Tag : Content Ideas For Social Media Marketing

15Apr

LinkedIn, Social Media

The reason that so many otherwise great local businesses fail on LinkedIn is that they’re not really sure what to do. They look at Google publishing white papers and Wal-Mart rolling out national promotional campaigns, and they’re not really sure what their role is on the platform. Lucky for you, I’ve got the answer.

I’m going to cover what your local business should be posting on LinkedIn and how you should be posting it. Let’s catch you up on the LinkedIn strategies you’ve been missing!

Say Something Meaningful
As a local business, you don’t have the reach or the bottomless resources of a Fortune 500 company. But what you do have (hopefully) is a point of view. You’re working in your industry every day—use that knowledge to offer insight that only you can provide!

One tactic that The Go! Agency uses for our clients is to curate content then share it with something meaningful attached. So if you were a fashion boutique, you might share a post about a runway in Paris with your thoughts about the styles.

“But Christopher!” You say, “I don’t want people to care about that fashion show in Paris, I want them to care about my local business!”

Think bigger picture. Sure, the article isn’t about how great your business is, but it shows that you know what you’re talking about when it comes to fashion. It establishes you as an authority, so that when people in your area are looking at your LinkedIn page, they’re impressed and interested in your brand.

There’s more to succeeding on LinkedIn than just having a point of view, though. You need to say it before people get bored.

Make It Quick
On every social media platform, users are scrolling through their feeds, paying (at most) half attention to what they’re looking at. That means you have to spit it out!

No matter how good your insight is, I promise you that nobody wants to read an essay before they even get to the article you’re sharing. Keep your LinkedIn posts to two short sentences AT THE MOST. If you can manage it, fewer than 100 characters is ideal.

While this does limit the nuance you can give in your posts, it also makes it easier for people to see what you’re talking about. That means more engagements, more connections, and more business opportunities going forward. Save the long-form content for the blogs and make sure that your LinkedIn updates will actually get read!

Join Relevant Groups
If you’re not joining LinkedIn groups, you’re missing a great opportunity to connect with people who would engage with your business. If you’re a salon, join some beauty groups! If you’re a restaurant, join a group for foodies! Whatever industry you’re in, there is going to be a LinkedIn group for your business.

Once you get in these groups, don’t be silent. Strike up some conversations! The key word here is “conversations,” though. You can’t just post constantly in the same group and hope that people will engage with you. Not only is that ineffective, but it’s a great way to get banned by a moderator for spamming the group.

Instead, like and comment on other people’s posts in the group. If you’re engaging with their content, they’re likely to reciprocate and send some attention your way. Just be sure to do the same when someone likes or comments on one of your posts!

Use This Advice ASAP
I’ve seen countless small businesses fail to use these best practices on LinkedIn—don’t be one of them! Starting today means you’re late, so hop on this train before you miss your chance for your small business to succeed on LinkedIn.

Could you use some more advice on how to succeed on LinkedIn? Schedule your free consultation with The Go! Agency!

Social Media Marketing Solutions: Breweries

1Aug

For the rest of the summer, The Go! Agency blog will focus on the social media habits of different industries. For each week in August, our first blog will explain common mistakes made by an industry; our second blog will explain how to fix those mistakes.

To show you how quickly and easily these mistakes can be corrected, we’ll examine the mistakes of Atlantis Beer Company. (Note: This example is a hypothetical case study that combines features from several different situations. Names, locations, and other details have been changed to protect the privacy and anonymity of source examples.)

Brothers Arthur and Orm took over Atlantis Beer Company after their mother retired. ABC has a larger brewery with an attached tasting room, restaurant, and events hall. Arthur is the brewmaster, Orm is the sales director, and Mera–Arthur’s wife–is the tasting room manager and events coordinator. We’re mostly referring to the brewery’s Instagram page, but they also crosspost to Twitter and Facebook.

