The Top 5 Holiday Content Marketing Tips You Need To Know

120919 The Top Holiday Content Marketing Tips You Need To Know

9Dec

Content marketers and designers love the holiday season. Unlike the lazy days of summer, there is more than enough inspiration to go around for email marketing, social media, blogging, and any other form of content marketing you can think of.

There’s just one catch – there are just so many great ideas out there, there’s not enough time to do them all. Fortunately, we have you covered and we’re exploring the best ideas right here.

Updated festive visuals
Add a Santa hat to your profile pic, a menorah to your cover image, flashing lights to your Snapchat Story. Above all, make sure your holiday-themed contenthas imagery.
Flash sale
Have you looked at the calendar lately? It’s a bit too late to do a “12 days of deals” type deal. However, it’s still fair game for quick “limited time” social-media-exclusive sales. These do surprisingly well, especially as many of us procrastinate. Make sure the sale is worth people opening up their wallets for them because a lot of “wish lists” are complete.
Season’s greetings
Email marketing is a fantastic avenue to send out holiday wishes to your loyal customer base. As always with E-blasts, it is important to send out content that isn’t 100% pushy promotions. A holiday greeting email will do just the trick to make your readers smile and make sure they’re thinking about you when the time to make a purchase comes around.
Pics from the team
Whether you post (not embarrassing) pictures from your Christmas party or your team reaching out to the community for a volunteer event, this idea adds a healthy dose of humanity to any marketing campaign. This type of content, above all else, should be promo-free.
Content your audience will share
Cut out some of the promo posts in your content calendar and make room for some wholesome holiday fun. Take the time to write and design content that your audience members will want to share with their friends and family. Festive videos, recipes, craft and party tips are just a few ideas that can generate engagement.

Maybe the holiday season snuck up on you this year, or you’ve been grasping at straws for what to publish. Either way, the above ideas will help you finish your holiday season content marketing on a high note so you can focus on the new year!

Editor’s Note: This blog has been updated and republished to reflect current information. The article was cleaned up, recommendations were reassessed, and references refreshed.

Shop Owners, Here’s How You Can Be Successful on Instagram

By Christopher Tompkins

20Mar

Instagram, Social Media

Is Instagram right for your business? I tend to see a lot of uncertainty in local store owners with this question, but you should have some confidence! There are plenty of ways for local businesses to use Instagram, and small shops are no exception!

I’ve been at this a long time, and I’ve seen every kind of business you can imagine give Instagram a shot. And local shop owners have been some of the most successful! Here, I’ll give you the tips that helped them get tons of attention on Instagram!

Give Them a Tour
What does the inside of the store look like? What’s actually on the shelves? Is this somewhere I want to visit?

These are all questions that your audience is going to have when they first stumble upon your Instagram account. So answer them with a video tour through your store! Take your viewers through the front door, guide them through the different sections, and overall do anything you can to convince them that your store is somewhere that they want to be.

Keep in mind that in no scenario is this a license for you to walk through your store and say “Here’s where we keep X. Here’s where we keep Y. Here’s where we…” You need to make it interesting. Talk to your viewers like they’re there in person. If you’d try to be friendly and charming with a customer in your store, then try especially hard for Instagram, because you’re potentially talking to hundreds of your customers!

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Offer Exclusive Deals
One of the best things you can do is give people a reason to follow your Instagram account. And what’s a better motivator than the chance to save money?

Try posting a code of the week that visitors to your store can use for a discount on their next visit! You can go cute and make the code your tag line or something relevant for your brand, or simple and just say “Mention this post to get a free gift with purchase!” Your customers are incentivized to follow your page, and you can guarantee they’ll be regularly checking your content if you’re sharing discounts!

I know a lot of small business owners will point out that weekly discounts might hurt their bottom line. But I promise you that (as long as you’re not offering 50% off) a successful Instagram marketing strategy will more than make up for any losses from modest deals to drive customers to your store.

If you’d consider running an ad for a special discount in your local paper but not on Instagram, then the problem is how you’re undervaluing social media, not the discount itself.

