Instagram for business

Which Instagram Archetype Are You?

We are slightly obsessed with Instagram here at Melbourne Social Co and considering we spend a bit too much time scrolling through our feeds, we’ve noticed a few different user trends emerging.

From the foodie, to the hashtagger, to the selfie queen… Read on below to find out which archetype category you fall into!

The Foodie:

The name says it all doesn’t it? This Instagram user loves to snap every meal they have, and every coffee they drink. So don’t you dare touch your food before they photograph it! They are commonly found at all of the cool cafes and restaurants... especially those known to have great lighting and stunning interiors! 

The Hashtagger:

Perhaps they’re on the hunt for more followers or maybe they need a lesson or two in hashtagging etiquette, either way we see this Instagram type pop up on our feeds all too often! You know you’re a hashtager if you post at least 15 – 20 hashtags per post, and sometimes even comment on your own posts multiple times with the tags!

The Selfie Queen:

This Instagram user has a good chance at becoming the next Kim Kardashian with the number of selfies they take! It doesn’t matter where they are or what they’re doing, it’s always a great time for a #selfie!

The Baby (or pet) Lover: 

The baby (or pet) lover has a feed filled with pictures of their children or their fur-babies. They are their pride and joy and they love to capture all the cute and quirky things that they get up to.

The Fitness Guru:

The fitness guru loves to post snaps of their meal preparation, gym workouts and amazing bodies. They are experts in their field and their feeds are positive and inspiring!

Do you fit in any of these Instagram archetypes or have we left any out? Comment and share which one you are below.


If you need help using Instagram for your business, then get in touch with our team of digital marketing experts at Melbourne Social Co today.

e: [email protected] – P: 1300 386 165


Working with Digital Influencers

Working with Digital Influencers

If you're working in marketing or PR in 2016, you've no doubt heard of influencer marketing. For those of you that haven't - influencer marketing is essentially collaborating or partnering with digital influencers (or social media celebrities) to assist in the promotion of your brand.

Influencer marketing is one of the most powerful ways to increase brand awareness and build trust in your brand in an authentic and engaging way.

By tapping into the large following of likeminded influencers on platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat, you can put your product or service in front on your consumer in a way that really makes a difference for your business.

So if you’re looking to begin working with digital influencers, here are some great ways to get started!

Social media takeovers and collaborations:

One of the best ways to grow your brand awareness and to develop trust with your consumers is by getting a key digital influencer to create co-branded content or even 'take over' your social media channels. An influencer could share a “day in their life”, create a series of images that showcase your products, write a blog filled with their top tips and tricks (tying back to your product or service) or take their fans on a 'behind the scenes' tour of your brand.

Consumers love to engage in content created by their favourite online personalities and by tapping into their fan-base, your collaboration is likely to attract more followers for your business accounts as well.

Giveaways:

There’s no better way to get people engaged in your brand than by doing giveaways! Everyone loves a free product or service and consumers are more likely to engage and interact with your promotion if you tap into digital influencers to share and promote the giveaway to their followers.

Product reviews: 

While you may know that your product or service is great, one of the most challenging aspects of being a business owner is convincing your consumers. Using digital influencers to recommend your brand is a great way to do this, as they have a huge loyal and trusting fan base that are eager to hear more about their reviews and recommendations. A recent study has shown that 92% of consumers trust recommendations from peers or trusted authorities and likewise, a massive 72% of people rely on social media to inform their purchasing decisions. So what are you waiting for?


Are you looking to tap into the power of digital influencers to grow your business? Here at Melbourne Social Co we specialise in working with social media celebrities to take your marketing strategy to the next level!

Get in touch with us today to find out more!

e: [email protected] – P: 1300 386 165


5 Reasons Why Your Social Media Marketing Isn’t Working

5 Reasons Why Your Social Media Marketing Isn’t Working

As we all know, social media marketing is an essential part of any business marketing strategy, as it’s a great way to connect with your consumers, increase brand awareness, drive sales and a whole lot more!

However, implementing social media for business takes time and effort and requires a strategy to ensure you engage your audience, build a following and direct the right people to purchase your product or service.

