Avoid These 10 Social Media Media Marketing Poisons

23Oct

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

We all know what poison is. In a nutshell, it’s a substance that causes harm to someone or something. Unfortunately, poison isn’t always marked with a giant skull and crossbones, nor is it an oozing green substance from fairy tales. Sometimes, such danger isn’t so obvious. This is especially true for social media marketing poison.

For social media, poison can be an “easy way out” or a seemingly innocent mistake. But marketers should beware! Check out the following social media dangers to avoid:

1. Inconsistency. The best way to make people forget about your brand and move onto a competitor is to be inconsistent with publishing posts. Huge gaps of time or sporadic scheduling will cause unfortunate consequences.

2. Plagiarism. Looking for some legal trouble? Then plagiarize away! There’s absolutely no reason to copy someone’s work without giving credit. Social media marketing offers us perfectly acceptable tools such as retweeting, sharing, repinning, etc. to curate content that fits your feel.

3. Unprofessionalism. Just like your personal social media profiles, there is etiquette to abide by. No cursing, no trash talking competition, no personal pictures, no using “I”. Don’t forget about the business you’re representing.

4. Veering off course. Remember your industry! While sharing interesting articles and engaging content is crucial to social media marketing success, don’t post things that are totally in left field. Keep things as relevant and centered around your field as possible.

5. No visuals. No pictures, videos, or GIFs? Boring! You will kill your social media profile by just looking unappealing. People are 80% more likely to check your content if you use imagery.

6. Ignoring customer outreach. Check your messages multiple times a day. Make sure your response time is less than 24 hours for everything that customers throw your way.

7. Living in a bubble. In it’s most primordial definition, social media is about community. Share others’ content, engage with followers, and start conversations by sharing polls, prompts, contents and more. Don’t isolate yourself from the community you’re trying to build. Talk it up!

8. Using personal opinion. Let’s be clear. Unless your company is by nature religious, political, or handles controversial subjects, it should NOT share an opinion. There will be someone out there that get’s offended.

9. Over-promoting. Even if you’re 100% using social media to boost sales, it can’t just be about promotional posts. No one will pay attention to a barrage of sales. Incorporate interesting articles, community-building exercises, quotes, etc.

10. Spam. People have a tendency to spot scams, spam, and junk a mile away. It’s in the writing and approach. Never spam. Even if your business is legit, you will look like a slimeball. We’ve all been pestered by scam artists one way or another, your business is better than that, right?

Your company needs social media, but your social media needs you to stay away from these deadly acts. What’s the panacea to this poison? Experienced, professional, and creative marketers who know their way around the internet.

Contact us today to get a jump start on social media marketing!

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Why Social Media Marketing’s Adaptability Makes It Last

By Christopher Tompkins

19Oct

Advertising, Business, Copywriting, Email Marketing, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Local Marketing, Marketing, Periscope, Politics, Reddit, Snapchat, Social Media, Social networking, Twitter, Uncategorized, YouTube

Every now and again someone will say “social media is a fad” and we have to smile. Sure, the statement is understandable, albeit unfounded. Yes, there is a certain sense of “fad” like quality to the internet as a whole because it hasn’t been around as long as the newspaper. But social media marketing has something that the newspaper, radio, television, and all the other mediums lack: adaptability.

Adaptability is why businesses need to pay attention to social media. It’s also how they should be marketing. Thankfully, social media isn’t exclusive to one site. We don’t log onto socialmedia.com to post our latest updates. This is a VERY good thing. Instead of a monopolized website, we have independent platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn, Reddit, and more.

While the ever-popular Facebook has been around for over 10 years and is still unyielding, social media marketers know better than to think it’s eternal. That’s why we learn how to perform online marketing as a whole, learn to be versatile, and use the current internet climate as an advantage.

Take Instagram and Snapchat for example. For a while, these two were not taken very seriously. Now, there are millions of users enjoying these platforms. They have become real powerhouses and significant game-changers. With them came the importance of video. Now, marketers understand that trends are leaning towards a high-volume of imagery, both still and moving.

It’s this level of perception that makes social media marketing able to handle the shifting winds of consumer ideas.

At The Go! Agency, we’re able to study and adapt to the trends, movements, and significant changes. Let us help your business have the same adaptability!

