Melbourne Social Co Celebrates Our 10th Birthday!
This year, Melbourne Social Co is celebrating 10 years in business.
I’m so incredibly proud of our business journey, from humble beginnings to now being recognised as one of Australia’s leading content-driven creative agencies.
I started Melbourne Social Co from my spare bedroom, as most start-ups begin, with one client and a lot of determination. As a person in my mid-20s at the time and of course, pre-kids - I loved working 60 hour weeks and throwing myself into the entrepreneurial game.
My client list quickly grew, and then so did my team, with my first hire being Rebekah Pickett, who has stuck with me (thanks Bek!) and now leads the team of 15+ creatives both here in Melbourne and around Australia. We’ve had 3.5 offices, a few different logos, many office plants (that sadly have not survived the journey) and an incredible predominately-female team of creatives over the journey. We have worked across almost every state in Australia (as well as a few ventures into NZ and Singapore) and have produced incredible work for household names like Fitbit, PETstock, BiC and more.
We’ve worked with SO many different businesses over the journey, from start-ups to global powerhouses, with both ends of the spectrum being equally rewarding.
While I understand that for many business owners, 2020 and now 2021 have been incredibly difficult, I am so proud to say that our team has gone from strength to strength over the past year in particular. Not only have our team adapted to working predominately remotely, but they have upskilled, hustled and continued to deliver incredible results over the pandemic period for our clients. In addition, we have on-boarded some of our biggest campaigns to date this year and are so excited to be working with some really great brands, such as Koko Black, Sass Clothing and Jenny Craig.
I’m so proud of our female-lead business, where we have been, where we are now, and where we are headed. Here’s to an exciting next 10 years!
Shelley
Tik Tok for Business 101
Over the last few months, the social media platform Tik Tok has taken the world by storm. Once seen as the “bizarre app kids spend too much time on”, now has many of us addicted to endless scrolling! (Hands up if this has happened to you.)
But should your business have a presence on Tik Tok? The short answer, yes.
Here at Melbourne Social Co., we pride ourselves on always having a creative approach to the digital marketing space and staying across the latest trends. This means trying new features on platforms, exploring new apps and always keeping content fresh and interesting to enhance a business’s presence on social media. If there is potential to promote and drive traffic to our clients via a new platform - we're right across it.
So - how can you get started on Tik Tok? The best way to get noticed on new social media apps is to make an account and start giving it a go! Simple right? Okay, perhaps its' a little more strategic than that, but with any new social media platform, practice - and the investment of time, are key.
Below are 3 easy ways you can get started.
1. Set up your account
This is as simple as following the prompts on the app! Ensure that your username and profile image are clear and the same as your business. We see the temptation of calling yourself CoolChick101 but trust us; please don’t… it always seems like a good idea at the time. Oh, and make sure you link your website or other social media handles in your bio!
2. Create your first video
This might be a simple video explaining your brand and what you're about, whilst showing your product range or service. Try adding music or effects to ensure that content is captivating and interesting to watch.
3. Interact with other creators
Follow other business accounts that are in a similar field to you and interact with them! We would also recommend following some bigger brands, to keep up with trends and tracks that are doing well.
So, what are you waiting for?
Download the app (or just open it, we all know you already have it 🤪).
We promise it’s not that scary, you’ve got this.
Would you like to chat to our team about Tik Tok for business, or about your social media strategy? Get in touch today.
Starting a new business? Check out our Social Media Starter pack.
Melbourne Social Co Celebrates Nine Years In Business
Did you know that this month Melbourne Social Co celebrates our ninth year in business?
With a traditional fashion editorial background, our Director Shelley Friesen began forging a career in social media over ten years ago – establishing Melbourne Social Co in 2011. While pursuing IT wasn’t a stylish choice for a child of the 80’s, Shelley’s intuition to pursue social media was bang on (much like Olivia Newton John’s leotard in Let’s Get Physical!) “I got into digital marketing through identifying a need for businesses to embrace it. From my experience working in the editorial department of a fashion magazine and as a Marketing Manager for an Australian fashion and accessories label, I could see that social media was a tool businesses could adopt and utilise to connect with their consumers. Despite people’s hesitance at the time to take a leap of faith on such an emerging field, I decided to start my own digital marketing agency!”
Now a team of fifteen, most of whom can’t remember a world without selfies and Snapchat, Melbourne Social Co has been instrumental in building the digital presence of some of Australia’s biggest brands.
