Instagram algorithm changes – a return to form?
In March, Instagram launched a fresh series of algorithm changes that aim to organise user feeds more chronologically. This change addresses criticism by users that feeds are regularly clogged up by old photos viewed hours ago, with new posts seemingly lost.
The shift will be a welcome change to users, who can now feel more confident that their posts will be seen by their followers in a timely fashion. However, these ‘changes’ aren’t really a huge shift, if anything they’re a return to form for the platform, who until 2016 arranged user feeds entirely chronologically.
If we had to organise social media platforms in terms of their user feeds, you could quite neatly divide most platforms into two camps. In one camp are platforms such as Facebook, who rely very heavily on algorithms to predict and arrange a user’s feed according to their activity and habits. In the other camp, real time platforms such as Twitter, who arrange their user feeds predominately chronologically and encourage news-based interaction and live tweeting.
Increasingly, Instagram isn’t very easily distinguishable into either camp. While the platform was founded on the principle of showing you and your friends’ personal snaps as they happen, the major shift in 2016 to an algorithm based feed mirrors its parent company Facebook. This latest ‘change’, best described as a ‘revision’ will hopefully strike an equilibrium by controlling what a user sees while keeping feeds fresh and timely.
The main takeaway from this latest round of changes? Expect to see more up to the minute posts, less photos from 2 days ago but a feed that is still arranged around your user habits. This minor tweaking of the Instagram feed is a timely reminder for businesses to evaluate their own social media strategies, and to explore the growing list of features Instagram now offer. At the top of the list is Instagram stories. Stories are a great way to reach users up to the minute, encouraging a series of posts throughout the day and lessening the dependence on the traditional feed to reach users.
Would you like to review your social media strategy or content plan? Get in touch today.
Why social media content must be engaging in 2018
Why creating and sharing engaging social media content is more important than ever
We are living in a day and age where our train ride to work, lunch time smoothie and evening workout are projected into the digital world. And brands have moved into the world of Instagram and Facebook as a means to further their influence and increase engagement. So much so, that our social media feeds are now flooded with ads and promotions, frustrating users to the point where there has been a decline in usage, particularly on Facebook.
In retaliation, both Facebook and Instagram have changed their algorithm. The algorithm affects where your posts appear on the feed, who sees your content, and therefore your reach and organic engagement.
Through the altered algorithm, the social platforms intend to show content that will encourage meaningful interactions between users. The posts appearing on our social media accounts are now arranged according to the content you are most likely to interact with. This change in the algorithm penalises brands that come across as overly promotional, therefore pushing them to work harder on gaining customers and potential clients attention. Many aspects of user’s online interactions are taken into consideration within the algorithm, but ultimately, content needs to be engaging to further reach and gain followers.
So, what makes a social media post engaging? How can you influence your followers and encourage them to interact with your content? And hence, how can you grow your following and further your reach?
Know your target audience.
And work hard on providing them with content they will take an interest in.
Ensure images, captions and comments are all “thoughtful”. This is vital in maintaining an identifiable persona. “Thoughtful” content is the kind where followers can see the authenticity, value and quality within each online interaction. Your account is a reflection of your brand, consequently, your online interaction must echo your accounts personality.
Encourage interactions on your account. The more interactions occurring on a post and the longer users engage with it, the more people who will see it. Prompting users to comment on your post, through questions or content they can relate to, will encourage conversation within your account.
Utilise your social platforms. Facebook and Instagram will reward you for this and it will also add dimension to your digital identity. Create stories, send messages and comment on other account’s posts. Videos gain more engagement than images and live videos gain 6x more interactions than regular videos on Facebook.
Social media is constantly changing and evolving. Staying informed of the latest changes will help in maintaining a strong digital presence. But, perhaps most importantly, ensure your online interactions reflect the essence of your brand.
“Social media is a way that businesses can humanise their brand. By creating and sharing really engaging content, both internally and externally with your customers, you put a face to your brand which helps develop trust – be it among your team or with your customers." says our Director Shelley, in a recent article.
Make sure every post, comment and like is made with intent and speaks to who you are as a business. Genuine interaction and engagement will always follow.
Want help creating engaging content for your brand? Find out more about our content creation services by getting in touch today.
Why Facebook algorithm changes aren’t as scary as we think
On January 11th, Mark Zuckerberg announced a series of changes to the Facebook algorithm, designed to reduce excessive news and business related content and promote interaction between family and friends, dubbed ‘meaningful interactions.’ By returning to their social roots, the shift has alarm bells ringing for many businesses and organisations – shares in the site immediately fell four percent, effectively wiping over $3 billion from Zuckerberg’s net worth.
