The Importance of Social Media During the COVID-19 Crisis.
Over the past couple of months, we’ve seen the COVID-19 virus impact citizens around the globe with many businesses having to make tough decisions on how to adapt to the ever changing landscape we are currently facing.
Along with other small businesses, we’re already seeing the huge impact that the current climate is having on the economy and business around the world - which is why digital marketing has never been more important. Due to its reactive nature and potential to reach large audiences, social media is a highly valuable and cost effective medium for businesses looking to navigate the current climate and future proof their businesses.
With more eyes on social media channels looking for news and business updates than ever before, now is the time to ensure you are posting thoughtful and engaging content including sharing business updates and showing how you are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and the everchanging government regulations.
Determining the right approach for your social media campaign during a pandemic can be challenging, which is why we are sharing with you our tips on how you can leverage your social media channels during a crisis like COVID-19.
Unsure where to start? We’ve outlined our top tips below!
- Acknowledge the crisis and how your business is adapting or changing
- Keep your audience updated with your business changes. Consumers will be looking at your social media channels first for all of your latest business information including things such as opening hours, service changes, takeaway menu items as well as insight into the measures you are putting in place to keep your staff and customers safe and healthy
- Review all scheduled posts and paid ad campaigns to ensure messaging is appropriate and call-to-actions have been adapted to new business updates. Don’t waste money on running ad campaigns with old information, instead use your paid ads to promote new services such as your new takeaway menu, or online workout program!
- Ask your audience what they want to see on your social media feeds and adapt your content strategy as needed. With more people on social media now, it’s important you give the people what they want!
- Tap into features such as Instagram Live or Stories to provide value to your audience outside of your usual offerings
- Adapt your content to new customer behaviours. As we are all encouraged to stay indoors during work and after hours, ensure your content speaks to this and angle your business or service to fit into these lifestyle and behavioural changes
- Be responsive to your community, provide answers and support them. During a crisis like COVID-19, there’s a lot of uncertainty on a business and personal level, so providing information, educating your audience and ensuring you are fostering relationships is key
- Tweak tweak tweak! We all know that social media is trial and error, so it’s vital to ensure you are reviewing and improving your strategy every few days. Think about new ways you can add value to your customers and enhance their experience with you (eg. Being more responsive to messages and comments, uploading an IGTV on how your business is adapting to the regulations, providing free advice on your service or product, sharing FAQs via stories)
- Add a human element into your content. More people will crave seeing faces and hearing voices as we feel more distant from human interaction due to social distancing and self-isolation. Videos (feed and IGTV) / stories / lives are a great way to add this in.
Need assistance in navigating social media during the COVID-19 crisis? Our team of experts at Melbourne Social Co are here to help you. We can provide a range of services to assist your needs including virtual consulting sessions, copywriting, ad hoc graphic design, digital marketing campaign management and more.
We have a full team with all hands-on deck available to support you.
Get in touch with our team today for more information on how we can help. [email protected]
Latest News - Support Small Business
Hey guys, Shelley here.
Like many small businesses, we’re already seeing the effect that the current climate is having on the economy and in-turn, our business. And while we’re not sure what the short term future might bring, what we do know is that for small business, now is not the time to fall silent. With more and more Australians spending time on their phones consuming news and social media content, now is the time to capture this audience with thoughtful, engaging content - not only to let your consumer know how you’re handling this crisis, but to stay front of mind and to encourage them to shop local and support your business.
While we understand that many businesses need to look at where they can scale back costs at the moment, marketing, and in particular social media content creation and distribution, needs to be viewed as business-critical. Your social media communication is now more important than ever - it is the most effective tool you have to promote your business in these highly reactive, times of uncertainty.
With that in mind, our agency is offering a range of different packages and resources to support your business through this crisis. I’ve created a coupon code upskillathome to offer you 70% off our online training resources, should you be looking to upskill in social media management, strategy or content creation during your time at home. You can access our online courses here: courses.thesocialco.com.au
We’re also offering reactive content packages to help you craft the right messaging for your consumer, and are able to quickly turn around graphics, copy, video and imagery to get the message out to your audience in a professional and timely manner. If you’d like some more info, please reach out to me - [email protected] and let’s pencil in a chat.
I’m personally supporting as many small businesses as I can at the moment, and I urge you to as well. We’re all in this together!