The Best Lead Generation Strategies For Social Media

By Christopher Tompkins

15Oct

Advertising, Business, Copywriting, Email Marketing, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Marketing, Snapchat, Social Media, Social networking, Uncategorized

Finding leads and referrals have always been both a goal and obstacle for business owners. For some, it’s the only way they can generate revenue for their company. Social media has become not only a new solution for marketing purposes, but it serves as a way to discover potential clients, customers, residents, or whoever keeps your business alive.

There are several ways to achieve successful lead generation through social media. The following steps will help your business’s clientele skyrocket!

– Advertising. People utilize companies that are well known and have proven themselves. By adding a bit of social media advertising to your marketing budget, you be able to increase your profile’s visibility exponentially.

– Reaching out. Businesses approaching potential customers is not unheard of, but you need to do it with some subtlety. Programs like Crowdfire can help you follow a mass of people on Twitter, which is the starting point of new connections. Inviting those who liked your posts but not your page to do so is a super simple way to increase numbers. By sharing others’ content on Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn, you exhibit an appreciation for their posts.

– Groups. LinkedIn and Facebook both have an impressive number of groups that allow you to connect with fellow professionals as well as those looking for your service. Be sure to get yourself out there and connect!

– Offers. The internet is the perfect place to promote freebies. Offer a free e-course, e-book, or trial. Give potential clients a free sample of the goodness of you have to offer.

Your ideal customers are already online waiting to be impressed by your marketing techniques. Get to it! These four strategies will help your marketing efforts and potentially increase leads and referrals.

Our clients notice an increase in referrals and leads through our customized marketing plans, content, and sharing! Contact us today to gain and advantage on social media.

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The 20 Questions Your Social Media Marketers Should Be Asking

By Christopher Tompkins

8Oct

Social Media

Did you ever play the game 20 Questions? The goal is to figure out what the person you’re playing against is thinking of. The following 20 questions will help social media marketers learn what their brand’s marketing strategy is. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the other platforms require a well-developed approach, and by asking yourself the following questions, you will be able to go in with an advantage.

1. Who are my ideal customers?

2. What am I trying to promote?

3. What is the tone of my brand?

3. What are my competitors doing online?

4. How does my company fare against my competitor’s online activity?

5. What problems do my ideal customers have?

6. How does my company help solve those problems?

7. Where are my customers geographically?

8. What content do my customers like to see?

9. Which social media platforms work for me?

10. How can I incorporate compelling content into my brand’s message?

11. What are the most important keywords in my industry? (For instance, mine would be “social media”, “online marketing”, etc.)

12. When should I post content?

13. What products or services are my “bread and butter”?

14. What original content can I use? Do I have blogs, web pages, original images, etc.?

15. Who industry’s top online influencers and how can I incorporate their content?

16. What scheduling software is right for me?

17. What visuals should I incorporate into my content? (You better not say “none!”)

18. How often should I be posting every day?

19. How much time can I invest into social media?

20. What are my ultimate goals for social media?

Do you have all the answers? If not, you better get to work!

Every day, we work with companies and incorporate their individualized situations into their strategies. We can help you answer these questions and get started one the most effective avenue of marketing today!

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Why Social Media Marketing Is A Two-Way Street

By Christopher Tompkins

4Oct

Advertising, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social networking, Twitter, Uncategorized

What is the goal of social media marketing? The same as any marketing – brand promotion and awareness- right? On the macro level of things, sure. But when you take a closer look, it’s more about communication. Sales, ROI, and all that jazz comes a bit later. Social media has become the front line between brand and customer. As such, there needs to be engagement. That’s the golden ticket. Don’t forget that communication is a two-way street.

Conversation. That’s the big differentiation between a website and a social media account. You can ask your brand a question, and a good company will answer quickly. This is why marketers can’t expect engagement to be drummed up solely from their followers. The social media should be point A in the conversation. Their comments are point B, and your reply to their comments is point C. Always strive for point C! Do not be a silent brand, or post robotically with no human connection. If someone asks your company a question, you need to respond.

Technology has made it so there’s no excuse anymore. We’re in a VERY convenient world. You need to answer your customers and converse with them. The whole point of having a Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram page is to become more approachable. Do not hide behind the screen, get into the nitty gritty of the people!

Does social media have you stumped? Consider The Go! Agency your online representative! We help many clients connect to their ideal customer base in unique and professional ways! Contact us today!

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5 Ways To Write A Stellar Social Media Update

By Christopher Tompkins

29Sep

Copywriting, Social Media

Ever since the early days of the newspaper, people have studied the power of the headline. Writers carefully selected each word so their paper would pull in readers. Social media marketing has evolved this concept. Thankfully, we don’t need people shouting “Extra!” on street corners. Instead, we have to make sure our updates are noticeable on the web.