For news sites, this Facebook algorithm shift will also involve the prioritisation of news sources deemed ‘trustworthy’, while celebrities and influencers can also expect to see less of their posts in followers’ feeds. In terms of hard data, Zuckerberg committed to reducing news content in users’ feeds from five to four percent. The changes have been deeply concerning for organisations – entire social media strategies have been plunged into jeopardy and many businesses are searching for viable solutions.
However, Facebook algorithm changes and calls for more user tailored feeds are nothing new. In fact, Facebook made a strikingly similar commitment back in August of 2014. Back then, the site pledged to show less promotional and recycled content, causing similar uproar among content creators, businesses and influencers. However, as these previous changes have demonstrated, organisations providing quality content and genuine engagement with users have emerged unscathed from algorithm shifts.
Crucially, data shows actual page engagement declined over 20% in 2017, highlighting overall user fatigue caused by clickbait pages and duplicated, poor quality content. The removal of low quality pages from users’ feeds is therefore a positive for the site overall. By creating an environment that favours meaningful content tailored to a user’s tastes, Facebook is effectively creating a more trustworthy and reliable site for both individuals and businesses.
While the changes won’t perhaps be as catastrophic to existing marketing strategies as first thought, algorithm changes are a timely reminder as to the importance of a dynamic and meaningful content plan.
So - what can you do to make sure your business content is seen and heard in 2018?
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Quality Content
It underpins any successful marketing strategy. Users don’t want to feel spammed or overwhelmed by the pages they follow. Be mindful in the regularity of your postings and enforce a standard tone and length to your content. Remember, poorly written and untailored content is the main target of the Facebooks algorithm changes.
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Prioritise building a genuine and targeted following
By creating content which users consistently click on, you can take advantage of the new algorithm which notes who is clicking on your content, and what they're clicking on, and knowingly promotes those pages.
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Embedding Posts
Pinning key posts to your business’ page is a practical method of making sure your content isn’t lost in the fray amidst newsfeed changes. Make sure that as soon as a user clicks on your page, they are presented with the most relevant content as opposed to merely your most recent posts.
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Facebook advertising
As actual page engagement declines, the importance of exploring a paid Facebook advertising campaign is continually increasing. Banners, page promotion, email opt ins and targeted viewers – advertising with Facebook is a multifaceted means of reaching your desired audience. Crucially, the algorithm for Facebook advertising is currently not being changed in tandem with these new shifts.
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Broaden advertising to Facebook’s additional features
Increasingly, younger users are engaging less with the traditional Facebook interface in favour of the dedicated messenger app. Take advantage of changing user habits and target your advertising to within the messenger app. Similarly, Facebook live is an emerging method which promotes active user engagement, with endless opportunities for business promotion.
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Like and share… and unfollow!
Promotions and competitions imploring users to like, share and tag your posts are set to be another casualty of the Facebook algorithm changes. Data suggests such competitions are a poor means of building an engaged audience, and worse, alienate your existing audience. In fact, many such competitions actually break Facebook’s community guidelines, running the risk of post or even entire page deletion. Choose your promotions and competitions wisely.
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Influencers
According to Forbes, influencers are not currently bound by the same restrictions placed on businesses amid these new algorithm changes. For the time being at least, collaborating with influencers is more important than ever, especially if your business is currently not engaging in a paid promotion with Facebook. The key to a successful influencer collaboration is choosing an influencer that has a genuine link to your product or service or desired audience.
Want to chat to our team about your Facebook strategy for 2018? Get in touch today!
Top digital trends for 2018
2017 saw Instagram prevail, augmented reality grew in popularity and sponsored ads became a huge brand priority. What digital trends will we see in 2018? We want you to be ahead of the curve so here are some digital trends we think you should keep an eye on in 2018:
- Video
Video content is huge. It was last year and it will be this year too with most consumers preferring to consume content in video format. All social media platforms are investing in video content to help generate engagement and increase followers. It is expected that by 2020, 80% of consumer internet traffic will be made up of video content, so if video isn’t already in your social plan, put it in there folks. You’ll thank us later!
- Messaging apps (chatbots)
A chatbot is a software application built to stimulate human conversation. Many brands are utilising this software to assist in responding to consumer enquiries. Some consumers prefer this form of communication over email and phone calls because you get instantaneous updates and answers. But proceed with caution! Automated chatbots can take away from the connections you're building with your fans on social media and can make your brand appear less genuine.