If your social media marketing has been a little lacklustre lately, here are 5 reasons why it may not be working:

You’re not consistent:

One of the biggest downfalls of social media marketing is not being consistent enough across all existing social media channels. Whether you’re too busy to post regularly, or your content and tone of voice isn't consistent across platforms and the rest of your branding, your social media will suffer. Consistency is required to develop trust, engage your consumer and get results! This can be done with an experienced social media manager who can create engaging content on a consistent basis and distribute it at optimal times.

You’re posting overly promotional content:

We get it! You love your business and you want the world to know about your amazing product or service, but unfortunately not everyone wants to engage in your promotional content all the time. That’s why it’s best to scale back on your promotional content and introduce content that engages and entices your audience into your communications strategy. A great question to ask yourself before posting is, “would my audience find this interesting?” Here at Melbourne Social Co we feel that if you offer your audience engaging content that adds values to their daily lives, they're going to be more likely to follow and trust your brand, and consume your sales message when you do post it.

You’re not on the right networks for your target audience:

Too often businesses think that they need to be across all social media platforms to be effective. However here at Melbourne Social Co, we believe it’s important to choose the right channels (even if it’s one or two) and to do them really well!

A digital marketing expert (like us) can help narrow down your target audience and recommend the best channels to reach that audience so you can get the best results. 

You don’t have an advertising budget:

If you’ve created some amazing content but no one is engaging in it or your reach is really low, then you may need to think about your advertising budget. Recent studies have shown that only 3-6% of your audience will see your content on Facebook so it’s more important than ever to invest in advertising to get your content in front of the right people! Facebook and Instagram advertising is a low-cost advertising option that will really make a difference to your social media marketing.

You don’t have a point of difference:

The internet is flooded with businesses just like yours, so it’s vital to determine a point of difference across all of your digital marketing content. Points of difference could be beautiful imagery, unique aspirational quotes, captivating videos… the options are endless! Let your high-quality and engaging social media content separate you from the crowd.


Are you struggling to cut-through with your social media marketing? Or are you having difficulty creating consistent high quality content that engages with your target audience?

Get in touch with your digital marketing experts at Melbourne Social Co today.

e: [email protected] – P: 1300 386 165


Want to learn how to put together your own professional social media strategy?

Take our Social Co Academy Short Course


Instagram management

Mastering the Flatlay For Instagram

Flatlays are all the rage on Instagram at the moment. You know, those carefully curated top view shots that are popping up all over your feed? (Think the contents of a handbag strewn across a white linen sheet, or a decadent brunch spread shot from above.)

But how can you master this social media trend? Follow our top tips and you'll be a flatlay pro in no time!

  • A light background will make your items pop (think white marble, crisp linen or white washed wood.)
  • Test your objects to see if they look good from a top view.
  • Leave a little space between your objects to balance your composition.
  • Pick a theme (make sure all of your items have a common thread tying them together.)
  • Take your photo during the day (and if possible, near a natural light source.)

Need help creating 'double tap' worthy imagery for your social media channels? Eye-catching images are key to engagement and success on Instagram, but do you have time to source and create beautiful images on a regular basis? Our creative team can take care of this for you!


Melbourne Social Co's Product Photography For Instagram Package:

As part of this service, your business will receive:

14 professionally styled product images per month. Our team will style, photograph and edit a series of product images for use on Instagram, (as well as Facebook, Pinterest and within blog posts.)

Together we will plan a look that will not only suit the aesthetic of your brand, but will push you in a new and exciting direction, showcasing your products in the best possible light.

Cost: From $599 + GST per month

Want to get a feel for our style? Follow us on Instagram @melbournesocialco.


Mastering the flatlay for Instagram


Need help managing your Instagram accounts on a daily basis? We can take care of that too.

Tailored specifically to your businesses needs and goals, our team are experts in social media strategy, content creation and audience engagement, and would be more than happy to discuss managing and building your Instagram profile on your behalf.

Contact us for more information – [email protected]


Product Photography For Instagram Package Terms and Conditions:

  • These rates are only valid for clients who sign a 3 month booking with Melbourne Social Co. Month by month rates are available, please ask us about these
  • Each booking will be specifically quoted after a consultation with the client
  • The images created by our team will become the property of your business. We may share these on our website and social media channels from time to time, crediting your business. Please let us know if you don't want us to do so

Instagram management

Introducing Instagram's New Business Tools

Great news for businesses! Instagram, one of the world's most popular social media platforms, will start to roll out their new business account profiles in the coming months. These new profiles will make it easier for businesses to be contacted, view insights about their content and audience and reach new customers with accessible promotion and advertising tools.

