How to Create the Perfect Budget for Holiday Marketing

10Sep

Business, Facebook Advertising, Local Marketing, Marketing

I know, I know, I know. Budgeting at this time of year can be challenging at best. As we go into the 4th quarter, most of the marketing budget has probably already been spent. Every business enters the crucial 4th quarter period counting pennies and figuring out ways to cut costs so that they can still somehow end the year with a bang.

Why is this an issue for so many companies? Why does it keep happening year after year?

Two words: poor planning.

You don’t account for surprise marketing expenses. You don’t adequately track your annual marketing spend. You just don’t plan.

Listen, what’s done is done: you need to move forward. Tomorrow is a new day–a day when you still will have the ability to plan and budget for your success. The wonderful world of social media marketing has many hidden expenses that can pop up suddenly. So expect the unexpected–and include the unexpected in your budget!

Let’s throw the other important factor into the mix: the holiday season. You need to answer some basic questions before you can begin your preparations. Are you a product company or a service company? Do you know what you should realistically expect to pay for social media advertising during the busy holiday season? What are your objectives? How much saturation will you need to overcome in your market? What are your competitors doing?

Now that you have those basics, how do you prepare the perfect budget for your holiday marketing on social media? Here are my tried-and-true, go-to tips to help you begin!

The Objectives: What does your business need to achieve in that all-important 4th quarter? Increase number or amount of sales? Get rid of old stock? Build awareness for an upcoming initiative or launch? Your first step when it comes to any budget is to understand what you want to achieve.
The Where: Once you understand what you want to achieve, you need to think about where you’re going to focus your efforts. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube? All of them? This is important as each one of these has not only a different price tag for entry, but includes a whole separate set of work.
The Who: Now that you have objectives and social media sites in mind, who is doing the work. In-house, or are you outsourcing? Why – there is a cost associated with this decision.

Now it’s time to work on your budget:

What Are You Working With? Take a look at your annual budget and see what is left. How much will you be able to allocate to your social media marketing for the holiday season?
What Is Your Timeline? How long will your holiday marketing campaign last? Do you want to slowly escalate it, or stay at one pace? When will you be doing the most marketing?
What About Advertising? If you don’t plan on outsourcing your social media efforts, this will be your only remaining price pusher. How much do you want to spend on social media advertising? If you are new to this concept, I would suggest Facebook Advertising. It has a low barrier to entry and will help you understand how to execute a campaign. My top tip is to test ideas for your advertising accounts before you launch the full holiday campaign!

This will help you get your ducks–or reindeer–in a row. Remember that the more you spend on social media advertising (when the correct audience and metrics are in place, of course), the more results you will see. Now get going!

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Your Ultimate Holiday Marketing Strategy Checklist

By Christopher Tompkins

3Sep

Advertising, Business, Facebook Advertising, Local Marketing, Marketing

As the summer draws to an end, the kids go back to school, adults pack away their summer wardrobes, and everyone begins to settle back into the hectic autumn schedules.

But something seems . . . wrong.

It’s barely September, but suddenly we see Halloween decorations everywhere. Thanksgiving-themed wreaths abound. Turkeys and Santas have begun rearing their ugly heads! It’s bad enough that holiday decorations are on display before the leaves change, but why are Christmas trees already 25% off???

Well folks, ’tis the season to commiserate about how annoying it is that the holidays are stretched out just a little bit longer–and start a little bit earlier–each year.

While Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday (yes, I get really into it), even I roll my eyes when I see Christmas wrapping paper in stores before I need to use my car’s heater.

But instead of seeing this trend as an annoyance, I have a much more productive angle for you. This “Christmas creep” is a wake-up call for your fall marketing campaign! If you have not yet created your marketing strategy and budget for the holiday season (roughly November through January), September is your last chance!

Why am I telling you this? Because in my ten years handling clients at The Go! Agency, I have seen first-hand how last-minute planning can sabotage a company’s holiday earnings. Too many brands waste time and lose money by procrastinating this time of year. The less time that you spend planning your holiday marketing strategy, the less success you will have against the better-thought-out campaigns of your competitors.

Based on my experience, I have identified specific aspects that you should start thinking about NOW in order to kick-start your holiday marketing strategy. Keep in mind that each business is unique (whether you sell products or provide a service), so this is just a springboard for your planning efforts for the season.