- Augmented reality (VR)
Augmented reality is a fascinating trend. From Google Glass and Pokémon Go to face filters, consumers are intrigued by the idea. Snapchat and Instagram have capitalised on this trend, with consumers loving their AR capabilities (most in the form of face filters). You’ve no doubt seen Snapchat’s dancing hot dog too...1.5 billion other people have too. With new phones like the iPhone X using facial recognition and augmented reality technology, there’s no doubt that this trend will continue to grow.
- Live streaming and ephemeral content
Live streaming started its surge in 2017 and will continue to grow this year. 82% of consumers would rather watch a live video over reading a blog or written social media update. Instagram and Facebook both support the format with their ‘live stories’ making it easy for your brand to jump on board the trend. Ephemeral content is also growing in popularity. This is short-lived content that disappears (usually after 24 hours). Audiences like ephemeral content because it’s more authentic than planned content.
- Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing is one of the fastest growing marketing channels and it’s not hard to see why. Did you know that 49% of Instagram users rely on recommendations from influencers? Building relationships with influencers is something brands should be focusing on in 2018 as influencers become more selective about who they work with.
Before you start addressing these new digital trends and implementing them into your digital plan, it’s important to take time to reflect and learn what worked and what didn’t last year. If you’d like some help analysing your digital performance last year or would like to set up a new digital plan for 2018, shoot us an email, or enquire about a consulting session.
4 Successful Christmas Marketing Campaigns
Should I buy a dress for Aunty Kate from Country Road or Seed? Should I get a voucher for Pop from Bunnings or Mitre 10? Christmas is a super competitive time, so it's no wonder that brands are breaking creative barriers and doing everything they can to be more innovative when it comes to their digital marketing efforts over the silly season.
Here are a few examples of Christmas digital campaigns that we think were really effective.
One of our all time favourite campaigns is Ted Baker’s “TedsElfie” campaign from 2014. Ted Baker fans were encouraged to follow @TedsElfie on Instagram to participate in the game. Ted Baker created a number of Instagram accounts for the campaign, with each account featuring hand drawn images where users had to find the seven ‘missing’ elves, in return for prizes. The brand would drop hints on where to look and encourage their fans to watch the TedsElfie hashtag to be kept in the loop. Ted Baker had over 37 thousand interactions throughout the campaign and 14.5 thousand competition entries. Amazing right?!
Another campaign we loved was Topshop’s 2013 “Dear Topshop” campaign. Run purely on Pinterest, this campaign was amazing for engagement and exposure. The campaign asked fans to create a mood board on Pinterest dedicated to the perfect Christmas day. Users could pin things like decorations, dream outfits and food. All pins had to include #DearTopshop and the best boards received shopping sprees worth up to 500 pounds ($900). You’d be crazy not to enter really!
A campaign we’ve loved this year is Spotify’s “2017 Unwrapped” campaign.
The campaign showed users their top artists and songs of 2017, as well as how many minutes of music they listed to. The brand incorporated a fun little quiz into the campaign, which engages users. Spotify also gifts users with two playlists - one featuring their top songs of 2017 and another handpicked playlist based on what music they love. The brand also encourages users to share their “2017 Unwrapped” on their social media pages, with links to do so. Spotify’s campaign builds customer loyalty and makes users feel special. Interestingly, it makes users login to access the campaign so this could definitely be a tactic to re-engage lost customers. Seems pretty great to us!
If you’re new to Christmas campaigns, a popular one to start with is the ‘12 Days of Christmas’ campaign where each day features a new giveaway, discount code or offer. For example, Broadsheet in Melbourne is currently doing their 12 Trays of Christmas where they give away a new product each day. This is great for engagement and obtaining new customers.
Do you want to incorporate some amazing digital campaigns into your social plan for the New Year? Get in touch today to book in a consulting session with our team.
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!
4 ways to organically build your social media following
If you’re currently using social media for your business, you would have noticed the increasing difficulty of growing your ‘likes’ or followers on social media organically. This is particularly frustrating for businesses who put time and effort into producing great content that then doesn’t get seen by the people who need to view it the most.
If you’re struggling to grow your social media following, there are a few things you can try today:
- Work with influencers:
Working with digital influencers is one of the most effective ways to grow your social media accounts. Through collaborations such as sponsored posts, influencer take-overs or competitions, you have the opportunity to tap into the thousands of followers of key influencers and in turn entice them to follow your business’s accounts.
- Host a competition:
At Melbourne Social Co, we are big fans of competitions for many great reasons! Competitions are a great way to encourage people to ‘like’ your Facebook page, or ‘follow’ your Instagram account as consumers have an added incentive of winning something. Hosting regular competitions will also help to increase your engagement rate, by encouraging comments and shares – all things that put your brand’s social media content in front of more people.