Highlight New Products
Rolling out something new? Tell your audience about it! Instagram is a visual platform, so share pictures of your new releases. If someone loves your store, they’re absolutely going to follow you to see what your next release is.

If you really want to make the most of this strategy, you might even want to share products on Instagram before they’re available in-store. That way your shoppers are encouraged to be loyal customers and check your Instagram regularly if they want to stay up to date with the newest products. And why not reward the people who are engaging with your brand online?

Post Away
If you’re seriously considering posting on Instagram, then it’s probably a good idea to go ahead and get started. Just because you’re a local business doesn’t mean that you can’t find huge success on social media. Use these tips and start sharing content that your local audience will get engaged with!

I’ve got even more tips to help your local business succeed! Let’s talk about them during your free consultation with The Go! Agency!

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How SEO and SMM Work Hand-In-Hand For Your Brand

By Christopher Tompkins

31Jan

SEO, Social Media, Social networking

Does your business need social media marketing?

Yes.

Does your brand need search engine optimization?

You bet.

While some marketers think these two online marketing strategies are completely separate, they’re actually just different parts of the same strategy to increase your brand awareness.

It’s time to set the record straight.

First off, let’s explore these two concepts.

Search engine optimization is a process which allows a web page to appear in the most viewable placing possible in search engine results. For example, if someone looks up “fishing supplies” on Google, Bing, Ask, AOL, or Yahoo, they will get a list of related web pages that feature fishing supplies. Businesses that incorporate SEO strategies will, in theory, appear above others.

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Social media marketing, on the other hand, is a tad bit different. Entirely different, actually. This method allows businesses to not only appear in search results on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest, but it also allows them to interact with customers through a variety of avenues. Marketers can represent their brand via profiles and pages. They can also share a constant stream of original and curated content, similar to an individual’s activity on these platforms.

We may be tempted to ask ourselves which one is better. SEO or SMM? Well, these two are not competitors. Instead, they cater to completely different aspects of the online marketing industry. The two are essentially completely different crafts despite contributing to the final product of increased online visibility.

That being said, social media marketing contributes to online marketing efforts in ways that SEO, in its nature, cannot. Here are the top advantages social media has over SEO:

Immediate customer and audience communication.Businesses on social media have the ability to respond to customers who are trying to reach out via messages, tagging, tweets, etc. After all, it is social media.
The ability to send out constantly fresh and updated content. SEO allows you to be in the spotlight in search engine results. Social media allows you to be in the spotlight of social media news feeds. The average Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram user checks their feeds multiple times a day, thereby increasing your chances of getting engagement.
Quick personalization and “damage control.”Are there negative comments about your business on social media? No problem. You can immediately respond to the “crisis” in a positive and professional manner. Does a negative comment pop up on search engines? You’re in for quite a headache.
The benefits of “peer reviews” and user-generated content.People like to read reviews from their fellow consumers. While places like Angie’s List and Yelp are helpful for this, social media is one of the most popular places for reviews and offers a special advantage- companies have the ability to respond and tell your side of the story, whether the review is positive or negative.
Considerably less expensive promotional options. Social media isn’t completely free if you want to be successful. Facebook advertisements, for one, is a very helpful albeit paid service. Still, social media promotional services may prove to be inexpensive when compared to premium SEO options.

SEO, on the other hand, is an extremely important tool for online marketing because once you reach the top of the rankings it can keep sending highly tarted traffic to your website. It will take some time to climb the results pages, but the boost to your brand can be extremely valuable.

Effective SEO requires several strategies, from constant, fresh content to regular usability updates and link building strategies. These activities contribute to your site’s ability to attract customers and give them a reason to do business with you.

When it comes down to it, SEO is a visibility tool. SMM is a communication tool.

There is a place for SEO. No smart online marketer would say otherwise. It can help service-based businesses show up when people are searching for solutions.

However, SEO in no way replaces social media marketing. By representing your business on Facebook, Twitter, and the other platforms, you’re essentially giving your customers the opportunity to benefit your company by tagging your business, giving 5-star ratings, sharing your posts, and much more.

It’s a completely different marketing animal, and one that is proven essential for online brand awareness.

