking, Twitter, Uncategorized, Video

2016 had a lot of controversies. Let’s try to make 2017 a bit better, shall we? As marketers, it’s your responsibility to keep your brand out of hot water. Social media marketing is an essential communication tool and a PR dream, but if you start problems online, your business will suffer. Stay away from the following pitfalls and shine bright!

1. Politics. The Presidental Inauguration is on January 20th and will be talked about absolutely everywhere. Except for your page…right? As a business, you shouldn’t post your personal feelings on your page. You’re bound to offend someone.

2. Putting down competition. At its core, social media is a tool for communications. You have the potential to speak about whatever you want. That doesn’t mean you get to put down your competition and spread slander. You would be surprised at how much of this is out there.

3. Inappropriate content. Do you swear like a sailor? That doesn’t mean you have to market like one. Remember the brand you’re representing!

4. Spam. Sure, you should promote your business. It is marketing after all. But you shouldn’t sound out ONLY promos and ads. Add entertaining and educational material to the mix. Also, don’t push empty promises or sound “too good to be true.”

5. Ignoring customers. As we just said, social media is a tool for communications. So, communicate! If someone asks you a question, answer and do it quickly. If someone gives you a negative review, resolve the issue at lightning speed. Don’t be a faceless and voiceless brand!

Social media marketing is a way to improve your brand’s recognition. However, you don’t want your brand to be recognized as a business full of jerks either. Make sure you approach everything as professionally as possible.

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Are You Guilty Of These 8 Instagram Crimes?

By Christopher Tompkins

28Dec

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

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms around. Marketers need to learn how to use this site as well as Facebook and Twitter due to its high volume of daily visitors.

That being said, Instagram isn’t just a clone of pre-existing platforms. It has a unique infrastructure and culture. There are certain rules you need to follow and big mistakes to avoid. Because of the amount of people online, mistakes are noticed easily. Here are the top seven errors to steer clear of on Instagram:

Posts without captions. Sure, Instagram is all about the images. Regardless, you need the space they give you to write a compelling message. Be sure to write a specialized caption for each post you write, as you would for Facebook.
Hashtag abuse. Speaking of captions, hashtags are extremely helpful for Instagram users that are looking for specific content. On this platform, you want to use 7-10 per post after the main caption. Any more tags will make your content look like spam, and less will narrow your reach too much.
Silent posts. Don’t forget about the “social” side of social media. Engage with your followers! Customers wouldn’t be on social media if they didn’t want to communicate with their favorite people and brands in a unique way.
Inconsistent branding. Take a step back and look at your Instagram account. Does it look look and feel like your brand’s other marketing? If not, fix it stat! Make your current logo the profile image, fill out your bio, and make sure your tone is consistent with your other marketing material.
Promo only content. You aren’t one of those spam accounts, are you? If not, then be sure to add compelling content that pulls in your audience. Don’t worry about sales as much, but rather building an online community. Then, sales will come.
Ugly images. Instagrammers like bright, eye-catching visuals. This is especially important for brands who are trying to market. You have to generate creative and appealing imagery and, perhaps most importantly, make sure it looks good on a smartphone! Don’t forget these pics will be viewed primarily on Instagram’s app.
A private account. Is your account optimized? Is your content eye-catching and engaging? Are you using hashtags? Then why isn’t this Instagram thing working? It may be as simple as your account is set to “private”. This mistake needs to be fixed immediately. It’s the social media equivalent of having the lens cap on a camera after a photo shoot. Your work will be all for nothing if not everyone can see what you’re sharing.
Ignoring Instagram Stories. Instagram Stories is not only an innovative tool, it’s in a premiere spot of screen real estate. People immediately see the Stories section when they open the app. These are fleeting moments that only last for a day, so you can put exclusive content and sales inside!

Instagram is a fun and effective tool to raise brand awareness online. At this time, there are more young users on this platform than Facebook. Be sure to tap into this market as soon as possible!

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Use Social Media To Project Your Work Culture

By Christopher Tompkins

27Dec

Business, Content Creation, Copywriting, Facebook, Instagram, Marketing, Pinterest, Snapchat, Social Media, Social networking, Uncategorized

Wouldn’t it be nice if your business could take a selfie? Well, it can through your employees. Emphasizing your company’s unique and vibrant office culture through social media is a great way to humanize your business. It appeals to the very core of social media, which is person-to-person communication.

Social media marketing is quite a bit different than traditional methods. It requires a human element. Otherwise, you’re just posting a bunch of ads. The most successful social media campaigns projects work culture through the following methods:

1. Pictures from around the office/events. Christmas party? Post (non-embarrassing) pictures! Methods like Snapchat Stories and Instagram Stories have even proven to be great with this so you can show behind the scenes shots of your office.

2. “Staff Picks.” Whether it’s an interesting article, a book of the month, the movie of the year, etc., what your employees like is always a fun way to add a bit of humanity and caring into your brand. This is also very effective when talking about the products and services you sell.