Without further ado, let’s jump in! The Go! Agency presents your Ultimate Holiday Marketing Strategy Checklist!

Goals: Of course, goals are the first thing that you need to establish when planning any marketing campaign. What are your goals for the holiday season? Do you want to increase leads and sales? Do you want to receive more brand recognition? More website traffic?
Objectives: Objectives, my friend, are measurable goals. Think of it this way: if your goal is at the top of a staircase, each step would be an objective. Here are a few good examples of objectives: ten new leads per month, ten new sales per month, 1,000 post impressions, or increasing web traffic by 25 percent.
Timing: Should your fall marketing focus on the major winter holidays, or the late autumn holidays? The Christmas holidays are huge for most brands, but you might see increased sales earlier, around Halloween or Thanksgiving!
Discounts/Promotions: Are you prepared to offer any special discounts or package promotions? You better decide now! Even so-called “flash sales” require a lot of planning and preparation. And if you want to have a Black Friday special, you can never start planning too early!
Labor: Do you have the right people in place to execute your holiday marketing campaign, or will you need to look beyond your current staff? For instance, you might have a great marketing manager, but you need an SEO specialist for one part of your holiday strategy. You had better move fast: the demand for talent around the holidays is fierce! Even freelancers can be booked months in advance.
Advertising: This is a key component, especially when it comes to social media marketing. Did you include this crucial piece in your budget for holiday promotions? Where are you going to advertise? How much can you spend on ads? Hey, speaking of which . . .
Budget: You need to account for outsourcing, advertising, and who knows what else! Do you have a budget in place for–or any money left from your annual budget to use on–your holiday promotions? (Pro tip: you should create a specific holiday budget into your annual budget when you pitch it each year and then earmark the funds for the fourth quarter.)
Schedule and Timeline: You need to map out the deadlines for every aspect of your marketing campaign, from creating content to determining release dates. It can be as rigid or as flexible as you need.
Measurements: What tools will you use to measure the effectiveness of this campaign? How will you quantify your goals? This will help you not only determine your success but also refine your future holiday strategy.
Competition: Not sure if you are on the right track? What’s the competition doing for the holidays? Take a look at the strategies of others in your industry (especially direct competitors). The findings may be surprising, but will always be helpful.

These ten items will help you focus on the holiday season so that your marketing campaign does not get left out in the (ahem) cold.

Remember: they sell Christmas trees in August because people will buy them–it’s basic supply and demand. The next time you notice any pre-seasonal cheer, take it as a reminder that you need to get your holiday marketing game in full gear! Keep your eyes on the prize, double down on strategy, carefully consider your budget, and don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. It’s time to get to work!

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Social Media Marketing Solutions: Fitness Studios

By Christopher Tompkins

29Aug

Business, Local Marketing, Marketing, Social Media

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.

As we discussed in our previous blog, the fitness industry has some work to do when it comes to social media marketing. Thankfully, the common issues have easy fixes. Let’s take a look at one fitness studio that needs some more coaching on their marketing techniques! (Note: The following 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.)

Ferris Fitness is a small boutique fitness studio that specializes in spinning and pilates. CEO Carol Ferris wants her studio to be a space where people can feel comfortable and get healthy. She is busy enough with the day to day operations (and keeping head trainer Hal from throttling Guy, a spin instructor), so she leaves the social media operations to Kyle, the receptionist and de facto office manager. Kyle likes that this duty enables him to flex his creative muscles (his degree is in graphic design), but he doesn’t know a lot about marketing.

Bad Visuals
Carol wants to show off their gorgeous layout, so she’s taken lots of pictures of the studio. Always when it’s empty, of course–why would you want people in the way? Pilates teachers Jessica and Simon will frequently snap candid pics during workouts, and sometimes even take (admittedly shaky) videos of group classes.

Solution: Polish your image.
We’re not saying that you need to make your trainers wear full make up so that you can take pictures of the class, but you need to look polished. Pay attention to lighting and composition of your shots. Take time to actually set up your photos. And enough with those sad pictures of empty gyms: people won’t be impressed by the space, they’ll be confused by your lack of clients.

Too Perfect
Spin instructor John wants to take before and after photos of clients, but Carol worries that asking would offend or embarrass them. Right now, their photos are mostly shots of the trainers during their own workouts.