Editor’s Note: This blog has been updated and republished to reflect current information. The article was cleaned up, recommendations were reassessed, and references refreshed.

The 10 Traits Of The Ultimate Social Media Marketer

By Christopher Tompkins

3Jan

Social Media

What does it take to be a truly effective social media marketer? One that can push a brand like no other and establish an amazing online presence? The truth is, some marketers are able to tackle the world of social media a little better than others. Why is this? They’ve taken the time to perfect their strategy. The good news? So can you.

Here are the top traits that the ultimate social media marketing campaigns have:

1. Focus. Your content should be specifically relevant to your industry and type of work. This doesn’t mean every post should be about your business. Instead, post articles and interesting posts that your followers will enjoy.

2. Passion. How are people supposed to be interested in your company if you’re bored with it? Trust me, your lackluster effort will show in your content. Get pumped up! You should be proud and passionate about your brand.

3. Professionalism. Social media is about casual communication, but that doesn’t mean you’re not a professional. Keep it classy, fellow marketers.

4.Authenticity. People can spot a scam a mile away. The internet is already full of cheesy marketing tactics and empty promises. Make sure you stay honest and true to your brand.

5. Consistency. You never want an excessive amount of time to go by without sending out a post. A day is understandable. Two, you’re going to start to suffer. A week, and you will need to wipe away the digital dust. Keep your publishing schedule consistent and reliable.

6. Communication. When a customer, client, follower, or fan contacts your company, you have to abide by three things. Friendliness, timely responses, and a satisfactory answer to their inquiry. Make sure you stick to the basics of customer service and communicate with a cyber smile.

7. Positivity. There’s enough bad news in the world, in particular on the internet. Make someone’s day by spreading some joy through a post. Whether it’s a quote, tasty recipe, or a fun image, your social media content should have a fun factor.

8. Integrity. Don’t take advantage of bad news for marketing gains. Don’t post inappropriate or controversial content. Don’t curse. Don’t fight with dissatisfied customers. Once again, keep it classy.

9. Entertainment. One of the defining factors of social media is that people use these platforms for FUN. Make sure people actually enjoy seeing your tweets, posts, and pins by studying what is trending and most engaging.

10. Patience. This trait combines a bit of everything. You need to be consistent, have a focus, stay positive, and use your exceptional communication skills. All the while, it may take time, but don’t let the quality dwindle. Don’t forget that social media takes time. Do not give up!

There are plenty of businesses who have all ten of these traits. There are also MANY who have none of them. Make sure you keep these in mind when you pursue your marketing ventures. If you do this, online credibility and brand awareness will be yours!

Contact us today to learn more about the best strategies for social media for your business and how you can implement them!

The 5 Social Media Marketing Strategies That Boost Transparency

By Christopher Tompkins

27Dec

Content Creation, Copywriting, Social Media

How has social media marketing changed business? In more ways than you can count. The most significant though, for better or for worse, is that it increased transparency enormously.

If you run a restaurant that offers bland plates and rude service, social media may be a nuisance for you. If you manage an A/C Heating service and you overcharge your customers, it will most certainly pop up around the web. However, if you run an honest business and do your best to produce quality service and products, the internet is an amazing place that you can really shine and reach new people….. if you let it.

The truth is, as long as your business is run right, you should want your brand to be as transparent as possible — and social media marketing has the ability to do this if you keep in mind the following 5 elements. Not only will they allow your business to have a better transparency, but your customer relationships will become so much better.

1. Communication. You don’t want to be a “mute brand.” Yes, you’re sending out content multiple times a day, but if a customer responds to you, it’s vital that you respond quickly. Remember the 3 “P’s” when you are talking with your customers – positive, prompt, and productive.

2. Influence. Take time to find online influencers in your market with quality audiences who would be interested in your products or services. Connect and build relationships with those individuals. By doing so, you are branding yourself as an authority in your respective market.

3. Quality connections. Quality or quantity? It’s better to have quality, focused content versus thousands of online connections, reading your content just once, then disappearing. On the other side of this, you need to be a quality connection yourself by sending out worthwhile content.