How to get the most out of Instagram
Tackling the Instagram algorithm, stories and IGTV
There's not a lot of solid evidence out there as to how Instagram’s algorithm actually works. But we do know a few ways to help improve your impact on Instagram!
1. Utilise all of Instagram’s platforms. Post to IGTV, use interactive stickers on your stories and post video and photo content in galleries
2. Change your password! The amount of people / third party apps that are logged into your account can have an impact on which algorithm stream you’re put into
3. Give a little to get a little. Behind the scenes content performs great on Instagram. Whether it’s a peek into your production line or industry tricks, this content is clickable, likeable, shareable and saveable!
Nowadays, Instagram is so much more than just a newsfeed. We have the introduction of IGTV, the explore page, and of course stories which means you have so many avenues to display your content and the opportunity to expand your audience.
And it is no secret that Instagram stories now need to play a significant part in your social media content strategy.
Here are some of the major benefits to utilising Instagram stories:
- Increases visibility
When you post a story, it appears at the top of everyone’s screens. People are more likely to check stories before they start scrolling. This means stories are your best bet in being seen.
- Different type of content
Stories are a great way to capture real-time content. Behind the scenes, event coverage and everything else in between. This makes your brand seem real and relatable, which people love to see. They are more likely to engage when they think you’re approachable, instead of only seeing the retouched, flawless content that we post on our feed.
- You can get creative
With the array of colours, GIFs and stickers, you can really express your brand in an abundance of different ways. You can also interact with your audience through the use of the Polls, Questions, Location, and Quiz stickers. These tools are also an easy way to get engagement, which is also a win in digital marketing! When you use these stickers, people are not only more likely to interact with your story, but also your story is more likely to be seen. Stories are now visible on the Explore page, and when you use Instagram’s features, they will reward you by sharing your content with more and more people – how good is that?
Start posting more stories to your business accounts and see if you see any changes to your stats, you could be surprised!
IGTV – what is it, and why should businesses be using it?
IGTV is the latest Instagram trend that has taken the social media platform by storm. Although IGTV has been around since June 2018, it is only now gaining some momentum - this could be because Instagram finally allowed previews on your feed. When this happened back in 2019, views skyrocketed, and IGTV became an integral part of every social media campaign.
IGTV was originally introduced as an app where you could watch long-form, vertical videos from Instagram creators – basically a new competitor of YouTube! Before IGTV, you were only able to post videos that were 60 seconds long to Instagram. This was great for teaser content and short explainer videos, but now, you are able to post videos that are between 1 minute and an hour long! This opens up opportunities for really engaging content for your business, which means more traffic and a greater chance of expanding your audience.
Still wondering why you should use IGTV? There are some major benefits, here are just a few!
- When you use IGTV on stories, you can get access to the “Swipe Up” feature
This feature was only available to verified accounts and accounts with over 10,000 followers. Now, when you share your IGTV to your story, you’re not only opening yourself up to more views, you’re also giving yourself the ability to send your audience to your desired link.
- Able to post longer videos
As discussed, IGTV videos can be from one minute, to an hour. This means the possibilities are endless when it comes to posting videos on this platform. No more editing out great visuals and information to get your videos down to 1 minute! Create your first IGTV, and post EVERYTHING you want – not just what you can fit in to 60 seconds!
- Get ahead of the algorithm!
As we mentioned above, the best way to get in Instagram’s good graces, and make sure your getting the most out of the app, is to use all of its services. Be sure to post stories, use location tags, hashtags and start creating content for IGTV.
IGTV is very quickly becoming a must-use feature on the app, and it’s important you jump on board now!
What to learn the in's and out's of social media management from the comfort of your couch? Visit courses.thesocialco.com.au to enrol in our famous social media masterclass!
A Guide to User Generated Content
What is User-Generated Content?
User-Generated Content (UGC) is any content—text, videos, images, reviews, etc.—created by people, rather than brands, featuring or discussing branded content. In its most organic form, UGC isn’t paid for by a brand, it is a genuine and honest recommendation being shared by followers and fans.This not only exposes your product to their audience; it provides a source of content to post on your page, website or other marketing channels. Being mentioned or having content shared by a brand is often fun and exciting for consumers or a source of income and products for influencers. It is a symbiotic relationship, a win-win for both parties when done correctly.
Why is it important?