Solution: Embrace reality!
You need to show the “before” picture if you want the “after” picture to have any impact. People want to see what your gym could do for them, and the best way to do that is to show a person who is at the beginning of his/her fitness journey. More than that, people want to to relate to others. Ask your clients if any of them would be comfortable sharing before and after photos. Ideally, you should present a mixture of all different ages, sizes, and body types.

Strictly Business
Ferris Fitness has an eclectic bunch of employees. Guy volunteers with the Special Olympics. Jess and Simon co-emcee a popular karaoke night at a nearby bar. The staff includes two retired veterans: Hal (USAF) and John (USMC). Sadly, no one would know any of this by looking at any of the gym’s social media channels.

Solution: Get personal.
Show off your staff! No one who’s seen Guy yelling at cyclists in his lunchtime spin class would ever think that he’d be great with children, much less children with special needs. Jess is so quiet during classes, but she’s effervescent on stage. Happy-go-lucky karaoke night Simon likewise bears little resemblance to stern trainer Simon. Hal and John don’t like to flaunt their military service, but they wouldn’t mind being mentioned on Veterans’ Day. By showing the human side of your trainers, you allow your audience to connect.

Ferris Fitness has one advantage that too many businesses lack: an owner who was willing to learn. After Kyle mentioned their social media issues, Carol did some research on her own. She had thought that her fitness studio was average in terms of social media, but she quickly saw how much she was missing. Carol decided to contact a small social media management firm. She felt doing so would be the best for herself and her staff–and the results have been great!

Don’t do all the heavy lifting of digital marketing by yourself! We can help you optimize your marketing strategies. Contact us today for a free consultation!

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Why Am I Not Getting Leads from My Facebook Page?

By Christopher Tompkins

28Aug

Advertising, Facebook, Facebook Advertising, Social Media

…or How to Succeed in Facebook by Really Trying

As the CEO and Head Strategist of a social media-centric online marketing agency for the past ten years, hundreds of new clients looking to turn their Facebook fortunes around have asked me this question. And they all have a similar story . . . .

You are a business owner, marketer, or sales person who is managing the Facebook Page for your business. You have heard about the wonders and riches that Facebook is bringing others in your industry, and have read countless articles about how to make it work for your company. The articles all seem to repeat the same formula:

Focus on content.
Tell your story.
Be consistent with your messaging strategy.
Use visuals.
Pray to the Facebook gods for results.

You have tried all of these elements . . . why oh why are you not getting any results?

First, let’s take a look at that term “results.” Do you know what type of results that you could expect from a Facebook marketing campaign? Have you set goals? Have you set measurable objectives?

No?

This is the first reason why you are not getting leads from Facebook. No success metrics are in place.

For all marketing initiatives, one of the key elements that you must consider is what measurable outcomes you expect and are working towards. While many people still hang onto the fact that they cannot secure a true ROI of Facebook marketing, it’s hard to find ROI when you haven’t defined the terms!

So the number one item missing from your Facebook Page marketing strategy is your objective. You need at least two (yes, count them–TWO) objectives that you would like to achieve. These could be awareness (reach, impressions), audience growth, or even engagement. Putting a number to these will help you see the power of your page and where you need to focus going forward.

Secondly, how much are you spending on Facebook Advertising? Nothing? Then you are pretty much done here. Given how the Facebook algorithm is built, if you don’t have a decent budget for advertising, then your content will probably never reach your target consumers. If it doesn’t reach your target consumers, you can’t get them to engage with you, learn about your services or products, and move through to your website to purchase or get more information.

What I want you to understand is that Facebook success is not free initially. You have to pay to be seen. Then if you build the right market, put out the right content, and get the right level of engagement, you will be on your way to sustained success. With an ongoing advertising budget in place, you will be able to continually add more new people to this funnel and perpetuate success.

But what is success? That takes me back to the first point: create and name measurable objectives. Based on those objectives, create a Facebook advertising campaign (or four). Reap the results and repeat.

Are you still wondering what you are missing about Facebook Marketing? You are not tracking your goals realistically and your Facebook Advertising campaign is either weak, nonexistent, or is thirsting for more from your budget.