Internet communications changed the way we write and promote our brands. What strategies work the best for social media users? The following five types of updates are sure to pull in readers!

1. Lists. Whether your post is “Top 10 Restaurants in Nashville” or “The 5 Most Important Documents For Estate Planning”, people love lists. They are easy to read and get right to the point.

2. Definitions and industry terms. Does your industry have specific terminology? Teach them to the audience! For example, “The Legal Terms You Need To Know!” is an excellent way to spread a wealth of knowledge.

3. Casual tone. Today’s consumer likes a casual and conversational tone for marketing. “Check out these…”, “Come see our…” further strengthen your brand’s approachable feel.

4. Questions. “Could These Foods Help With Alzheimer’s?” Crafting a social media post in the form of a question is always a good way for readers to click and search for the answer.

5. Powerful vocabulary. Finally, no matter what way you craft your message, your words need to pack a punch. Don’t waste room on weak words. Instill a sense of urgency and importance.

Does your marketing team have writer’s block? Contact us! Our copywriting department will be able to craft your brand’s message into a professional and effective piece of marketing.

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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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Facebook Tries To Be A Cool Kid With Lifestage

By Christopher Tompkins

27Aug

Facebook, Social Media

When Mark Zuckerberg first released Facebook into the world, its original purpose was meant to help college students to connect. In fact, you couldn’t even sign up if you didn’t have a .edu email address. Obviously, all that has changed. Now, everyone and their grandma (literally) has a Facebook page. This year, the primordial idea of student exclusivity is resurfacing in a new app called Lifestage. However, Lifestage’s demographic is quite a bit younger than Facebook’s original goals.

This new app is quite a unique platform. Its target demographic is teenagers and aims to connect fellow students from the same school. In fact, you can’t sign up for this “Facebook Jr.” if you’re over 21 years old! Perhaps, this is a way to protect the young internet surfers, but the app itself actually has no privacy features in an attempt to be as transparent as possible.

It should come to no surprise to anyone that Snapchat’s design heavily influences the rest of the app. Lifestage offers entertaining filters to decorate the videos much like the popular platform already does. Yet unlike Snapchat, posts are always visible. A surprising feature of this app is that it only allows video content. The teenage users can easily peruse through emoji-clad profiles like a Facebook profile, but there will be no static pictures. It seems like video’s reign is changing even the selfie.

Despite Lifestage technically being a new social media profile, marketers shouldn’t get too excited for new advertising possibilities. Users’ reach can only go so far and there doesn’t seem to be any advertising options (yet). What this app does show is how much video is influencing social media in 2016, as predicted by many of the experts. Additionally, this is the second attempt from Facebook to create a “Snapchat clone”, the first being Instagram Stories. Snapchat has begun to show its potential as Millennials (and younger) are being gravitated towards the platform. It offers a certain sense of instant gratification that people crave. As such, video, smaller bodies of text, and interactive apps are shifting the way we approach marketing.

My first question would be what happens if hypothetically Lifestage takes off, and these users outgrow the 21-year-old age limit? Will they be denied access to their favorite platform and all the videos they’ve accumulated during their childhood? Perhaps Facebook should integrate a “Grown Up” button, which will convert an account into a fully grown Facebook profile when the time comes.

It’s unclear just how effective Lifestream will be. Facebook has a long list of failed children. From Paper to Slingshot, there are several apps that Zuckerberg’s team has created that just didn’t take off and now only reside in the history books. At the time of this blog post, Lifestream only has a 2.5 out of 5-star rating. Still, their attempt to prime the next generation for a video-dominant social media landscape speaks volumes about just how much Facebook not only likes but needs video to be on their side.

What do you think of Lifestage? Comment below!

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Coming Up Next In The Social Media Marketing World

By Christopher Tompkins

25Aug

Social Media

Social media reflects the wants and needs of the people who use it. Because of that, it’s growth patterns are organic. Trends grow and fade, features are added and taken away. Some of these are very easy to predict while others come as a shock. For the rest of 2016 and early 2017, here’s what we’re expecting social media to give us:

Brace yourselves, holidays are coming – It’s about this time that you should start to consider how your business is going to tackle the holiday season. Obviously, this is the time many companies are at their busiest and marketing is needed. Social media has become a cornerstone element in spreading the word about Black Friday specials, holiday wishes, and everything in between. Prepare your content and make it unique. There are going to be tons of Santas flying around on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, so make sure yours stand out.