When it comes to social media marketing, UGC is becoming increasingly valuable to brands. It promotes authenticity and trust, as consumers are more likely to perceive user-generated content as authentic and trustworthy, over brand-created content. Seeing another consumer enjoy the product or service eliminates risk in the minds of consumers – it’s a visual positive review. Increasing trust and authenticity greatly influences consumers’ purchase intentions; the more trust a consumer has the more likely they are to purchase the product. As UGC increases awareness, it reinforces the products’ different applications, stylings, adaptions, and uses in “real world” situations and increases the viability of consumers of making that final purchase.
How to Use It Successfully?
Now that we know why it is so important – how can your business be successful in using user-generated content? Let us tell you.
Bring Purpose and Value to Your Customers
All content you post must have a purpose, especially user-generated content - whether that’s being inspirational, showcasing how to use a product, sharing in-real-life reviews, or helping your followers decide on their product choices. UGC isn’t a sales pitch, you need to think of it as a stand-alone piece of content that can really be of benefit to your audience.
For example, if you were a make-up brand you could use your USG posts as an opportunity to educate your customers on what products were used in the look to showcase what your products look like in action.
Create a Sense of Community
What do all your followers have in common? They follow you! User-generated content is a great way to create a sense of community amongst your followers by stimulating discussions and connecting with your current and future customers. This is best illustrated by camera brands,who set challenges for their followers to take a photo with a set brief. The camera brand then shares entries, showcasing what their products can do and stimulating discussion and creativity amongst their followers. By sharing tricks and tips from on a post to get that photo - what camera did they use, which lenses, which settings – can stimulate discussion and provides value to your followers. This is a great way to engage with your followers and create brand loyalty as a bonus.
Create an Incentive
It is important to encourage and remind your followers to create and tag you in content that features your products. The incentive you pick depends on the type of followers you have, for example: if you’re a company that sells art supplies, then sharing followers’ art is incentive enough. Whereas, other followers may need more of a push. For example, to get followers to showcase your product in their posts you may want to offer a gift or promotional code.Whichever method you choose, it’s important to acknowledge the original source, and thank the creator to make sure they feel appreciated.
Need help?
Do you want some help creating an amazing user generated content campaign for your brand? Get in touch with our team today!
Want to learn how to become a digital marketing pro? Check out our social media masterclass.
Written By Ebony Jones
Influencer Events at Melbourne Social Co
In December, we hosted a beautiful influencer brand showcase at our Moonee Ponds Studio. We were excited to share some of our lovely stable of brands with a gorgeous group of influencers. A big thank you to everyone who came along, we loved meeting you all!
At this event, we showcased a selection of our brands to influencers across the mummy, lifestyle, health and foodie space. This meant that we had a wide range of personalities who had a much broader reach.
Our guests were delighted with the variety of brands available at the event, and were able fill their goodie bags with products best suited to them. Some of the goodies included Avène skincare, Chris’ Dips, Chi Khi children’s clothing, Alessi Beverages and many more. One lucky winner was also the recipient of a brand new Fitbit Versa 2, from our friends at Fitbit.
We had such incredible feedback from our guests. Firstly, being that they loved seeing all the products displayed on the tables. This allowed our influencers to take home products which they feel are most relevant to them and their needs. Secondly, they loved the ability to be able to ask and find out more about the products by having our staff there rather than going home and having questions.
Collectively, the Instagram followers of all the influencers reached 310,502. There was over 90 Instagram Stories and approximately 30 posts on Instagram.
If you’re a Melbourne based influencer and would like to join our mailing list, please reach out to [email protected]. Or, if you’re a brand who would like to go on the waitlist for our next showcase, please email [email protected].
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Influencer Events at Melbourne Social Co -
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In November, we hosted a beautiful influencer brand showcase at our Moonee Ponds Studio. We were excited to share some of our lovely stable of brands with a gorgeous group of influencers. A big thank you to everyone who came along, we loved meeting you all!
Want to learn how to create beautiful social media content (like the images above) for your brand? Our latest online course is launching soon - pre-register now.
The latest news from Melbourne Social Co!
Melbourne Social Co has moved!
You may have seen on our socials, Melbourne Social Co has recently moved office to bustling Puckle Street in Moonee Ponds.
We had two years in wonderful Yarraville, but due to exciting growth in our business, we needed more space! Our new studio has gorgeous New York loft vibes, lots of natural light and is the perfect space for our growing team to get creative!
Come in and say hi!