Think what you would make on a typical client (what you would net). Try creating an ad with that demographic in mind that is aimed at fulfilling one of your objectives. Run it and see how it does. Then refine and repeat. Testing is not a bad thing and will help you get closer to your goal. Just remember to have one to begin with.

Social Media Marketing Evaluation: Fitness Studios

By Christopher Tompkins

27Aug

Social Media

For the rest of the summer, the Go! Agency blog will focus on the social media habits of some of our favorite industries. Every week, our first blog will explain common mistakes made by an industry; followed by a second blog that will explain how to fix them. Think of this series as What Not to Wear for social media marketing!

Fitness studios are booming right now, notably spinning, pilates, Crossfit, and other so-called “boutique fitness” specialities. According to an industry survey by American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal, high intensity training and group training are the two biggest fitness trends in 2018. Unfortunately, many of the smaller studios need help with social media marketing. Here are a few of the biggest mistakes we’ve noticed among fitness studios.

1. Bad Visuals
Every industry makes this mistake, so we cannot stress it enough: level up your visual game. Do not post bad pictures. Poor lighting and composition can make a brand new studio look like the inside of an abandoned warehouse. Speaking of abandoned, don’t post pictures of empty rooms or equipment. Spinning studios are major offenders here: stop using photos of empty bicycles. You may think you’re showing off your state of the art equipment, but viewers will see a studio with no members.

2. Just Too Perfect
Speaking of overused images, too many fitness studios post pictures of perfect people. It’s great to post pics of your staff (more on that below) or other fitness professionals, but you need to connect to your audience. While your audience will undoubtedly have a good number of fitness buffs, it will also include people who want to improve themselves. You need to appeal to customers who don’t look perfect. And what about expanding your client base? With the incoming Silver Tsunami, many fitness pros have found success by appealing to the older demographic. Finally, think of this as an opportunity to prove the value of your services by taking photos of clients throughout their fitness journey. You need to show the “before” if you want the “after” picture to have any impact.

3. Strictly Business
While personal trainers can take a more personal approach with their social media profiles, fitness studios need to be a bit more business-oriented. Unfortunately, a lot of these studios take that to extremes and show no personality whatsoever. Staff is almost anonymous; the brand itself has no personality. As we discussed in our blog on restaurant solutions, you need to mix up your content if you want to keep your audience’s attention.

4. Little to No Engagement
Connecting to your audience is the point of social media. You must respond to each comment and question. You should participate in challenges on social media platforms, or follow fitness-specific hashtags. Finally, consider using your social media accounts for giveaways or promotions that would not be available elsewhere.

5. All or Nothing Approach to Marketing
Far too many fitness studios fall into one of two camps: 24/7 sales pitches or radio silence. As any competent social media marketer will tell you, neither is a winning strategy. Consider the previous entries and vary your content. Don’t bore your followers, and don’t forget to educate them. Your social media channels are an opportunity to give your potential customers a taste of what you have to offer.

Remember: there are no such things as rest days when it comes to your social media marketing strategy! Check out our next blog for solutions to these common problems.

Has your marketing strategy hit a plateau? We can help you achieve your goals! Contact us today for your free consultation!

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Social Media Marketing Solutions: Restaurants

By Christopher Tompkins

22Aug

Social Media

Thankfully you can quickly and easily correct all of the mistakes we discussed in our previous blog post. Let’s take a look at one restaurant that needs some help with social media strategy. (Note: The following 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.)

After Drs. Sam and Colleen Holt left academia, they opened Kerberos Cafe. They have a solid business plan and have seen a lot of success, but they understand that marketing on social media would increase both their audience and their profits. Unfortunately, their Ph.D. programs in physics and mathematics didn’t really cover Facebook or Instagram.

Mistake: Not having a designated social media manager.

Sam and Colleen’s two children, Matt and Katie, help out with the social media when possible, and members of their staff will step in if asked. However, the kids are both in college and the staff members juggle multiple other duties.

Solution: Assign an employee to manage your social media.

Social media marketing needs to be a priority, not an afterthought. This is not to say that you should necessarily hire someone exclusively for this task, but you do need to have one staff member who is in charge of your social media profiles. Don’t just assume that the youngest employee is best suited to this task, either. Ask for volunteers, and choose an employee who understands how to use social media and (preferably) knows at least the basics of social media marketing.

Mistake: Mishandling reviews.