3. An employee of the month. Fairly self-explanatory. By spotlighting an employee, your social media will show your brand is people-driven. This is important for customer relations so your brand can come off as approachable.

Be real with yourself- do you like your office and your coworkers? Let the good vibes show on your social media marketing! Your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram followers will love these types of posts – and so will your team!

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How To Handle Online Marketing After The Holidays

By Christopher Tompkins

26Dec

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

When the stockings, the tree, the ornaments, and garland goes down, the unwanted gifts are returned, and the eggnog is all but spent, your social media marketing strategy may seem like it has a big hole in it. After all, you’ve spent all this time focusing on Christmas and the holidays that there may not seem much to talk about now. Oh, how wrong you are! People are still buzzing and will be heavily active online for the next few months. Do not let up! Try the following strategy ideas right now:

After-Christmas Sales- Perhaps the more traditional way to drum up business, a sale is always an eye-catch on social media. While you don’t want to be overly promotional on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, every now and again a sale will cause a rise in engagement.

Email marketing- Does your business have an email marketing campaign? If not, now would be a good time to start so 2017 starts off right. As you create your eblasts, be sure to incorporate your social media accounts and your website.

Blogging- Perhaps your customers are tired of reading Christmas stories, and want to get into some heavy reading. Your blog will establish your brand as professional in the industry. It can also offer your customer base a new level of information. You can use social media to promote these new pieces of writing, and vice versa.

The holidays are a fantastic time to drum up business and improve your online visibility. But after the holidays can be just as important! Remember to stay consistent and stay involved in the online community.

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The Social Media Marketing Night Before Christmas

By Christopher Tompkins

24Dec

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

It was the night before Christmas and all through the web, not a Facebook was quiet, not a Twitter was dead. Okay, enough rhyming. But we do have a great Christmas-related marketing story to tell.

Mal and Rich Caughlin run Haberdasher, a downtown shop that features trendy clothes and a healthy mix of novelty items. It’s an excellent place to find one-of-a-kind items and add them to your wardrobe or home decor.

While they had grown a healthy following, they needed a spike in sales to finish 2016 off right. After completing our e-course, The Fundamentals of Social Media Marketing, they realized they needed a strong online presence, and social media was the best way to do it.

After experimenting with content strategy, they found that sales on their clothing really hit home on their Facebook and Twitter accounts. So for December, they began the “12 Days of Haberdasher Sales” campaign, mixed with non-promotional content. #12DaysOfHaberdasher was used in every sales post during the time. The whole team at the shop was amazed at the results. They even had a few customers who stopped in every single day to pick up that daily deal, which ranged from 50% off all men’s apparel to BOGO kitchenware. According to the Caughlins, it was Haberdasher’s best holiday season in their eight years of business.

Mal and Rich contacted us and thanked us for the inspiration that was brought on by completing our course. We were so excited to see their success and how they utilized social media marketing.Check out our e-course here! http://ow.ly/sR9U307nvMC

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7 Traits That Make Social Media Marketing Campaigns Memorable

By Christopher Tompkins

22Dec

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

Social media is fast-paced. That’s an absolute fact. Anyone who spent more than an hour away from Twitter and sees all the tweets they missed can attest to this. How can a marketer attempt to keep up?

Despite the plethora of content that’s being uploaded every single minute, you have the potential to hit it big and be memorable. That being said, you’re going to have to work for it. At The Go! Agency, we strive for the following traits in our content strategy so our clients can succeed and gain online visibility like never before.

1. Uniqueness. Even if you’re one out of two million retail shops online, you need to make sure there’s something special about your business and brand. Logos, tone, culture, and overall approach will make a world of difference.

2. Anticipation. Do you have big news to announce? Even if it’s just a big sale, build up some hype by explaining that there will be something worth noting coming soon. People will sign up for notifications on Twitter and Instagram and watch your Facebook timeline closely.

3. Quality. As a professional, you can appreciate quality work. True effort, strategizing, and a touch of talent will go a long way. Take your time and fine-tune your content. Remember, once it’s out on the internet, it’s out!

4. Personality. No one likes to follow a boring page on social media. Add some pizzazz to your content! Whether you add humor, seriousness, or witty comments, make sure your voice is consistent and complete.

5. Tool effectivity. Use what’s in your social media tool belt. Whether you’re taking advantage of the hashtag system, publishing tools, social media advertising, or third party apps, there are tons of tools available to you so you can gain an advantage!

6. Sales appeal. Going back to the building blocks of marketing, you should always ensure your efforts put your product or service in the best possible light. You can do this through copy, images, placement, and even a hefty deal they can’t walk away from.

7. Visual appeal. You should be striving for eye-catching material. Note that pictures, videos (both live and recorded), GIFs, and other forms of imagery are essential to success.

Don’t forget that social media is one of the fastest moving avenues to information and communication we’ve ever dealt with. We need to constantly be on our A-games so our clients can benefit from online marketing and thanks to the above seven traits, we do a pretty good job. Are you up for the challenge?

Contact us today about creating a powerful social media marketing campaign!

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Tag : Content Curation