We would love to welcome you in check out our space. Not only do we offer custom consulting and strategy sessions by appointment, but we also have a few dates left in 2019 for our Melbourne Social Co Beginners’ Social Media Workshops! If you’re new to the world of social media, these full day workshops are the perfect place to start. Facilitated by our training guru Charlotte, we cover everything from scheduling content to writing captions, creating eye-catching Instagram stories and more. Tickets are selling fast, so visit our events page to secure yours now.
Is your strategy up to date?
There have been lots of developments in the world of social media marketing in the second half of this year, from algorithm shifts to the removal of visible likes on Instagram. If you’re an established business but you’re finding things are a little ho-hum on your socials at the moment, it might be time for strategy update! Our Senior Strategist Jess would love to pencil you in for a session, to run through your goals and objectives, target audience profiling, competitor analysis and more, to make sure you’re getting everything you can out of your social media marketing efforts.
Contact us today to pencil in an appointment with Jess and the team.
Christmas is just around the corner!
Can you believe it's only a few short months until Christmas? And that means festive marketing plans are well underway. If you're in need of any creative content to support your festive sales strategy, get in touch with our team today, we'd love to assist!
Quality Instagram Content Over Vanity Metrics
If you run a business or work in marketing you've no doubt heard the news - Instagram has removed visible 'likes' in Australia, in a new trial to combat mental health issues, making the sharing of high quality Instagram content more important than ever.
What does this Instagram change mean for business?
Don't worry, it's not the game changer you may think it is. Take a step back and remember why you're marketing your business on social media. Is it so that others can see how many likes you have? No, of course it's not! It's to promote your brand, and achieve your business objectives, such as driving traffic to your website, sharing your company's culture, and selling your product and/or service.
Instagram content is still king.
When it comes to digital strategy, we always encourage our clients to focus on high quality, engaging content, over chasing vanity metrics such as cheap likes or follows.
Yes, your stats may look like they've gone down a little this month. We have seen a bit of a drop-off in engagement across the board following this platform change. But that being said, we're still seeing strong conversions across our portfolio of clients. The things that really matter, such as taps through to website, purchases on shoppable products, story views and more are as strong as they've always been.
Is removing visible ‘likes’ actually a positive for business?
It may be too early to tell, but the general consensus at Melbourne Social Co HQ is that there are some serious positives we can take from this move, particularly for small business. By removing the ability for people to see how many likes a post has achieved, smaller accounts will be able to better compete with established accounts that have built up large followings already. The focus will now shift back towards the quality of your Instagram content, and the real conversations you create with your community. Your business will now no longer have to compete with businesses who buy ‘fake’ likes for appearances sake, and you'll be able to request more transparency with the influencers you engage with, by potentially having access to their back-end analytics.
Want to chat to our team about the latest social media trends and what they mean for your business? Get in touch with our team today.
Want to learn how to master social media marketing from the comfort of your couch? Check out our social media masterclass here.
Instagram removes 'likes' function
From today, Instagram users in Australia will no longer be able to see how many “likes” a post has a received.
The trial is underway for Australian Instagram users, after a movement towards “removing pressure” on the digital platform’s users.
Instagram will begin rolling out the trial update today, removing the total number of likes on photos and viewings of videos on user feeds and profiles, and permalink pages.
Users will still be able to see a list of likes on their posts, just not the overall number.
But don't worry, the change won’t affect measurement tools for businesses and creators on Instagram, and all likes and engagement metrics will still be available in those tools.
Facebook Australia and New Zealand director of policy Mia Garlick said Instagram should be a place where people feel comfortable expressing themselves, rather than judged.
“We hope this test will remove the pressure of how many likes a post will receive, so you can focus on sharing the things you love,” she said in a statement.
We look forward to reviewing how this impacts businesses on social media over the coming weeks, and in particular the relationship with business and influencers, who rely on social media metrics to prove the value of their content.
Want to chat to our team about your Instagram strategy? Get in touch today.
Creative Agency VS In-House Employee
Creative Agency VS In-House Employee - What is the right fit for your business?
Are you looking to recruit a marketing and social media superstar? Take a minute to consider if an in-house employee is the right fit, or if you should instead, consider hiring a creative agency.
Did you know, that the cost of working with a premium boutique agency such as Melbourne Social Co is generally equal to, or sometimes even less than, that of a junior in-house employee?