While 2020 has certainly presented its’ challenges for both our business and our wonderful clients, the power of digital and social media is greater than ever and we’re excited to be able to continue to assist small business owners in navigating this difficult time. (Read our top tips on using social media in times of crisis here.)
Want to get to know our team a little better? Click here.
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.
Our agency is also offering 50% off our online training resources during this time, 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 and use the coupon code: upskillathome to redeem your discount.
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!
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.
Five Digital Trends That Will Stick Around For 2019
Digital Trends to look out for in 2019.
As we head into the new year, we find many businesses consider that it might be time to rethink their social media strategy for 2019. Around this time of year, we hear resolutions and goals being thrown around such as “This year I want to double my following” or “I’m going to much more ahead of my social media planning”, but how do you actually go about doing that?
To help our clients, we’ve pin pointed a few trends that are likely to stick around this year. Based on our own research and professional experience, below are a few digital marketing trends we suggest taking a look at for the upcoming year;
Content Will Still Reign
Content marketing will continue to be a crucial component of digital marketing. The quality is always going to be the focal point, but there’s also an increased interest in who the intended audience is. Having a more in depth understanding of a targeted market, and the ability to target that market more precisely is a rising trend in creating effective marketing.
While general content for the mass audience will always be important, specialised content for specific industries can also produce impressive results. A combination of specific content and constantly improving techniques for measuring content effectiveness, content marketing remains relevant and essential in 2019.
Video Marketing Continues To Rise
Video marketing will be the leader of digital trends in 2019. It is predicted that 80% of the online content will take up the form of visual representation. The videos will be the focal point of any marketing strategy as these will distribute the message in a better way while providing entertainment to the viewers.
Video has become a favourite form of communication since the rapid adoption of smartphones and social media apps. More than ever, we are seeing that video content does not have to have a high production value. Don’t shy away from pulling your smartphone out and recording a message to your potential customers about a recent win or to share some insights that will be valuable to them!
Chatbots Are Here To Stay
This AI based tech uses instant messaging to chat in real time, 24/7 with your customers or site visitors. Chatbots are here to stay as many customers prefer interacting with a chatbot as they are responsive, give answers almost immediately, they recall your entire buying history and best of all, they never lose patience.
Sephora is the perfect example of an advanced business. You can get all kinds of make-up tips if you chat to Sephora using the Kik App. The personal assistant feature also provides you with product reviews when you’re shopping in a store.
Email Is Getting More Personalised
Email continues to be a strong contender as a channel of communication with billions still using it for work, personal and commercial purposes. In fact, “Email remains a significantly more effective way to acquire customers than social media- nearly 40 times that of Facebook and Twitter combined”- McKinsey & Company.
In 2019, a combination of automation and more importantly, personalisation will make email marketing effective.
If you feel stuck on gaining a customer database, the easiest thing to do is run a competition. The old age marketing trick of attracting people to your brand by giving something away still works!
Storification
The stories format has boomed in 2018 on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp. It is even being tested by Linkedin!
Brands need to consider that although posts with high resolution and quality production values are still important, less polished, more intimate content performs better in the stories format. Consumers often feel more comfortable with brands when to see raw but authentic, in the moment views into the backgrounds of brands.
It’s not too late to start planning your digital marketing strategy for 2019, and our sister company The Social Co Academy can help brush up those skills! Check out their training resources here.
Thinking about outsourcing your digital marketing strategy to an agency? Contact us today for more information.
Inspirational Women in Business
In celebration of International Women’s Day, we’ve put together a list of inspiring women in business for you to check out. May their stories motivate and ignite the passion in you!
“Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them” – Stacey Bendet
Emma Isaacs - Emma is the founder of Business Chicks, Australia’s largest online community for women in business wanting to connect with likeminded women. The platform strives to empower working women through the sharing of ideas, knowledge and skills. Emma is a long-time entrepreneur, having never worked for anyone else (apart from the coffee shop jobs in her teens). She started her first business at the age of 18 and had bought another four by the age of 28!
Jane Lu - At the age of just 23, Jane founded Showpo, an online clothing store. Bored of her corporate life, Jane decided to quit and started her own business which failed and saw her $60,000 in debt. Not letting that discourage her, Jane launched Showpo a month later in her parent’s garage, with just a laptop and two shelves of clothing. The company is now a multi-million-dollar fashion empire...talk about determination paying off!
