Five Tips For Networking Success

Five Tips For Networking Success

Whether we like it or not, an essential part of our careers is networking, as it’s a vital way to meet new customers/clients, share new ideas, drive word-of-mouth recommendations and perhaps make some great new likeminded friends!

If you’re unsure of how to nail your next networking event or meeting, read on below for our top tips.

Be prepared:

Whether you’re about to walk into a meeting with potential clients or attending an event, make sure you are prepared! Being prepared means thinking of some great conversation starters or questions and determining what your “elevator pitch” is. An elevator pitch is your chance to explain who you are, what you do and what you are passionate about in around 30 seconds. The trick is to practice this pitch so you capture your audience’s attention and entice them to stick around and continue to talk to you.

Other ways to be prepared include planning the right outfit ahead of time, figuring out how to get there, and making sure you get to the meeting or event early so you're not feeling rushed or stressed out when you arrive.

Be friendly and conversational:

Coming across friendly and approachable will go a long way in helping you to meet new people and make great connections. This means being aware of your body language, your tone of voice, the way you speak and make sure it is coming across as approachable and relaxed as possible.

Ask questions:

For those of you who don’t like to talk to much (and for everyone else as well!) make sure you ask questions. Asking questions is a great way to learn more about other people and to become inspired by other’s passions, skills and experience.

Share your passion:

Everyone has a story, but what captures people’s attention is when you share your unique selling point. What is it about you that makes you stand out from the crowd? Usually that will be what you are passionate about, the very thing that makes you tick! Sharing your passions is a great way to win people over with your enthusiasm and make a lasting impression.

Follow-up:

Now that you’ve done a great job at networking, remember to follow up. Ensure that you exchange business cards, or connect via social media so you can continue the conversation and make lasting friendships or business relationships. LinkedIn is a great platform for keeping in touch with likeminded professionals or potential customers/clients so don’t be afraid to add your new connections. As a general rule, it’s best to follow up within 2 days of meeting the person so that you're fresh in their minds.


Do you need help getting your personal brand or business out there? Your digital marketing experts Melbourne Social Co can help!

Get in touch with us now to find out more:

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


3 Steps To Facebook Success

3 Steps To Facebook Success

3 things to do to make your Facebook posts visible to your audience

Thanks to Facebook’s regularly changing algorithms, reaching your customers organically on the social media platform has never been more difficult.

Recent studies have suggested that approximately only 3% - 6% of your total fans view your posts, which means it’s vital to start implementing some key tactics to increase your reach and to get your Facebook content in front of more people.

Wondering how? Here are three things to try today...

Boost your posts:

One of the best ways to increase your reach and make your content visible to more people is through boosting. A boosted post is a post from your business page that, for a fee, can appear higher up on your audience’s News Feeds. The amount of people who view and engage with your post depends on the budget you want to spend.

Boosting posts is a great way to ensure that the right audience can view your Facebook page content as you can utilise key demographic targeting options including age, location, gender and interests as well as tailored budget and scheduling functions.

Post content your audience wants to see:

Another great way to make your Facebook content visible to your audience is to post content your audience wants to see, not just what you want to show them! This is important as the more people engage with your content, the greater the reach. To do this, think about who your target audience is and post content that is a mix of business promotion and general interest content you know they will respond to and engage with. 

Choose the right timing:

Choosing the right timing for your social media posts should be a vital part of your social media strategy! You’ll be amazed at the difference you get by posting content at optimal times. To do this, ensure you understand your demographic and their social media habits so you can post when they are active online in order to optimise engagement.

Are you struggling to engage and reach your audience on Facebook? Do you need help creating amazing content that your audience can connect with? Get in touch with your digital marketing experts here at Melbourne Social Co today.

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


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


The Lowdown on Snapchat for Business

The Lowdown on Snapchat for Business

Ever since its launch in 2011, Snapchat has become a seriously popular social media platform for both businesses and individuals thanks to its instant, creative and interactive features.

While it’s most commonly used by the millennial generation, many Australian businesses are embracing the Snapchat revolution thanks to its potential to reach - well over 3 million Australians use the social media platform on a daily basis.

Ready to start using Snapchat for your business? Read on below for more information on this trendy social media platform and why you should use it now!

What is Snapchat:

Snapchat is a social media platform where you can send pictures or videos with a 10-second time limit to your choice of followers. You can also send “stories” which are 10-second media items that all of your followers can view for the next 24 hours. Snapchat also has a variety of fun features, including animated filters, instant messaging, voice/video calling and replay options.

Why should businesses use it? 

Many businesses are tapping into Snapchat’s popularity to run marketing campaigns including ads, sponsoring interactive features, as well as using it on a day-to-day basis as a way to connect with their audiences. Businesses including Samsung, McDonalds, MTV and Cosmopolitan along with well-known personalities like Ashy Bines, Lara Bingle and Kim Kardashian use Snapchat as a vital marketing tool for their businesses or personal brands by posting multiple daily “stories” to keep their consumers engaged and connected.

How can businesses use it?

For businesses, the main aim of communication on Snapchat is to engage your audience in your business by posting short “stories” to all your followers. You can use these stories to promote sales, updates on the business, share behind the scenes footage, run influencer takeovers, post instructive or informative videos and a whole lot more! The options on ways to market your brand are endless.