4. Consistency. Don’t create a few batches of amazing content and then disappear. This means constantly publishing content and participating in online conversations. Your followers need reasons to stay by your side. Give them what they want.

5. Branding. Show off your marketing skills with consistent branding, color, tone, messages, and mission. This is absolutely necessary as you expand your voice across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and much more.

Are you less than confident in your approach to social media marketing? You don’t have to be, contact us today! We’re here to help you make your mark and hit your targets.

The 7 Things Most Businesses Fail To Do On Social Media

By Christopher Tompkins

26Oct

Social Media

Does your business have a social media presence? Chances are, the answer is yes. (Although if the answer is no, we need to talk.) But the real question is, do you have a GOOD social media presence? Once again, you may think the answer is yes. However, most businesses out there have quite a lot of room for improvement.

Many times we are approached by business owners who hire us to specifically clean up messes that were created unknowingly. Many times social media is delegated to interns or entry-level employees when they should be given to a qualified person or agency to execute. Social media requires a professional touch. With that in mind, here are seven of the most common things businesses fail to do on social media.

1. Interact with customers. Social media is a new form of customer communication. But what happens when your business doesn’t, well, communicate? It looks horrible when comments, reviews, or even tagging goes unanswered. Although you may have missed those notifications, it just looks like you are ignoring your audience. Hey – if the huge big box brands can do it, so can you.

2. Incorporate imagery. There should never be a piece of copy on your social media platforms that isn’t accompanied by some form of imagery, whether it be a GIF, picture, video, or something in between. You need something that will entice your audience to stop and engage with your content. Visuals are engaging.

3. Pay for advertising. The biggest misconception about social media marketing? It’s free. Sure, it’s free to sign up, but if you don’t create a budget for some well-strategized advertising, you’re going to have an issue. On Facebook alone, without advertising odds are none of your social media updates will be seen.

4. Update ALL accounts. Okay, so you’ve been doing great keeping your Facebook updated. You’ve been posting on a daily basis and even remembered your pictures. What about your Twitter? It hasn’t been updated since July? That’s a problem. Make sure you update all your accounts, even if you focus more of your attention on just one. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, YouTube and Pinterest are yearning for your attention! Oh yea, and don’t forget about your blog.

5. Update information. Did your business recently change hours? Do you have a new website? Maybe you rebranded? Make sure your social media reflects the most updated version of your business. Nothing is more shameful than wondering why you are not getting any phone calls when your phone number is wrong on every social account. And yes, I see this all the time.

6. Add informative content. To be successful on social media and stay competitive, you need to make sure that you don’t just share promo after promo. It’s a sure fire way to lose followers. Instead, incorporate content that your followers want such as articles, pro tips, recipes, quotes, freebies and more.

7. Join the community. One of the biggest goals of businesses on social media is to be seen. However, your goal should really be to be seen as an industry influencer or thought leader. You do that by interacting with others in your field, talking about hot topics and much more. Cultivate a following and engage with them regularly. Pro tip: join the global conversation by joining LinkedIn groups and really hit the ground running.

It’s easy to see how having a qualified person handling your social media marketing is important. The truth is that social media needs a team of professionals to deliver quality, creative, and analytical results. It’s up to you to find a way to make it happen, just never be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Professional agencies can help you get started much faster and will help you get results, and training, that you need to stay competitive in your marketplace.

Is Your Business Ready For These Social Media Updates?

By Christopher Tompkins

14Sep

Advertising, Business, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Live Video, Marketing, Social Media, Social networking, Twitter, Uncategorized

Social media marketing is all about a friendly back-and-forth conversation between brands and customers. Companies need to send out a healthy dose of 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 and engagement with the following ideas.

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. When the time is right, these little competitions will be helpful for boosting numbers. 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.
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.
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.
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.
User-generated content. Once you have a strong internet presence, 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. Be sure to take social media marketing slow and steady, though. Otherwise, your new contest, poll or custom hashtag could fall on deaf ears.

Share your content ideas below!

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Avoid These 7 Instagram Mistakes At All Costs!