Essentially, their account looks like:

Mistake #1: Content Issues
Unfortunately, none of the three leaders really has the time to manage ABC’s social media accounts, so they rotate every month. Mera and Orm have a more serious tone, compared to Arthur’s laid-back aesthetic. Mera keeps everything concise and clear, and her image posts are often minimalist photos of beer against plain backdrops. Arthur favors a more casual approach to social media, so his months feature pictures of the crew, behind the scenes shots, and photos of his Hungarian puli, Topo. Orm’s posts are almost all promotional in nature, sometimes including jargon that is almost incomprehensible to anyone who is not a sales professional. Their approaches are so dissimilar that it almost seems like their social media accounts switch to a different business every month.
Solution: Get organized.
The leaders of ABC need to get together and develop a strategy for their social media presence. They are all over the place content-wise, and at the same time monotonous! While it’s good to have a mixture of staged and candid photos, they are all over the place tonally. They need to decide what overall style they want for their brewery. After they’ve settled on a consistent tone, they need to devise a content schedule so that they can more evenly distribute types of content for their social media pages.

Mistake #2: Wall-to-Wall Promotion
Orm, as the head of sales, feels like he must take every opportunity to push their product. He showcases every new beer release, every new menu feature, et cetera. Orm believes that every encounter with a customer is an opportunity to sell, and he is an opportunistic guy.
Solution: Vary your content.
Orm might be great at sales, but he doesn’t know a lot about marketing. Social media marketing is all about connection and communication, not pushing a product. Don’t bombard your followers with sales pitches. Allow your brand to speak for itself: show, don’t tell. Instead of telling followers to buy your new beer, show the release party. Instead of telling followers how popular your brewery is, show the tasting room on a crowded weeknight. On a similar note, share news about beer festivals and other events featuring your brand. If you’re sponsoring a charity event or cause, post about that too!

Mistake #3: Too Many Memes
Garth and Jackson, bartenders, both love a good meme and share them with Arthur, who in turn posts them when he’s in charge of social media.
Solution: Use memes sparingly.
Memes can be hilarious, but these internet jokes get old quickly and tend to age poorly. Post memes rarely, if at all.

Mistake #4: Inconsistent Posting Schedule
Mera tries to post at least three times every week, but the days and times vary. Orm will post a few times a day in the weeks leading up to a new release, but then gets too busy to follow up and sometimes even forgets to update the page for several days. Arthur at least tries to stay consistent, but he hates having to stop what he’s doing and post according to schedule.
Solution: Schedule your posts ahead of time.
There are many programs and tools that allow you to pre-schedule your social media posts. You won’t have to worry about remembering to log in every day or however often to post content. A good scheduling program will also enable you to crosspost to different platforms.

Mistake #5: Sub-Par Visuals
Arthur’s casual approach to social media is great for showcasing ABC’s company culture, but his cavalier attitude toward picture quality is terrible for ABC’s overall image. Judging by his photos, Arthur apparently thinks that blurry images seem more candid.
Solution: Commit to using better images.
Social media posts with images are just more successful. On Facebook, posts accompanied by images receive over twice the engagement as posts with no images! Tweets with images were favorited 89% more often than those without images, and were retweeted 150% more often than non-image tweets. Knowing these facts, would it still be acceptable to post bad pictures? Of course not! You don’t need to hire a professional, but your photos do need to look polished. Luckily for ABC, Tula–their brewer and quality control expert–happens to have minored in photography and is willing to help out with visuals.

As you can see, the biggest part of fixing these issues is simply committing to doing so. You need to take social media seriously, no matter your industry. Small breweries are a bright spot during this uncertain economic time (The Atlantic explains more about their impact on the U.S. economy), so they should capitalize on their unique position.

Do you need help with your social media marketing strategy? We can take your SMM to the next level! Contact The Go! Agency today for a free consultation!

Social Media Marketing Podcasts We Adore [Infographic]

11Jul

Business, Content Creation, Facebook, Marketing, Social Media

Some days you just don’t have the time to browse blogs, but you still want to learn more about marketing trends and topics. Listening to podcasts is an efficient way to get the information you crave. You can brush up on your marketing skills while you’re running, driving, or relaxing at home. While Success to Go! will always be our favorite podcast, here are a few others we love. Since a major bonus to podcasts is the efficiency, we listed each by average episode length!

OVER ONE HOUR: Social Media Marketing with Michael Stelzner

It’s perfect for . . .
Almost anyone interested in social media marketing.

Because . . .
Social Media Examiner is a mainstay among marketing experts. The site provides valuable information that is suitable for just about every level of expertise.