Here at Melbourne Social Co we’ve rounded up some of the biggest changes:

Contact button:

One of the most practical changes of the new business profiles is the addition of a contact button, where consumers can directly call or email a business straight from the app.

This contact functionality also has a map, where consumers can get directions to store or office locations, eliminating the need to leave the app to search for directions. The new contact button will be clearly visible and placed next to the ‘follow’ button at the top of the account page.

Insights:

For the very first time, the new business accounts will give businesses access to vital insights about their followers, including who they are (gender, age, location) popular posts, impressions, reach and even website clicks. These insights are all accessible right from your mobile phone, which makes tracking statistics easy and simple to do.

Promote: 

Not only can you view these insights straight from your phone, now you can promote your most popular posts to reach even more people! This is done directly from the app simply by picking a top performing post, choosing a 'call-to-action' button, selecting your audience, budget and duration.

Another great feature of the new Instagram business accounts is that you can also continue to monitor and view the insights of your promotions in an easy and straightforward way. To do this, click on your Instagram post, click the View Insights link and all the stats are ready for you to see and use.

Stories:

New to all Instagram users (not just businesses) is the 'Stories' feature. No need to worry about oversharing, with Instagram Stories, you can share as much as you want throughout the day. Instagram has also introduced new text and drawing tools, so it's time to get creative with your stories.  The photos and videos will disappear after 24 hours and won’t appear on your profile grid or in feed.


Need help creating 'double tap' worthy imagery for your social media channels? Eye-catching images are key to engagement and success on Instagram, but do you have time to source and create beautiful images on a regular basis? Our creative team can take care of this for you!

Melbourne Social Co's Product Photography For Instagram Package:

As part of this service, your business will receive:

14 professionally styled product images per month. Our team will style, photograph and edit a series of product images for use on Instagram, (as well as Facebook, Pinterest and within blog posts.)

Together we will plan a look that will not only suit the aesthetic of your brand, but will push you in a new and exciting direction, showcasing your products in the best possible light.

Cost: $599 + GST per month

Want to get a feel for our style? Follow us on Instagram @melbournesocialco.


Mastering the flatlay for Instagram


Need help managing your Instagram accounts on a daily basis? We can take care of that too.

Tailored specifically to your businesses needs and goals, our team are experts in social media strategy, content creation and audience engagement, and would be more than happy to discuss managing and building your Instagram profile on your behalf.

Contact us for more information – [email protected]


Product Photography For Instagram Package Terms and Conditions:

  • These rates are only valid for clients who sign a 3 month booking with Melbourne Social Co. Month by month rates are available, please ask us about these
  • Each booking will be specifically quoted after a consultation with the client
  • The images created by our team will become the property of your business. We may share these on our website and social media channels from time to time, crediting your business. Please let us know if you don't want us to do so


Content Marketing For Business

Content Marketing For Business

Here at Melbourne Social Co, we are big believers in the importance of content marketing for businesses. Why? It helps to increase SEO, it builds brand awareness and provides extra value to your consumer.

Are you ready to start using content marketing for your business? We've listed the key reasons why you should…

It increases SEO:

If you want to increase your website’s SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) then high-quality and search-friendly content is a must. This content should be unique and original and should include relevant keywords which will boost your ranking on Google, so you can continue to attract more visitors.

It provides value to your audience:

As consumers become more and more savvy, it’s important that you give your brand a point of difference, and offer something via your digital strategy that will add value to your consumers' daily life, encouraging them to keep coming back for more. This is where content marketing comes into play. Think of engaging blogs, eye-catching imagery and emails filled with tips and tricks as ways to entice your consumer to stay engaged with your business.

It helps to build brand awareness:

Content marketing is all about creating and distributing relevant content to attract and increase your consumer engagement. This increase in consumer engagement means more people are listening and connecting with your business and in turn are more likely to buy your product or your service. Types of content marketing you could use to increase your brand awareness include blogs and email marketing, which help to capture the attention of your consumer, increase brand awareness, provide value, generate sales and increase SEO! Sounds perfect right?!