Lisa Messenger - Lisa is an entrepreneur, author and magazine publisher. She founded the Messenger Group in 2001 as a publishing company. It now has 18 arms including publishing, events, marketing and consultancy. Having written 14 books herself, she definitely knows a thing or two about business! Lisa also founded Collective Hub, a business and lifestyle platform that aims to uplift and empower people to live their best life. If you’re after a good read, give her book ‘Daring & Disruptive’ a go.
Ally Watson - Ally, a female developer, was put off by the predominantly male tech events and meet-ups she attended upon moving to Australia a few years ago. She decided to start her own tech event which then turned into Code Like A Girl - a business that runs events and workshops to provide girls with support to flourish in the world of coding. Ally is all about shattering stereotypes and breaking down barriers…what a great inspiration for young women!
How did we go? Are there other women in business who inspire you? Let us know in the comments below. Also, Happy International Women’s Day ladies! Send love and empower all the women in your life, not only today but every day!
If you’re looking to expand or grow your business in 2018, our team may be able to help! Whether you’re in need of content creators, community managers, a graphic designer or photographer, we’ve got you covered. Shoot us an email to find out more!
Managing social media over the holidays
Managing your social media presence over the holidays: what you can do now to plan ahead!
You’ve worked hard all year...you’re craving a holiday and can’t wait to take a break from corporate life. Phone on silent, cocktail in hand, feet dipped in the pool. Sounds like a dream...can we come?! But wait...what about your social media accounts? Who will look after them while you’re busy unwinding? Social media never sleeps and consistency is key. Correct! So, we’ve come up with some tips to help you manage your social media presence over the holiday season.
Plan, plan, plan. Planning ahead is key. Sure you’ll have to work your butt off up until your holiday break begins but you’ll definitely thank yourself later! Think of what you want to do and achieve over the holiday season. How many emails will you be sending out to subscribers? Are you launching a new product? Are you planning a huge sale? Write all this information down so you know what you’re striving for.
Create content now! Content creation takes time so set aside some one-on-one time with your camera and computer to put together some amazing content your followers will love. Having a bank of images ready to caption and schedule is invaluable come holiday time. Create some short, fun little videos to engage your audience. They’ll be sick of seeing ‘SALE’ images and baubles in every second photo on their social feeds, so grab their attention by giving them something new and exciting to look at.
Schedule away! Scheduling programs will be your godsend. They make life 110% easier. Facebook is great because it allows you to schedule content on the platform itself. For other social platforms like Instagram, you’ll need to use an external scheduling program to plan your content. Some examples include; Hootsuite, Later and Buffer. You will have to spend quite a bit of time adding each piece of content to the schedule, but your future self will forever be in debt when all you have to do is press ‘publish’.
Yes, a dream holiday would mean zero responsibilities and ever flowing cocktails but if you’re a business owner, you may have to succumb to checking your social accounts every now and then just to check in. Respond to comments, direct messages and do a bit of good ‘ol community management. 10-15 minutes out of your day isn’t so bad hey!
We hope these tips will help in the lead up to the Christmas period where all you want to do is relax!
Do you envisage this next month being a tough one? Do you think you’d prefer to have someone else manage your social accounts? Shoot us an email; we’d love to help!
5 Things Every Business Owner Should Do Before 7am
Ready to make a big difference to your day? It all begins with your morning routine!
The first few hours of your day can have a huge impact on your overall mental and physical state so it’s vital to implement some easy morning tasks to reduce stress, increase happiness and encourage productivity and motivation for the day ahead.
Get your alarm ready and try these 5 things every business owner should do before 7am now:
- Get up early:
For those of you out there who aren’t naturally morning people, we’re here to encourage you to set your alarm that little bit earlier and get up and get moving.
Waking up early is a great way to find extra time to fit all those little tasks in that you run out of time to do, including exercising, cleaning the house, reading a book, or getting on top of your to-do list.
Use this time before the phone starts to ring, or your kids get up to do something positive. We guarantee it will help you feel less stressed and more motivated for the day ahead.
- Exercise:
There’s nothing quite like getting those endorphins going first thing in the morning!
Starting your morning with regular exercise can help reduce stress, clear your mind and increase your energy for a busy working day ahead! Plus, it’s great for your physical health by helping you combat obesity and health concerns like heart disease.
Try a walk or run around the block, a weight session at the gym or even yoga exercises in your lounge room. Every little bit counts!
- Set your goals and priorities:
If you’re struggling to get through your never-ending to-do list, spend some time before you head into the office to write your goals and priorities for the day.
This will help you begin your day with purpose, so you can increase your productivity and focus on the tasks that really matter.