Bonus:
The site’s mascot is adorable. The site itself offers tons of resources for beginning marketers.

UP TO ONE HOUR: Social Pros Podcast

It’s perfect for . . .
Marketers in the trenches. The tagline, “Shining a spotlight on real people doing real work in social media,” encapsulates the feel of this podcast: very grounded, very genuine.

Because . . .
Social Pros Podcast is great for anyone who wants to get insider advice, case studies, and current social media statistics.

Bonus:
They also have a podcast devoted to content marketing.

ABOUT 45 MINUTES: Social Media Social Hour

It’s perfect for . . .
Marketers who want actionable tips and advice. Host Tyler Anderson focuses on concrete and practical advice for his listeners.

Because . . .
Social Media Social Hour delivers actionable tips in an engaging, friendly manner. Each podcast episode is also a blog post on the website of Casual Fridays, Anderson’s social media marketing firm.

Bonus:
“Make your parents proud” is listed as one of Casual Fridays’ core values. Such sincerity and positivity is refreshing in the often-cynical world of marketing.

20 TO 30 MINUTES: Chalene Johnson’s Build Your Tribe

It’s perfect for . . .
Marketers who want to be inspired.

Because . . .
Co-hosts Chalene and Brock Johnson are a mother and son team with a passion for entrepreneurship and marketing.

Bonus:
Come for the marketing, stay for the personal growth! Seriously, Chalene’s goal in life is to help you get your life in order. Chalene is nothing if not well-rounded (she holds the Guinness World Record for starring in the most fitness videos), and often includes recipes along with wellness tips and workout advice in her social media feeds.

10 TO 20 MINUTES: Copyblogger FM

It’s perfect for . . .
Marketers who have things to do.

Because . . .
This is a quick and informative look at several aspects of the marketing world. Host Sonia Simone interviews experts in areas ranging from copywriting to analytics. This podcast is low on filler, but high on valuable information.

Bonus:
Good podcasts come in brief packages! This podcasts gives listeners hyper-efficient takes on a wide variety of marketing topics.

Need help with your digital marketing strategy? The Go! Agency is just a click away! Visit our site for your free consultation today!

The Easy Way to Feature Videos on Your Facebook Page

28May

Business, Content Creation, Facebook, Live Video, Local Marketing, Marketing, Social Media

Posting your videos on Facebook is by no means a new idea. In fact it has been around nearly since the inception of the site years ago. What we want to focus on here is a Facebook enhancement that helps you present your videos in a more professional and engaging way to your audience.

This feature has benefits for both power and casual users alike. It’s imperative that you have at least one branded video on your social media channels. This video should be one that showcases your company and mission while bringing your brand to life.

Let’s get started going through these elements. Go to your Facebook Page and in the navigational tab directly underneath your cover image, you will see either the VIDEO tab or the MORE tab. If it is the VIDEO tab, click on it and meet us at the next step. If you see the MORE tab, click on it and choose VIDEO from the dropdown menu.

Now you will be on the Video screen. The first option that you have is to Create a Featured video. This is beneficial for those with many videos as well as those with just one. Choose the best video that represents your company (especially when viewed by new customers) and set this as your Featured Video. The Featured Video will now show up at the top of the Video page.

The second feature is more interesting to those power users who post tons of videos (or have more than 10 videos posted already): organize your videos into playlists to help people find what they’re interested in.

This is excellent as now your visitors won’t be blinded by an endless stream of videos while they try to make a decision as to what suits their interests best, they can go through the categories and dig into the ones that interest them with more immediacy. So those videos that you love, but are never viewed, will have a better opportunity to shine.

These video features on Facebook give you the opportunity to enhance your uploaded videos and provide a better way of showcasing your content. Whether you have 2 videos or 52, these features will help you organize and present your content in a more professional manner.

Start organizing! If you have any questions, we’re here to help!

5 Creative Ways To Share Data On Social Media

9May

When my team and I work on our clients’ social media marketing campaigns, we know that balance is a big factor in our success. Whether you’re talking about balancing text and images, promo and news, or curated and original content, everything has to be just right. It’s all part of the job. But one aspect that many companies fail to execute correctly is educational VS entertaining posts. Things end up leaning much heavier towards the “fun” side of content because of two reasons. 1- They think it will gather more engagement. 2 – Well, they don’t know how to do it right. But, we do!