Shiro, the general manager, tries to keep up with Kerberos’ Yelp and Facebook pages. However, he is often swamped with other duties and can’t always reply to each review. Shiro once made the mistake of assigning shift leader Keith to monitor the page, which almost resulted in some less-than-professional responses.

Solution: Respond to every review (and review each of your responses).

The restaurant has a strict policy of approving all social media posts, so Keith’s angry retorts were never seen by the public. (Shiro was annoyed, but accepted the blame himself and moved on.) Shiro realized that the only way he’d be able to read and reply to every review is if he delegated some of his other responsibilities at the end of each shift. This situation is not uncommon; trade off one duty to fulfill another. Responding to consumers will benefit your brand, as over 70 percent of consumers surveyed claimed that prompt responses from companies on social media increased the likelihood for positive word of mouth. You must respond to your reviews especially: it shows that not only are you committed to improving your business, you are equally committed to customer service.

Mistake: Having sporadic updates and other scheduling issues.

Katie and Matt handle Kerberos’ Facebook profile, Shiro monitors the Facebook page and Yelp, and Allura covers Instagram. The restaurant had a Twitter account, but no one remembers the password or has had time to reset it. They all try to post daily, but sometimes a full week goes by without an update.

Solution: Get organized and pre-schedule posts.

Shiro had already reached that conclusion, and now blocks off a specific time for social media. Katie and Matt need to do the same. They should also look into a social media management tool that will allow them to pre-schedule posts: that way, they can just provide the content and not worry about posting at the optimal time!

Mistake: Not interacting with anyone on social media.

Katie usually posts about new menu items or seasonal specials, although she knows that the content can look boring. She doesn’t really share many articles and feels awkward responding to customer comments. She posted a picture of Lance–the cafe’s popular bartender–from a charity marathon (after much pestering from Lance himself), and was pleasantly surprised by all the positive reactions.

Solution: Engage in the social side of social media!

To paraphrase a maxim, a social media profile will not succeed on promotions alone. You must vary your content. Promotions are still a great tool, though! Kerberos should consider doing a promo available only to those who follow their social media profiles. A small incentive like a free dessert or appetizer is a relatively cheap way to drum up engagement and convert your audience into customers. This will also prompt user-generated content (UGC), because people love to post and share about getting free stuff!

Final Point: Prioritize your visuals.

Allura, the dining room manager, double majored in hospitality and photography. She even suggested ways to improve Kerberos’ Instagram page during her interview. Shiro was just grateful to find a volunteer, especially one whose photography experience consisted of more than selfies. Allura takes care to get the best lighting and ideal presentation for each shot. She also supplies Matt, Katie, and Shiro with images for Facebook posts and promotions.

Thankfully, the Kerberos staff understand the power of images in social media! After a little tweaking, they were able to get their social media strategy on point:

Are you in the weeds when it comes to your marketing strategy? We want to help your brand get the most from social media! Contact us today for a free consultation!

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Social Media Marketing Evaluation: Restaurants

By Christopher Tompkins

20Aug

Social Media

In 2016, 75 percent of U.S. restaurants advertised on Facebook (Statista), but that doesn’t mean that the industry has mastered social media. Too many restaurants treat social media like sidework–an afterthought. Updating pages, posting content, and responding to customers–it’s easy to see why some restaurants are in the weeds when it comes to social media! Although several big chains have been killing it on social media, others need guidance. Here are a few of the biggest questions you need to ask.

Ignoring Reviews

According to BrightLocal, 85 percent of consumers give online reviews the same weight as endorsements from people they know. Sites like Yelp are more influential than ever: 34 percent of consumers report that peer reviews influenced their restaurant choices; and 61 percent of consumers have looked at restaurant reviews online.

Do you monitor your Yelp, Facebook, or your delivery service pages for reviews?
Has your restaurant ever received a negative review? How did you respond?
Do you respond to positive reviews?
Do you share positive reviews?

Little to No Interaction

If you take away only one thing from this blog, let it be this: the purpose of a website is to spread information; the purpose of social media is to connect with your audience. Too many restaurants use their Facebook or Twitter profiles only to showcase new menu items or notify the public of holiday closures. An engaged audience is a profitable audience! Too many restaurants neglect this simple fact and don’t respond to comments or questions on their social media profiles. On a semi-related note, restaurants are guilty of wall-to-wall promotional posts. You should be doing more than just sharing your brunch specials.