By Christopher Tompkins

11Sep

Instagram, Social Media

Despite Instagram’s garish logo change, it is still 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 may 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 like 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. Instagramers 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.

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!

What Instagram mistakes have you made? Share below!

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Evergreen Content VS Dated Content: What’s The Big Difference?

By Christopher Tompkins

3Sep

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

Did you know that Apple is going to reveal iPhone 7 soon? That may be news at the time of this article’s publication, but in maybe a month or just a few weeks, that sentence will have dated this whole article. In a year, we’ll be getting ready for iPhone 7S, or whatever version Apple is planning next. (Rumors say it’s a big one since it will be the iPhone’s 10th birthday, but I digress) When that happens, that sentence will look like a relic in the eyes of the internet. This type of situation is something all social media marketers need to be attentive to!

Our sentence above is one of the defining factors of dated, or time-sensitive content.This isn’t to say that news updates are bad for social media. Much like weekends, they may not last forever, but they sure are important to our lives. Yet your social media content cannot entirely consist of these fleeting moments. A company’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other accounts need some non-perishables in the mix. Content that will never expire, or evergreen content, is crucial for high engagement rates and legitimacy to your brand. We’re not just talking about stone-cold facts from textbooks (although those would definitely count as evergreen content). This type of content simply needs to stand the test of time. A mission statement, code of ethics, tried and true details about your industry, promotional materials, etc.

Now, why would a business’ social media page need both? Because that’s how the internet works. It’s a constant flow of fleeting and forever content. We see it every day without even realizing it. Trending items deliver a powerful boost to your social media marketing, while evergreen content is your core. Without one or the other, your content strategy will be incomplete.

Time-sensitive content will show that your company is updated, adaptable, and aware of contemporary business practices. Evergreen content expresses your industry knowledge, experience, and professionalism. It’s plain to see why you would want to have both, right?

At The Go! Agency, we take extra efforts to strike just the right balance of these two categories of content. Our clients deserve to have every reward social media has to offer, and it’s the marketer’s duty to accomplish that.

How does your business utilize both these types of content? Share your story below!

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Is Your Social Media Marketing Falling On Deaf Ears? Focus Your Reach!

By Christopher Tompkins

31Aug

Advertising, Social Media

Social media marketing is about spreading your word as far and wide as possible, right? What if we told you that your business would actually benefit from a more focused audience? There’s something to be said about quality over quantity in the world of social media marketing.

Think about a simple social media post, whether on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Obviously, you want a lot of people to read this content. But in reality, if you make the update too broad, your content will fall on a lot of deaf ears. If you don’t make it focused and narrowed to cater to your target audience (which is actually your target customers), the wrong people may read it. Sure, the more the merrier, but uninterested people probably will just keep scrolling through their news feed and forget all about that post or advertisement.

How do you really sharpen your scope? There are several different approaches to making sure the right people are reading your marketing masterpieces.

If using Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, always be sure to use hashtags. These are essentially digital homing beacons that will attract people looking for material centered around its subject. Even if your platform of choice doesn’t allow hashtags, (i.e. LinkedIn, Pinterest) you can still write your updates in a way that clearly designates the demographic you’re trying to reach.

Successful social media marketers also understand the importance of content curation. Share relevant news stories and web content that pertain to the interest of your target demographic. This can be an industry update or even something lighthearted. Either way, make sure your followers will want to read it.

Advertising is another way you can be sure the right people are reading your content. Facebook and other platforms offer a wide variety of options so your advertisements, boosted posts, and sponsored content land on the screens of the people who would enjoy the ad instead of thinking it’s a nuisance.

Unsure of who exactly should read your social media content? You better go back to your business’ mission statement. Who is your product or service aimed towards? Every business has a target audience, even if you don’t know it. When it comes down to it, ask yourself who buys your products? When you have the answer, you will also have the same people you should market towards via social media.

Yes, it’s important to spread your brand to as many people as possible. However, if you aren’t focusing on your target audience, there’s no point!

How do you focus your social media marketing content? Comment below!

Tag : instagram marketing

When it comes down to it, SEO is a visibility tool. SMM is a communication tool.