We recommend putting the hardest and biggest tasks at the top of your to-do list, so you can tick them off first thing in the morning when your mind is fresh.
- Do something that you love:
Sometimes with the craziness of our day-to-day lives, we forget to take time out to do the things that we enjoy. So why not spend those early hours before 7am, doing something for you. This is sure to kick-start your day on a positive note.
- Avoid phone time:
While it may be tempting to roll over and scroll through your social media channels or check your emails as soon as you wake, it’s important to try limiting access to your phone for at least the first 30 minutes to an hour when you wake up. By looking at your phone first thing in the morning, you’re more likely to start your day in a stressful and negative mind frame, then if you have some sacred time to focus on doing something positive for your mind and body.
Are you a business owner who gets up before 7am? What are your essential morning tasks? Comment and let us know.
10 reasons why businesses need a Social Media Manager
We all know why social media is important for business. But do you think you need a social media manager for your business?
One thing we hear regularly from our clients is that while social media is a must-do and a huge part of their marketing strategy, it's more often than not the last thing on their daily to-do list. And we can understand why, when you're running a business you've got a million things on your mind, without even thinking about social media strategy, target audiences, analytics, content creation, community management - the list goes on. And yep, that all falls under the umbrella of the 'social media manager'.
But while you're ticking off your daily tasks to keep your business running, you may be neglecting the one thing that has the potential to take your business to the next level - social media.
Why is professional social media management important?
Firstly, the person managing your social media accounts is effectively the ‘voice’ of your business. If you wouldn’t put that person in front of 1000 people to promote your business on your behalf, you shouldn’t put them in charge of your social media voice - which potentially reaches a far greater audience on a daily basis.
Secondly, strategy, quality, consistency, engagement and innovation are the keys to social media success. Without these key points, your social media efforts will be in vain. By outsourcing the ongoing management of your social media channels to a dedicated strategist, you can ensure your business is not only utilising social media in a strategic manner designed to produce real results for your brand, but they're producing high quality content and distributing it a consistent, targeted manner, aimed at increasing engagement and reach for your business. (Or in other words, getting you 'seen and heard' online!)
Here are 10 reasons why businesses need a Social Media Manager:
- To develop a social media strategy. Without a great social media strategy in place, your efforts may be in vain. Your social media manager will set out a strategy for you that is geared towards achieving success online.
- To create amazing content. In 2017, your social media manager is no longer just that, (or at least at Melbourne Social Co they're not!) They are photographers, writers, stylists, publicists, community managers - you name it, the list goes on. And as part of our role, we will create and source amazing content for your brand. Because let's face it, in the crowded social media market place, you need amazing content to stand out from the crowd.
- To boost SEO (search engine optimisation): A Social Media Manager understands search engines (or knows someone who does!) and can create content that is optimised for this purpose.
- To communicate in a unified voice: A Social Media Manager will get to know your brand, define your audience and create a unified social media message to appeal to your target market.
- To manage the online community: The Social Media Manager acts as a 'brand ambassador' by listening to your customers on social media and responding in a timely manner. Social Media Managers can also be excellent PR agents, by reaching out to news outlets and bloggers who can help your business grow.
- To save time: Social Media Management takes time. Having people contribute to the process without a defined schedule or strategy won't help your marketing efforts and is often an afterthought. A Social Media Manager is dedicated to managing the digital marketing of your business - it's his/her job.
- To handle social media automation/scheduling: A Social Media Manager knows how to get the most out of social media by using a variety of tools and techniques. These methods can help grow the business and save money in the process. Do you know what is the best time of day to post particular content online? Your Social Media Manager does and can schedule posts accordingly.
- To have someone with business knowledge: Social Media Managers not only know social media, they also understand all facets of your business. They know what's important and which trends to follow because they interact with the various departments. They can confidently act as the 'voice' of your business as they are on top of what's going on.
- To track campaigns: A Social Media Manager can measure and track campaigns to see what works and what doesn't, and then adjust as necessary.
- To stay abreast of trends and technology: People who know the basics of social media may not be as informed as a person who works in social media marketing day in and day out. Just because you post on Instagram daily and love to use Pinterest doesn't necessarily mean you will be able to strategically manage your businesses online profiles.
So, now you know why a Social Media Manager is important, what should you do?
If you're looking to outsource your social media management, we can help.
We'd love to chat to you about your digital marketing needs, so that we can put together a custom full-service solution for you.
Please contact us for more information: [email protected]