Do you reply to comments?
Do you follow your regular customers and interact with their posts?
Do you ever showcase your staff on social media?
Do you only post promotional material?

Poor Scheduling or Rarely Updating

Some restaurants never update their profiles, and some posting schedules follow no discernible pattern. People need to know what to expect. Customers can’t take advantage of your happy hour specials if they don’t know about them in time! Oh, and have fun explaining to the staff that the restaurant’s owner sat three tables five minutes before closing, because the customers all looked at your (outdated) information on Facebook and didn’t know you’d changed hours of operation.

Which social media platforms do you use? How often do you check them?
Is all of your information current on each of your profiles? Hours of operation, menus, specials, et cetera?
Do you announce new menu items? Specials? Events?
Would people have an easy way of accessing your menu or website from your social media page? When was the last time you posted?

No Community Involvement

Social media might be on the world wide web, but it still gives you a chance to connect with your local community! Successful restaurants are well-established in their communities. Becoming a regular at community festivals and charity events is powerful free advertising! Some smaller establishments have had a great deal of success utilizing social media to create buzz in the community.

Do you tag other local (non-competing) businesses?
Have you ever networked with other businesses in your community?
Do you ever promote or take part in local festivals or events?
Does your restaurant offer deals that are only available or visible on social media?

Bad Visuals

We cannot emphasize this enough: social media users respond to images. You need to bring your A-game when it comes to your visuals on social media. You want to entice potential customers with perfectly plated entrees, but even one bad picture could change their minds.

Are you photos polished and high-quality or amateurish and average?
Does your photographer use proper lighting?
Have you ever relied on an Instagram filter to “fix” a below-average photo?
Be honest: would you eat the menu items you post on Instagram?

This post is just an appetizer. In our next blog, we’ll explain how restaurants can fix these errors!

Are you in the weeds with your social media marketing strategy? We can help! Contact us today for a free consultation!

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Social Media Marketing Solutions: Venues

By Christopher Tompkins

15Aug

Social Media

All the mistakes we discussed in our previous post can be quickly and easily corrected. Today we’re profiling a venue that needs some guidance with social media marketing strategy! Although we focused on a performing arts venue for our example, these solutions can apply to venues of every type. (Note: The following 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.)

Les and Louis bought and renovated the old Coven Street Theatre with plans of transforming the dilapidated dance hall into a community hotspot. They have an eclectic mix of bands and events, including charity concerts, weddings, folk singers, quinceañeras, gothic rock shows, stand-up comedy, film screenings, and even open-mic nights. Claudia, their intern, is doing the best she can at running their social media profiles, but she admits that she’s overwhelmed.

Bad Visuals

Louis and Les agree that crowdsourcing photos from their audience members during concerts and other events is a great way to increase engagement–and an easy way to score free images. However, Louis wants Les to be more discerning when it comes to choosing which photos to post. Armand, a professional photographer and Louis’ boyfriend, has often pointed out that they chose inferior shots when better pictures were available.

Solution: Don’t post images of inferior quality.

There is only one solution to this problem (and, yes, we will discuss it in every blog of this series): you must get serious about visuals! Do not settle for low-quality photographs. Your audience sees your venue through the photos you post on social media; if you post amateurish, poorly-lit, badly composed, and otherwise low-quality images, that is how they will view your venue. Online visuals often provide first impressions: people will pre-scout before actually visiting a space.

Grand Theft Photo

Louis wants Armand to take a few photos during events, but Armand refuses to work with Les. It seems that Les has gained a reputation for using images from professional photographers without asking permission or giving proper attribution. Although he never used any images for promotional or marketing purposes, Les has alienated the photography community to the point that few pros are willing to work with him (or at his venue). Even wedding photographers are reluctant to shoot at Coven Street!

Solution: Make amends and follow procedure.

All you need to do is get a photographer’s permission to use the photo and then properly attribute the photo. Professional photographers are professionals: what you might consider a hobby is their actual job! They want credit for their work. If you don’t know who took the photo, then don’t use the photo. It’s a good thing that Les never used any of the uncredited images in Coven Street’s promotional materials because that would have been grounds for a lawsuit! Les made it right (after a great deal of harping from Louis), but he could have permanently alienated an entire industry. Louis and Claudia had to spend hours correctly attributing old photos–time that could have been used more productively if best practices had been followed from the beginning.