Are you ready to take the next step and build your business’s content marketing? From website content, to blogs, engaging imagery, email marketing and creative copy for your social media channels, Melbourne Social Co does it all.

Get in touch with us to find out how we can help your business today.

e: [email protected]


Want to learn how to get that great content of yours 'out there'?

Take our Social Co Academy short online course.


Instagram fast facts

Instagram Fast Facts

Are you thinking about using Instagram for your business? If not, you should be – as one of the most active and engaged social media platforms world-wide, Instagram could be your next great marketing tool.

By using Instagram, you can showcase your products/services in a visually appealing manner, take followers behind the scenes of your organisation, (making your business more personable) and you can take advantage of the huge audience looking for great images to like and share.

Not convinced? Here are some facts to consider:

  • Instagram has 400 million active monthly users
  • Instagram users have shared over 40 billion photos to date, and now share an average of 80 million photos per day
  • 75 percent of Instagram users come from outside of the U.S, making it a truly global platform
  • Instagram adoption is at 85 percent among top brands
  • Top brands on Instagram are seeing a per-follower engagement rate of 4.21 percent
  • Instagram’s per-follower engagement rate for top brands is 58 times higher than on Facebook and 120 times higher than on Twitter

Now that it’s permanently on your radar, why not start using Instagram for your business today!


Need help creating 'double tap' worthy imagery for your social media channels? Eye-catching images are key to engagement and success on Instagram, but do you have time to source and create beautiful images on a regular basis? Our creative team can take care of this for you!

Melbourne Social Co's Product Photography For Instagram Package:

As part of this service, your business will receive:

14 professionally styled product images per month. Our team will style, photograph and edit a series of product images for use on Instagram, (as well as Facebook, Pinterest and within blog posts.)

Together we will plan a look that will not only suit the aesthetic of your brand, but will push you in a new and exciting direction, showcasing your products in the best possible light.

Cost: $599 + GST per month

Want to get a feel for our style? Follow us on Instagram @melbournesocialco.


Mastering the flatlay for Instagram


Need help managing your Instagram accounts on a daily basis? We can take care of that too.

Tailored specifically to your businesses needs and goals, our team are experts in social media strategy, content creation and audience engagement, and would be more than happy to discuss managing and building your Instagram profile on your behalf.

Contact us for more information – [email protected]


Product Photography For Instagram Package Terms and Conditions:

  • These rates are only valid for clients who sign a 3 month booking with Melbourne Social Co. Month by month rates are available, please ask us about these
  • Each booking will be specifically quoted after a consultation with the client
  • The images created by our team will become the property of your business. We may share these on our website and social media channels from time to time, crediting your business. Please let us know if you don't want us to do so

 Stats via: www.instagram.com/press/


Why Content Is King

Why Content Is King

You’d have to be living under a rock, or a very full shopping bag, to not have seen the rise of the art of content marketing.

Whether it be a blog, beautiful imagery for Instagram and Pinterest, or engaging copy for your social media channels – by now you’ve no doubt heard that content is king!

But why is creating good quality content important for your business? Here are our top three reasons why content creation is a vital part of your marketing strategy.

  1. It gives your brand personality and sets you apart from the crowd. If you want to create a point of difference for your business in a crowded market place, developing your brand’s personality is a great place to start and the best way to do this is through content marketing. Use blog posts, images, videos and social media interaction to connect with your customers and share your passion, knowledge and skills in a way that people want to  connect with.
  2. It aids Search Engine Optimisation. Not only does great content give businesses a way to connect with consumers online and share information about the business and it’s services, it can also be a fantastic SEO tool and can work to improve your Google ranking.
  3. It provides you with engaging material to share on social media. For maximum reach on social media, we recommend businesses post online at least 2-3 times per day. This may seem like a lot of work, but when it comes to social media marketing, consistency is key. You can assume that each time you post online only 20-30% of your following will see your content – so now you see why it’s important to have a presence throughout the day to ensure visibility. By consistently creating quality content for your brand, you will have plenty of engaging material to share out to your audience online, putting your brand one step closer to social media success!

Here at Melbourne Social Co, we understand that when you’re running a business, finding time to create engaging content and consistently manage your social media presence can be stressful and time consuming.