- Use the power of hashtags:
Hashtags are used for a good reason – they allow consumers interested in your business’s content, products and services to find you. The trick? Ensure you post at least 11 – 20 hashtags on every post and pick popular hashtags that potential followers could be searching. If you’re unsure where to search, try browsing through posts containing a hashtag you’re already having success with. Look to see if there is a trend of any other hashtags you could use and start using them!
- Post great content:
Along with influencer marketing, competitions and using the correct hashtags, it’s important to also post great content so that your new and existing followers want to stay connected to your business and engage with it on social media. To do this, ensure you are posting unique high-quality content that is suitable to your channels and do this on a regular basis. High-quality content could include original images, videos, flatlays and quotes that are relevant to your business and that provide value to your consumer.
Do you need help growing your social media following? Here at Melbourne Social Co, we are experts at growing your social media platforms and keeping your audience engaged with unique and high-quality content.
Contact us today to find out more about the services we offer e: [email protected] – P: 1300 386 165.
The rise of video marketing
If there’s one social media trend your business needs to tap into in 2017 it’s video marketing! From Facebook Live, Instagram stories to the cute and quirky Boomerangs on our Instagram feeds, the options on how to engage with your consumer on social media with video content are endless.
Ready to start including video in your digital marketing strategy? Read on below for more insight into how video content will lead the way this year:
Facebook Live:
Facebook Live is a great way to captivate your audience, create an engaging conversation with your followers and connect with them instantly. Facebook Live gives you a range of options to market to your customers, from demonstrating a product or service, answering FAQs or showcasing some great behind the scenes content. The trick? Prepare in advance, you only get one shot at going live!
It’s all about the stories:
From Snapchat to Instagram stories, businesses now have the opportunity to continue to give their customers updates on their business in ‘real time’ with content that only last 24 hours. These stories are a great way to showcase some engaging behind the scenes content including the day-to-day running of your business or an event or photoshoot. As the stories aren’t permanent, you can be as ‘real’ as you like and don’t have to focus on aesthetically perfect imagery, rather on uploading content that keeps your fans interested.
The power of multiple platforms:
Perhaps one of the best things about video content for businesses is that you can share it across all of your social media platforms! Recent statistics have shown that 85% of adults aged 18-49 use multiple devices at the same time, meaning you have the opportunity to share your video content to someone on your YouTube channel, who is also scrolling through their Instagram feed and checking Facebook all at the same time!
And the best part? Your consumers want to watch it:
There’s a reason video content is becoming so popular, and that’s because your consumers actually want to watch the content. Four times as many consumers would prefer to watch a video about a product than to read about it, which means your consumer is already open to looking at your content, you just have to captivate them!
Are you ready to start including video content into your social media marketing plan this year? Contact your team of content creators at Melbourne Social Co today.
e: [email protected] – P: 1300 386 165
5 things your social media manager wants you to know!
Whether you are a start-up company or an established business, we all know that having a social media manager is an important part of any digital marketing strategy.
However, when working with a social media manager, there are a few things they want you to know.
Wondering what they are? Read on below:
1. Social media is one part of a larger marketing strategy:
While social media can no doubt have an invaluable effect on growing your business and driving sales, it’s not the only part of your marketing strategy that needs consideration. Social media should be included as part of a larger overarching plan that aims to achieve your long-term business goals. Other marketing strategies that work together to grow and build your business could include digital and print advertising, in-store promotions, events, PR or influencer collaborations.
2. Social media is not for business promotion only:
We know you love your business and want to promote it to the whole world, but unfortunately your social media audience doesn’t want to be marketed to all the time! That’s why it’s important to let your social media manager devise the right strategy that combines a mix of your business promotion and general interest content that provides value to your consumer. This strategy will help keep your customers engaged in your business and keep them coming back for more!
3, You don’t have to be on all social media networks:
With a vast selection of social media networks out there, it can be easy to feel like you have to be on every social media platform. But here at Melbourne Social Co, we live by the rule, if you’re going to do something, do it well, so sometimes it’s best to select a couple of platforms and focus on building those followings and engaging those audiences before you continue to branch out.
Once these social media accounts are growing, then perhaps it’s time to consider expanding to new trending networks that are a good fit for your business and your target audience.
4. It takes time to build and grow your social media profiles:
While we all wish there was an overnight recipe for social media success, unfortunately social media results take time. Building a great online community for your business requires many things, including a mix of a great strategy, unique and engaging content and above all consistency! These things must be repeated over a significant period of time in order for you to see the best results
5. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach:
What works for some brands may not work for your business and that’s ok! This is just one of reasons why you should work with a team of digital marketing specialists who can assess your business, goals and objectives and create a social media strategy and plan that best suits you.
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.
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]