So, here’s a secret from the pros. Educational and fact-based content have proven to be some of the most engaging material on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. In 2016, the most popular posts were in fact-based industries. Here are the most popular strategies for spreading the wealth of knowledge with your followers:

1. Infographics. There’s nothing quite like a ton of pictures to make a complicated concept more understandable. The truth is, visuals always help us learn. That’s why infographics are so effective. You can transform large concepts into digestible chunks that are accompanied by interesting graphics.

2. Videos. Video is dominating social media right now. Sure, when we think of internet videos, we think of funny cats running around or how-to recipe guides. But you could actually utilize the video medium to explain a complicated educational subject. Captions are your friend in this instance, as you can add to the visuals. Now with live videos, you can offer your followers tutorials and lessons “in the moment” and answer their questions immediately.

3. Blog. Blogging continues to reign supreme as one of the most effective ways to inform your followers about important concepts and topics. Blogging is a fantastic companion to your social media marketing efforts as it will establish your brand in a professional light and give you a whole slew of original content.

4. Trivia and Did You Know? Keeping information simple and sharing it in the form of a trivia tidbit or a #DidYouKnow post will keep your audience’s attention with a short, simple post. They won’t have to spend much time with this content, but they will still learn something big.

5. Content curation. As always, it’s important to share other’s work from your online community. But it doesn’t have to begin and end with what they’ve said. You can comment in the form of Quote Tweeting or simply share your thoughts as a Facebook comment.

As you can see, it’s time to face facts – you need to create and share educational content! Social media isn’t just about fun material or even promotional marketing. Serious content like blogs, videos, and infographics will attract a significant amount of engagement and in the long run, conversions.

The 4 Ingredients To Cutting-Edge Social Media Content

7May

Creating new content for social media marketing can be a challenge if you’re not a professional. Once you’ve ticked off the obvious topics in your industry, you may find it a bit of a struggle to come up with new ideas.

It doesn’t seem to get any easier either. The more you write, the less there is to write about.

The upside is that this creative chasm can challenge you to come up with more engaging content that isn’t on every other website in your industry. The downside is that coming up with ideas takes a little more work.

Below are a few exercises and routines we follow to keep ourselves inspired. To lessen the work of idea creation.

1. Start with an image

Whenever we make a piece of content, we also make an image afterward. Whether it’s a blog post or a social media update, once the copy is done, we move on to the picture.

But who says the copy has to come first?

Sitting down to create an image without any copy to restrict you is a great way to find some inspiration. Once the image is done, you can allow that to inspire your copy.

Ask yourself, “What type of article would this image be good for?”

2. Read

A good writer is also a good reader.

We write about marketing, so we also read a lot about marketing. News articles, emails, blogs, social media posts, and books. Reading the views of others in our industry keeps us in the conversation and aware of current trends.

But we also dip outside of marketing too. Marketing, like many other industries, is something that can be relevant to many other areas.

Whenever we find out about a new idea or a new trend, we wonder, “Can this be applied to marketing?” This can often lead to inspiration for content.

Could the last book you read apply to your industry in some way? Does a trend in the news also point to something in your own industry?

If the answer is yes, you’ve got something to write about.

3. Take your time and forget about inspiration

Inspiration is the strangest thing. The more you try to grasp it, the further it seems to be.

One exercise we often do on team building days is we ask our Go! Agents to come up with an interesting fact about themselves.

Most of the time no one is able to think of anything. They’re stumped! All of our staff are creative and interesting people, so why is it so hard for them to come up with something?

The issue is, no one likes to be put on the spot. When you try to force yourself to come up with an idea, that’s exactly what you’re doing.

Our best ideas happen when we’re not trying to come up with them at all. When we’re driving home, taking a shower or just before we go to bed.

It’s good practice to carry a notepad with you so you can collect ideas when inspiration strikes. Even when your deadline is weeks away.

As counter-productive as it seems, not thinking about coming up with an idea makes ideas appear on their own.

4. Revisit old content

After my last tip, I’ve either got you nodding your head, or I’ve completely lost you. You might be frantically screaming at your monitor, “BUT I NEED AN IDEA RIGHT NOW!”

