Tips on Tuesday

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Did you know you’re 4 times more likely to buy something if it has been recommended by a friend?

Where do we now find our friends? Yep, on our social media channels! Currently, approximately 44.84 million people in the United Kingdom use Facebook, 19.05 million use Twitter and 34.9 million use LinkedIn, whilst Instagram has 30.6 million active users and YouTube has 35.6 million active users.

Those statistics alone should be enough to convince you that a social media presence on at least one of the major five social media channels is essential and should feature heavily as part of your marketing strategy.

Remember, social media is a way for you to be in lots of rooms and reach lots of people whilst maintaining a low spend.

Tips on Tuesday

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Albert Einstein once said “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

As much of a cliché as it is, we are all human and we all make mistakes; and that goes for our social media performance too!

Instead of keeping quiet about your mistakes, embrace them and learn from them. Your followers will be delighted to learn you’re open to acknowledge when you haven’t got it quite right and how you’re going to make changes so that doesn’t happen again.

Far from a sign of weakness, acknowledging your errors is a really great part of a complete customer service.

Whilst we’ve often stated the importance of checking and re-checking your posts, grammatical and spelling errors will, on occasion, creep in. Rather than constant deleting and re-posting, especially if people have already engaged with your post, acknowledge you have noticed your error, have a laugh about it and move on (and try not to make the same mistake again!)

Tips on Tuesday

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Sometimes “short and sweet” is all you need!

Did you know 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound? That means your immediate action needs to be to make your video offering compelling without audio.

Ensure any speech is subtitled – not only does this mean you can capture those watching in silence through choice, but also people with hearing impairments; accessibility of content is such good practice!

Make your videos short, fun and above all on brand, sharing your message by image only. Of course this is a challenge, but one that will be worth it!

Tips on Tuesday

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Timing is everything…

Which is certainly true when it comes to finding the best time to post on your channels. We like to test out what we call our “almost top of the hour” posting.

We like to post a few moments before the hour, on the basis that if people are going to meetings or into appointments, they use the opportunity to check their phones before they go in. Even if they’re running late, well they’re still on their phone to let people know!

Hands up who checks their social channels as they come out of a meeting? Yep, us too!

Try it and let us know how you get on! Does it make a positive difference to your reach and engagement?

Tips on Tuesday

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Clients often ask me if there is any point them being on Instagram because they don’t believe their business lends itself to the channel.

My response is, if you can take a picture of something related to you or your business then get on Instagram!

I love Instagram to have a bit of fun with, to really show the personality behind the business.  Share some images of your products, of your employees, Share photos of your workspace.  If you pop out for a coffee, or go to a meeting why not see if anything catches your eye on the way! Is your business located somewhere with great photo opportunities – try and make use of that!

Remember, the more places you are active, the greater your exposure to potential customers or useful contacts!

Tips on Tuesday

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Do you have a favourite social media platform? Come on now, tell the truth – everyone does!

It is completely fine to have a favourite platform – by all means choose the one that works best for your business and focus the majority of your efforts there.  However, we do see value – even if you can’t see how a different platform would be worthwhile – in at least having an active presence across the “big three” platforms.

Using social media shouldn’t be a chore, it should be as much a part of your working day as your morning coffee and just as enjoyable!  Make it work for you, use the platform you love – but be prepared to spend a little time elsewhere to ensure you’re as visible as possible!

After all, the more windows you have into your business, a greater number of people can see in!

Tips on Tuesday

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How do you feel about yourself?!

As Ellen DeGeneres wisely said “sometimes you can’t see yourself clearly until you see yourself through the eyes of others.”

Yep, you’ve guessed it; today’s tip is about feedback!  Feedback is food and drink to any small business – word of mouth is such a great way of reaching new customers.  Don’t be afraid to ask your customers to leave you an online review (whether that’s on your website, via a search engine or on your social media channels) and certainly don’t be afraid to share that review!

If you receive more traditional thank you cards/letters etc, don’t be afraid to take a picture and share, or indeed choose a relevant image and share a pertinent quote from the review.  #FeedbackFriday is big news – make sure you tap into that free market.  Sharing reviews is also an easy way of creating content for your page; we love a multi-functional post!

Tips on Tuesday

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Hands up who loves the thought of using video on your social media channels but never gets around to it?!  Did you know that 82% of global Internet traffic in 2022 came from video?

Short videos are a really great way to grab people’s attention on social media and drive interaction and conversation.  Social media success lies very much in your ability to share worthwhile content in small chunks, and videos should be no different.

Videos are a terrific way of increasing your brand exposure. After all, if a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine what a video could be worth?! Whilst you don’t need to spend a fortune on a professional video, you must make sure your images are sharp and the sound quality is good. You don’t want to damage your brand by sharing substandard content.

Videos can give your business some personality and allow viewers to see the people and processes behind your brand. Human interest can drive interaction in a much more positive way than purely sales-based posts.

Why not give yourself a challenge, pick up your video camera and get shooting!

Tips on Tuesday

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Is it time to freshen up your social media channels by creating new photographic content?

If it has been a while since you took new images for your small business, now might be the time to consider doing just that. 

Remember, you don’t need a professional photographer – a smart phone is perfectly adequate – and your images don’t have to be professional quality. However be sure you have a decent background and good lighting when you take an image, and of course before you use any photos across your channels make sure they’re sharp and convey the message you want!

Tips on Tuesday

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Safer Internet Day 2023

Did you know that Tuesday 7th February 2023 is the 20th Safer Internet Day?

We’re passionate about empowering people, especially young people to be online!  So today we’re sharing our top tips on how to stay safe whilst using the internet.

  1. Never reveal your passwords to other people. Choose a password that is strong by using a mix of letters and numbers. Make sure you change them regularly.
  2. Make sure you think before you post. Never post anything you wouldn’t want your parents or teachers to read. As soon as you press send, the information/image is no longer private.
  3. Be respectful. If you think your post could upset someone, don’t post it.
  4. Be careful about what you share online. Don’t give clues about where you live in either the information or the images you post. 
  5. Make sure you check your privacy settings regularly. Bear in mind that you might think you’re only sharing something amongst close friends, but that isn’t always the case.
  6. Be careful who you talk to online. If someone you don’t know tries to add you as a friend, ignore them and block them. Don’t give people online your address and phone number.

Social media platforms have an age limit for a reason.  It is to keep young people safe.  There’s some great advice on UK Safer Internet Centre on how we can all work towards making the internet a place of mutual respect and safety!