Constant Promotion

Even if their photos are sub-par, their posters are on point! Yvette, Coven Street Theatre’s events coordinator, designs all of their promotional materials. Louis loves her aesthetic (she moonlights as a freelance graphic designer), so he encourages Claudia to use Yvette’s posters as images whenever possible. Additionally, Yvette has told Claudia to promote every public event at least twice a day on each of Coven Street’s social media accounts. They need to spread the word, right?

Solution: Shake it up a bit.

Posting news of upcoming events and shows is informative. Only posting news of upcoming events and shows is boring at best, obnoxious at worst. Social media is about connecting to your followers, not pitching to them. Think of it as an opportunity to humanize your business. Post about your staff or give your followers a glimpse behind the scenes. If your venue is historic or in a historic neighborhood, promote that aspect! Show your audience why you love your venue–and why they will, too.

Bonus Solution: Connecting to the Local Community

Where do people go before and after a show? If your venue doesn’t have a kitchen or a bar, are there restaurants or bars in the neighborhood? Are there any hotels or bed-and breakfasts conveniently located nearby? Connect with your neighbors, in person and on social media. Consider running specials with your neighbors. Wedding guests could receive a group rate at a hotel, or nearby eateries could offer discounts to ticket holders of your venue. You could promote other businesses, as well: keep a list of preferred vendors for special events. With cross-promotions, everyone wins!

Les and Louis don’t have a lot of the social media problems common to many venues (Claudia takes her duties very seriously), but the problems they do have are pretty major. However, each can be fixed with a change in attitude and a minor change to posting habits. We’ve placed before and after shots of Coven’s Instagram profile below. As you can see, they have addressed all of their issues, resulting in more engagement!

Is your venue properly showcased on social media? We can help you optimize your social media strategy and maximize your results! Contact us today for a free consultation!

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Social Media Marketing Evaluation: Venues

By Christopher Tompkins

13Aug

Social Media

Venues range from cozy wedding spots to massive concert halls. Like all industries, venues are not immune from social media blunders. Let’s discuss a few of the major social media marketing mistakes of venues.

Bad Visuals

The cardinal sin of social media is posting low-quality images. Some venues–particularly music venues–might think that edgy, guerilla-style pics add authenticity to their social media image. No, sorry: out of focus, badly lit, poorly composed photographs look amateurish and sloppy, not hardcore. A professional photographer is worth the investment. Speaking of which . . . .

Grand Theft Photo

Some venues and promoters have a bad habit of using photographs without obtaining the rights from photographers, and sometimes don’t credit the photographer at all! Not only is this illegal (stealing is generally frowned upon), it’s a surefire way to quickly burn bridges in the local scene. Don’t play fast and loose with intellectual property rights.

Constant Promotion

This is a major problem with venues. If all your posts are about events, how will the public get to know your brand? You should still promote every show, but you should also add some posts about your staff, your history, or even just candid backstage shots. Wall-to-wall promotion is boring, and risks alienating your audience.

Singular Focus

If a venue holds weddings, banquets, concerts, plays, and stand-up comedy, shouldn’t the venue’s social media feature each one? It might be primarily a music venue, but occasionally hold weddings; or it could be well-known for hosting celebrations like bat/bar mitzvahs, but lesser known for it’s off-site catering. While you should of course promote on the work you want to do, you want to look well-rounded. Your audience needs to be aware that your space can be used for more than just one type of event or function.

Not Updating Your Calendar

No one wants to drive hours for a concert only to discover upon reaching the venue that the band has cancelled the tour. A couple who scrambled to make their back-up wedding date work with everyone’s schedule would be understandably upset if they found out that a surprise elopement meant the venue was actually available on their preferred day. Mistakes such as these can be annoying inconveniences to major hassles–and always cause negative publicity for your brand. Stay on top of scheduling, and keep your social media calendars up to date!

Focusing on the Wrong Platforms

Do you really need a company LinkedIn profile if your venue is known for its thrash metal shows or romantic wedding gazebo? A business Pinterest page might be great for a wedding venue, but less useful for a concert hall. Figure out where your target audience is online and meet them there!