That’s where we come in. 

Melbourne Social Co has a team of highly experienced content creators at our fingertips. From bloggers, to photographers and stylists – we have the right content creator to suit your business.

We will customise a content creation package to suit your business. Contact us today to find out more!


Content Creation by Melbourne Social Co

Social Media Terminology 101

Sometimes the world of digital marketing and social media can seem hard to understand, that’s why we thought we’d share with you some of the most commonly used terms in social media so you can start to get your head around this essential marketing tool.

Common social media marketing terminology:

SEO: Perhaps one of the most important terms for all businesses to know is SEO – which stands for Search Engine Optimisation. Search Engine Optimisation refers to implementing strategies and techniques to improve the quality of unpaid traffic to a website from search engines.

Hashtag: A hashtag is used to categorise content on social media platforms and make it searchable for consumers and audiences. An example could be #fashion.

Engagement Rate: Here at Melbourne Social Co we are big believers in measuring the engagement rate of your social media marketing content. But what does it mean? Engagement rate refers to the amount of times people have clicked, liked and shared your content on any given platform.

Facebook Advertising: Advertising on Facebook has quickly become a huge part of any business marketing strategy. It refers to paying to “boost” posts on Facebook so more people can see the content and engage, or to create banners or posts with varying objectives to target your consumer. Facebook advertising can be tailored to a range of demographic variables from location, age, gender and interests.

Re-tweet: This term comes from Twitter and happens when another account shares the tweet you have posted so that their followers can also see the content regardless if they are following you or not. Re-tweeting is a great way to make your twitter account and content visible.

Snapchat: Loved by millennials, Snapchat is a social media platform where you can send pictures or videos of your day-to-day life with a 10-second time limit to your choice of friends. You can send “stories”, which means all your friends can view the 10-second media for the next day or so, or send images directly to a person for a one-time only viewing.

Instagram: One of the most on-trend social media marketing platforms right now is Instagram, a great way to share images to your followers in a visual, creative and engaging way.

Pinterest: Commonly referred to as the new ‘Google’ of image searching, Pinterest is a way to create visual boards of images on various topics that have link backs to your business or personal website or other sites of interest.

GIF: GIF is an acronym for Graphics Interchange Format, which means small-animated images that consumers love!

Handle: This term refers to the name of someone’s social media account. For example, our Instagram handle is @melbournesocialco.

Need help figuring out other social media lingo or social media in general? We have a range of packages and services available for your business, including content creation and distribution and social media 101 training.

Contact us: e: [email protected]


The Biggest Content Marketing Trends for 2016

The New Year is fast approaching and here at Melbourne Social Co we like to stay ahead of the curve, so we’ve rounded up some of the biggest content marketing trends to look out for in 2016.

The biggest content marketing trends for 2016 are:

New publishing options available on social media: 

Facebook started this trend when it introduced “Instant Articles,” which allows you as the consumer/ or us as your social media managers to publish articles directly onto the Facebook platform. Google is also going to introduce its own version of this and we bet other social networks will follow on! This trend highlights the importance of high-quality written and visual content for brands and businesses as part of any social media and marketing strategy.

Content will demand more visual mediums:

We’ve said it before and we will say it again! Visual content is king. Content on blogs and social media will rely more on adding images and videos to engage and connect with consumers. Great visual content has become a vital way to quickly grab the attention of your consumer, who are becoming more time poor and are after fast media consumption.

Mobile optimisation is key: 

You can’t deny the importance of ensuring that your business website is optimised for mobile users, as the majority of your consumer will likely be accessing your website from their phones. Mobile optimisation is essential to keep visitors and potential consumers on your website and coming back for more. Make sure your mobile site is also share friendly, allowing consumers to share your content and images via their own social networks to increase engagement and to get people talking.

Buy buttons will be everywhere:

Facebook and Pinterest have added buy features to their platforms to transition their social media consumers into buyers of products and services, making it more vital than ever to be on social media and to have an effective strategy. Other social media and online platforms are sure to follow suit and the trend will only grow as buying habits change.

Need help?

Is your business set-up to adapt to these content marketing trends for 2016 so you don’t get left behind? Get in touch today to find out how we can create amazing digital content, branding, strategy and more for your business.

Contact us for more information.