When this happens to us, we always find it’s good to revisit our old content. Creating content that is a direct response or follow-up to old content can be a winner.

One thing we like to do is find our most popular older content and write another post that expands on it. If lots of people loved your post about skincare tips, chances are they’re hungry for more!

The best thing about this is you’re giving your audience more of what they want. So your content is defined by others instead of yourself.

Completely stumped on how to turn your content around? Contact us today to learn how we can help your company put out consistently great content!

5 Big Brand Social Media Secrets For Small Businesses

25Apr

Earlier this week we published a blog showcasing five of today’s biggest brands and their unique approaches to social media marketing. We closely looked at how their creativity improved their relationships with their customers in the process. Today, we are going to further dive into how huge brands, ones that we all know and love, find success on social.

But before we dive into these strategies, you should know something. When we say a “big-brand approach” to social media, it is worth noting that even the smallest LLC can accomplish this kind of online traction. It’s all about strategy and positioning your brand as a viable resource online.

So how can a small business that is just finding its footing on the web increase its visibility? After all, big brands such as Burger King or Hulu already have an international reputation to utilize. How could someone like Mari Events in Allentown, PA hope to go viral? It happens every day, and here’s how.

If you want to generate big brand levels of engagement, you need a big brand approach– despite your size. Try these five suggestions and see where it takes your brand.

1. Make good original content. Go on any social media account of a major brand and you will see a steady stream of original content. High-quality pictures, videos, and copy pack a powerful punch. Do not underestimate your followers – they know good content when they see it. Make sure yours stands tall on the web.

2. Spend money to make money. Here’s the hard truth – you are going to need to invest into some social media advertising, whether it is on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. The good news is that you can quickly see its impact on engagement as promoted and advertised content has the potential to reach a large number of prospective customers.

3. Come in with an attitude. What’s the voice of your brand? Whatever it is, keep it consistent. In our previous blog, we spoke about Wendy’s sarcastic, witty, and brazen voice on Twitter which not only attracts millions of followers, but it put its brand in a unique light against its several competitors. While your business may not want to adopt such a spitfire dialogue, you should create a unique approach that is all your own.

4. Understand what the people want. Take a step back and see what people respond to the most. Is it videos? Maybe Q&As? Maybe your audience is a sucker for memes? Whatever your audience responds the best to, develop it and you’ll continue to grow a following.

5. Have a soul. While all brands have the common goal of making money and creating engagement, a bit of humanity can go a lot further than a promotional post ever could. Showcase an employee, contribute to a charity, show support for the people that make your brand great.

Social media is an amazing opportunity for brands to present themselves in a professional and attractive light. If you are trying to go for the gold and reach big brand levels, try these five strategies.

We can give the big-brand treatment to your brand. Contact us today to get started!

Click here to learn more: http://ow.ly/z6PP30jBd5f

5 Big Brand Marketing Strategies That Broke the Internet

23Apr

Business, Content Creation, Live Video, Marketing, Social Media, Social networking, Twitter

Social media itself is an innovative and cutting-edge approach to customer service. With Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the other amazing social media platforms, you can build relationships and connect with customers like never before. But if you add an expert team behind your strategy, it’s a business owner’s dream.

The best part? You will be able to see very quickly if your strategy works or not. Some top brands, such as the ones we will discuss below, raised the bar in terms of social media customer engagement.

As social media marketers ourselves, our team at The Go! Agency loves these brands’ approach to social media:

1. Wendy’s. The fast food chain has become notorious for sending out hilarious Tweets, often times addressing their biggest competitor, McDonald’s. But what’s really impressive about Wendy’s online marketing is how their audience engages, and the brand follows up with their comments. Below is a great tweet that shows how Wendy’s made a customer’s day while maintaining tone and message. It may downplay one of their own rules, but as you can see my the number of retweets, comments, and likes, it was well worth it.

2. Netflix. Netflix will often create trending campaigns that are funny and relatable. These usually tend to align with trending titles that are on their streaming service like Stranger Things or a Disney title, but they have also been known to tap into subject matter that their audience really relates to. And they do it well. A great example is their Netflix cheating campaign, where they “raised awareness” of the epidemic of partners watching episodes of TV shows without their partner– a heinous offense. Not only did it hit home for a lot of their audience, it was just tongue-in-cheek enough for it to go viral for quite some time.