No Personality

If you focus on wall-to-wall promotion, you will obscure the venue itself. People want to know why they should attend shows at your venue or choose your venue for their event. You should explain what sets your venue apart from the competition. Is the building or neighborhood historic? Do you have a restaurant or bar? Do you cater off-site? Were you ever mentioned or profiled by a major publication? Sharing what makes your venue special is a great way to connect to your target audience!

In our next blog, we’ll explain how you can quickly and easily correct these issues!

Is your venue’s social media marketing getting bad reviews? We can help! Contact us today for your free consultation!

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Social Media Marketing Evaluation: Breweries

By Christopher Tompkins

30Jul

Social Media

For the rest of the summer, The Go! Agency blog will focus on the social media habits of some of our favorite industries. Every week, our first blog will explain common mistakes made by an industry; followed by a second blog that will explain how to fix them. Think of this series as What Not to Wear for social media marketers!

This week we’ll see what breweries are doing on social media that torpedo their chance of marketing success.

Hyperfocus on Beer

We get it. You make beer. You serve beer. Presumably, you enjoy beer. That’s great, but so does every other brewery in the history of fermentation. What makes your brewery different? Do you have a monthly game night? Are you pet-friendly? Do you support any charities? Is your building historic? Does your brewery double as a venue, maybe for weddings or concerts? What about art shows, open-mic nights, rap battles, or slam poetry festivals? Show users why your establishment is worth their time, money, and commute. (Brew pubs and restaurant breweries, take note: you are just as guilty of this as your hoppy brethren. If your social media posts are mostly shots of meal pairings or beer-based menu items–no matter how creative the recipe or avant-garde the presentation–your page will be boring.)

Speaking of which, the “picture of a beer bottle/beer can with the beer’s name as the only description” trope needs to go away. Even if the label art is phenomenal, even if the beer’s name is a hilarious and profound pun containing layers of allusions–these posts are boring. It is possible to have too much minimalism: people who are interested in your product would like to get information on your product.

Wall-to-Wall Promotion

On a similar note, far too many breweries focus solely on promoting their wares. By all means, post shots of seasonal menu specials, beer pairing dinners, and full dining rooms. However, your social media profile should showcase your brand as a whole: that means showing followers your corporate personality, not just your products.

POST ALL THE MEMES!

[Author’s note: runners-up for this subheading title included “All your beers are belong to us”; “ERMAHGERD! AAYELLE!”; “i can haz pilznar?”; and “Such Hops, Much Ferment.”]

Memes are, for better or worse, now part of our culture. Even the best memes, however, can get very boring very quickly–particularly when they make up 70 percent or more of your social media posts. A much more effective way to show followers that you are funny, hip, and/or edgy is to actually introduce the funny, hip, and/or edgy people who work for you. A few memes can add humor and a spark of irreverence to your social media profile, but use them sparingly.

Haphazard Posting Schedules

In the month leading up to the release of a new beer, you posted eight times a week. In the three months following that release, you posted eight times period. Be consistent with your posting schedule. At the very least, major activity promoting a new brew immediately followed by radio silence might make followers think that your new release was a flop–otherwise you’d be posting about it, right? You should always choose quality over quantity, so it’s fine to forgo posting lackluster content just for the sake of posting something. That being said, you should establish and stick to a consistent posting schedule.

Monotonous Content

You can have too many photos of sunsets from the porch. You can have too many shots of dogs wearing bandanas. You can have too many pics of your staff gathered around a keg, of bartenders pouring a pint, and patrons raising their glasses in silent toast. Mix it up a bit.

Bad Photos

This is a universal mistake that is made by every industry (yes, even some professional photographers are guilty of this on social media). You don’t necessarily need to hire a pro, but you do need to take visuals seriously. You want your images to look polished–and don’t just assume that any mistakes can be fixed by using a filter. Far too often, breweries seem to think that an Instagram filter is the answer for everything, only to end up with washed-out, over-exposed, poorly-cropped pictures.

In out next post, we’ll take a look at a hypothetical brewery that has committed all of these social media sins. We’ll explain how to remedy these issues in our next post!

Is your brand languishing in obscurity? Are you struggling with social media? The Go! Agency can help revitalize your social media marketing strategy! Contact us today for a free consultation!

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