Brace yourselves even more, elections are coming – As if we haven’t had enough of election-related news already, it will only get more common until we hit that Tuesday in November. But it won’t stop there. No matter who gets the Presidency, the social media floodgates will burst with cheers, jeers, and a whole lot of controversy. As a business, tread lightly. Don’t show personal bias for any candidate.

Videos will continue to grow – Instagram proved just how much video matters when they unveiled Instagram Stories, which is reflective of Snapchat’s Story service. Videos aren’t going anywhere but up in popularity. It’s eye-catching content that is prominent on people’s newsfeeds. Try to devise a way to utilize videos in your social media. Not a filmmaker? No problem! There are tons of apps and programs that allow you to make creative slideshows based on pictures. You can be a Spielberg in no time!

More diverse advertising options – Recently, we’ve seen Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and even Reddit tweak their advertising structures. They understand that this is their bread and butter and are making more options for marketers to utilize their services. Don’t miss out! Advertising can be inexpensive and will deliver you surprisingly large spikes of engagement.

LinkedIn upgrades – Microsoft acquired LinkedIn recently and as such, we should expect some things to change for the social media platform for professionals. It’s doubtful Microsoft will completely change LinkedIn’s structure, but we should see at least a little bit of their presence.

Even more mobile accessibility – Apple and Android are preparing for another mobile war. The next line of iPhones will be released in the next month or so, and Samsung has already showcased their snazzy new Note 7, Galaxy 7, and Edge. With new technology comes new innovations for app developers. 3-D touch, new camera usage, and third-party accessibility will also improve social media platforms as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and others are forced to adapt to what the people want.

More algorithms and updates – This one should come as no surprise. One of these days, Twitter will finally roll out the coding that separates links from the 140 character limit. We should also see new Facebook and Facebook Live features being rolled out and some of them may not be free.

Only time will tell what else is next for social media marketing, but professionals know how to adapt and take advantage of upgrades. The right social media manager will be able to handle the incoming transitions without a hiccup or delay in content publishing. Get ready to move onwards and upwards in the realm of social media. We couldn’t be more excited!

What other changes do you expect to come? Comment below!

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Are You Fluent In Instagram? Insta-Terms You Need to Know

By Christopher Tompkins

22Aug

Instagram, Social Media

Social media and the internet had a certain impact on language. We have become quicker, shorter, perhaps even more impatient. Regardless, tools such as acronyms and hashtags gave us new ways to communicate, much like shorthand did decades prior. Above all other social media platforms, Instagram takes this to a new level.

Instagram brings a whole separate, unique culture to social media marketing. We could say it’s because it’s more imagery focused as opposed to text, or we could say it targets a younger demographic. But when it comes down to it, it promotes a fun way to connect. Even as a marketer, you need to learn how to speak as the Instagramers do when trying to promote your brand online. As such, you will need to learn very specific terms. Here are some of the most common terms that people use:

Regram – This is the equivalent of a retweet on Instagram. This term denotes that this post is originally someone else’s content, and you’re trying to spread the word.

LB (like back) – This is a common term used on Instagram. If someone comments “LB” on your post, they are hoping you will like them in return. Like Twitter, reciprocation is a large part of connecting with new people.

S4S (share for share) – We’re not recommending you use this one, but this is a common term that is supposed to boost engagement. However, this hashtag tends to be associated with spam accounts. It can be helpful to know what exactly #S4S and these other terms stand for, even if you don’t partake in them.

DM (Direct Message) – Like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIN, direct messages are a way to send private messages out to anyone you wish.

Filters – Due to Instagram’s primary use on smartphones, they offer fun filters to add to photos. People have begun using these so much that Instagram has become known for this particular feature. Additionally, #nofilter designates an unaltered photo, which is supposed to express how the subject of the picture doesn’t need any help to look good.

Hashtags – We have seen hashtags reign supreme on Facebook and Twitter, but it’s suggested that a post to has up to 10 of these tags. Some to look out for – and use in your marketing – are #TBT (Throwback Thursday), #FBF (Flashback Friday), #IGDaily, and many, many others.

Each social media site has unspoken rules on how to communicate. As you can see, Instagram is no different. There are many various ways to interact with fellow social media users, and marketers have a responsibility to their brand to adapt.

What do you think of these Instagram terms? Do you have any others? Comment below!

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