3. DoSomething.org. Clocking in with an astounding 811,000 Twitter followers, DoSomething.org has achieved something that not many businesses have been able to– create real conversations with the members of their audience. DoSomething.org helps activists stand up for causes they believe in. You can see in the snapshot below that they not only respond to the members of their growing community, they continue the conversation and encourage responses.

4. Apple. Apple is a little odd when it comes to social media. If you’ve ever visited their Twitter account they have never Tweeted– EVER. They will change their cover photo to the latest product imagery, but they never say a word . It’s a very odd strategy. But where they DO shine is on @AppleSupport, where they have a dedicated channel just for customer support. They respond ultra-fast and offer tips and tricks for all their devices.

5. Funko. Funko is the maker of vinyl collectibles and pop culture memorabilia.

If they didn’t utilize social media, however, they wouldn’t be able to reach the online success they have. There are two facets to their social media success– contests and Q&As.

Multiple times a day, @OriginalFunko will post contests on their Facebook and Twitter. The prize is usually one or two of their collectible Pop! figures. The only thing people have to do to enter is follow the page and RT or comment. Then, they ask the contest winners to post a pic of their prize when they receive it in the mail, and the conversation continues.

Speaking of conversations, Funko shares weekly #AskFunko sessions, in which their huge fan base can tweet questions to them. Despite getting hit with thousands of questions, the Seattle-based team does their best to answer as many as possible for at least 30 minutes straight.

These five brands are proud of their marketing strategies, and rightfully so. Each one has created communities that reach the thousands and their brand awareness is through the roof. Do yourself a favor and check out their Facebook and Twitter accounts and get ready to be inspired!

Did you know that our team at The Go! Agency, has years of experience in creating effective social media marketing strategies for our clients?

Click here to learn more: http://ow.ly/z6PP30jBd5f

4 Steps To Improve Twitter Customer Communication

18Apr

Social Media, Twitter

We all know about Twitter by now. Public figures and celebrities are always using this amazing platform to sound out messages, for better or for worse, to the masses. But millions of brands are using Twitter to reach out to their customers through social media marketing. The best way to do this? Offer innovative customer service solutions.

A major part of any social media marketing strategy is to employ a successful customer service strategy by using the platforms billions of people prefer. One of the most popular platforms for customer service has become Twitter. In fact over 58% of small businesses are on Twitter and use it for customer service.

Here are the best ways to use Twitter for better customer communication:

1. Offer open communication

Twitter is a great way to deliver top-notch customer service in a quick and convenient fashion. If someone sends a message or mentions your brand, you need to respond and quickly. Some businesses even have a specific Twitter account just for “support” communication, which is a great service to offer your customers because they’ll know exactly where to go when they have questions. We highly recommend this method, as it will also categorize customer service and content marketing tweets separately.

2. Response

If someone tweets at your brand, you better prepare a professional response and send it out quickly. It’s important to show that you care about your customers. The best part about this is that, when paired with a customer-support-exclusive Twitter account, the answers to common questions and concerns can be publicly displayed in your feed. Of course, many people will go the “private message” route. These messages should receive a professional, friendly, and fast response as well.

3. Start the conversation

Another important way to open up Twitter to better customer service is to open the floor to open communication. Let’s face it — Twitter is all about people talking. Turn your Twitter page into a social gathering by giving people a reason to begin a conversation. Ask your audience what their favorite product is, ask for feedback about a new service, or even offer a Q&A session.

4. Go Live

As predicted, live video continues to rock social media and Twitter is no exception. When it comes to customer service, there’s nothing better than instant answers, and live video gives your customers just that. By providing answers in real time, you’re not only helping the person who asked the question, but you could also be answering questions that other people have. We’ve used this method here at The Go! Agency and have started many rewarding conversations with customers this way.

Twitter is easy to learn, but it takes time to master. With over 320 million people flying around the platform, your ideal audience is already there, waiting for your awesome customer service stupport.

Get started on Twitter today by contacting us! Our team of social media experts is here to help your business soar. Click here to learn more: http://ow.ly/PPeb30jtS06