Melbourne Social Co’s team of fifteen is made up of specialist digital marketers, brand strategists, content creators, social media managers, web developers and PR gurus. Our team is increasingly sought after by businesses seeking a dedicated digital employee – because we’re able to provide the creative skills and expertise of an entire team at rates comparable to a single employee.
In our experience, it's really difficult to find one employee who can cover all aspects of the marketing and social media space, from strategy, through to creating content (photography, videography and graphic design,) managing online communities, running ad campaigns, engaging influencers, analysing results and more. (If you do happen to find this person, hold on to them!)
As part of your monthly package with Melbourne Social Co, you gain access not only to our entire team and knowledge base, but to our industry connections, our software programs, our training platform, our studio and extensive props department and more. We can also extend our service to you well beyond the traditional 9-5 confines, meaning you have coverage across the clock on social media and your brands’ digital assets.
When you engage our team, you work closely with a dedicated Account Manager, who position themselves as an extension of your team. Coffee date? Count them in. A quick text message to run an idea past them? Fire away! Weekly phone catch-ups to discuss progress? Of course! Your Account Manager will get to know your business like it’s their own, and will become a passionate advocate for your brand.
Here at Melbourne Social Co, we don’t waste time. As a creative agency, we know how to work efficiently and productively, as every hour we work is accounted for. We’re used to working in a fast-paced environment, we buzz with creativity and we love to get results. We genuinely love building relationships with our clients, and enjoy nothing more than being a part of, and celebrating their successes.
Because you only pay for the work you commission, what you won’t find us doing on your time is; sitting behind a desk in your office from 9-5, scrolling online shopping sites, taking extended lunch breaks, calling in sick every month – the list goes on! (And yes of course we scroll online shopping sites and we love to lunch in our own time, we’re Melburnians after all!)
Almost convinced? We’d love to shout you a coffee and chat further about why a creative agency is the way to go - reach out to us and we’ll pencil it in.
The difference between Paid and Earned Media
If you own a brand or business, it’s likely (we hope) that you’ve ventured into the world of social media to advertise it. All the while, you’ve probably been exposed to ‘paid media’ and ‘earned media’, while having limited understanding of what these terms mean.
To help you understand how ‘paid media’ and ‘earned media’ impact your digital marketing strategy, we’ve decided to break down and compare these two terms. Wondering what they mean? Read on below:
Paid Media:
Paid media can be considered the more traditional form of advertising – that is, as conventional as it can be when it comes to digital marketing. Paid media involves paying social media platforms to advertise your brand in the form of sponsored and targeted ads. More specifically, the channel is able to target specific groups that will be interested in your brand.
Paid media and social media are a match made in marketing heaven. The use of user data and analytics by social media platforms means that these channels are able to effectively target your audience in ways that traditional paid media can’t. Paid media also allows you to reach your audience in ways that you cannot achieve independently, and provides you with accurate and easy ways to measure your impact.
We all know that you get what you pay for, so if you’re looking for unmatched reach and control, paid media should be a vital element of your digital marketing strategy.
Earned Media:
Earned media refers to the publicity gained through engagement from your audience. The people who engage with your brand are given a microphone, which provides you with free publicity in the form of comments, likes, shares, reviews and mentions.
This may seem like a daunting prospect for all of you out there striving to put your brand on the radar, but rest assured knowing that earned media is reflective of the quality of your brand.
Earned media allows your brand's exposure to grow beyond the traditional boundaries of advertising, and have its voice wedged into every nook and cranny of the social media platforms it inhabits. With this being said, earned media simply can't operate on its own - consumers responsible for the creation of earned media need to react to paid and earned media.
What makes earned media attractive for brands and businesses is that it’s completely free. However, the payment that you make for earned media is the inability to control it and measure its effectiveness. Although this prospect is daunting, if your brand continually produces well-curated content, earned media will most likely reflect the same quality.
And the winner is...
Paid media and earned media are two sides of the same stone; one is unable to exist without the other. On one hand, paid media provides excellent targeting and control. On the other, earned media allows your brand to gain exposure in new and unconventional areas of social media, and enter the consciousness of the consumer from a peer perspective. Each format functions most effectively when the other is also in use. Therefore, to perfect your digital marketing mix, it’s best to include both paid and earned media.
Do you need help shaping a social media strategy or managing your social media accounts? Here at Melbourne Social Co we have an expert team of social media specialists ready to help your business!
Get in touch with us today by sending us an email at [email protected] or calling us on: 1300 386 165.