A few examples of how Australian businesses have used Snapchat include Myer, who used Snapchat to live stream their fashion parade for Spring Fashion Week, along with Cricket Australia who shared highlights of the Ashes series. Other examples include retail brands like Showpo and Frank Body who use Snapchat to take fans behind the scenes of their photoshoots, share tips, run influencer takeovers and more.

Unsure how to get started using Snapchat for your business? Or, would you like to know more about this popular social media platform? 

Get in touch with Melbourne Social Co today.

e: [email protected]

P: 1300 386 165

 


The anatomy of a great website

The anatomy of a great website

Whether you are a startup company or are in need of a business refresh, an important component of any digital marketing strategy is a great website.

Why? Essentially, all content marketing strategies begin with a website. This is where you host important info about your brand, and create content to share across your social media channels.

Having a great website will not only optimise leads and increase enquiries for your brand, it will also engage your potential consumers and encourage them to revisit your site time and time again.

Unsure what your website needs? Read on below for the anatomy of a great website.

It’s easy to navigate:

Approximately 55% of consumers spend around 15 seconds on a website which means you need to be able to captivate them instantly and not lose them amongst menus that are difficult to navigate, unnecessary visuals or information. The key to a great website is to have a straightforward and succinct menu, so when your consumer lands on your website they know exactly what to click on to find what they are after.

It’s responsive:

If there’s one thing that you must do when fixing up your existing website or creating a new design it’s to ensure your website is responsive and mobile friendly! More than 60% of people browse the internet on their mobiles and tablets now, so it’s vital to ensure your mobile site looks great and works well. That includes ensuring it fits nicely on the screen, is engaging, captivating, has social sharing buttons, easy navigation and everything else required for a great website.

Great content:

So you’ve got people to your website (congrats!) now you have to keep them there! That’s where great content is invaluable as it helps to keep people on your site longer as you have something engaging and useful for them to read, watch or connect with. Great content includes about pages, information on landing pages including product and service descriptions and of course a great blog. A blog is one of the most powerful ways to captivate your consumer, generate sales and increase SEO.

Social Networks:

Now that you’ve got all of the above essentials it’s time to make sure your website and its content can be shared easily on social media networks and that visitors know where to find you on social media so that they can follow along. Why not put sharing buttons above all images and include visible social media icons on your website so consumers can join your online community.

Is your business in need of a new website? Whether you are starting from scratch or are wanting to update your current site, get in touch with Melbourne Social Co today and we can create the perfect website and content to suit your business.

e: [email protected]

 


Social Media Etiquette Basics

Social Media Etiquette Basics

When using social media for your business there are some key rules to follow to ensure that you always represent your brand in the best way possible when interacting online.

Don't know your social media etiquette basics? Here are a few things to remember before you hit publish.

Fill out your online profiles completely:

There’s nothing worse than viewing a social media account with incomplete information about a business. Ensure you always include 'about us' info, a link to your website, contact information, and opening/closing hours if relevant.

Share information that is of value to your audience and always keep your target audience in mind:

When posting on social media, sometimes it can be easy to forget who you are actually talking to online. That’s why before you hit publish, it’s a good idea to ask yourself would my target audience be interested in this? Will this content be of value to them?

Don’t over share:

Finding time to post on social media when you don’t have a professional social media account manager can be hard and a lot of businesses fall into the trap of posting multiple things at once when they find a spare moment. This spams your audience, causing them to switch off from the content you are posting, or unfollow you. If you are having trouble finding time, or determining the perfect amount of posts to share on your social media accounts it’s best to chat to a professional social media manager who advise you on what might work best for your brand.

Check for spelling and grammatical errors:

It goes without saying! Plan your content in a word document or excel sheet beforehand to ensure you check for any mistakes.

Remember social media is public and permanent:

Before you post something for your business, remind yourself that there is the potential for everyone to see this content (including new clients or family members) so ensure it is respectful and professional and that it represents your business in the best way.

Communicate!

Social media is social after all right? Make sure you are active on social media throughout the day so you can respond to any messages or comments as they come. Fans (and potential customers) love it when you answer their questions or reply to their thoughts in a timely manner and it’s a great way to develop a two-way relationship with your customer.

Do you need help implementing the basic social media etiquette rules? Or are you struggling to find the time to manage your accounts professionally? Melbourne Social Co has an experienced team of digital marketers on hand to help your business stand out from the crowd online.

Get in touch today. [email protected]


Choosing The Right Social Media Platforms For Your Business

Choosing The Right Social Media Platforms For Your Business

Most businesses today understand the importance of social media marketing, however determining which platforms are right for your business can be hard.

With everything from Twitter, Facebook to Snapchat and LinkedIn, each social media platform plays a different but integral part when it comes to your social media strategy.

So if you’re having trouble deciding on the right platforms to choose to grow your business and engage your audience, read on below for our top tips.

Determine your purpose and goals:

In order to figure out which are the best platforms to use, you have to determine what your purpose and goals on social media are. For example if your goal is to network and connect with potential clients or companies for business, then LinkedIn is great. If you would like to portray a creative and visual side of your business then Pinterest and Instagram are a must.

Identify your target audience:

The best part about social media is that you have the chance to engage one-on-one with your target audience through unique content and conversation. However, there’s no point posting content that your target audience won’t see because they don’t use that platform. That’s why it’s vital to determine who they are, what their interests are, and what platforms they use the most, so you know you will reach them.

Highlight the best parts of your business:

What is your business really about? Does it have a visual and creative product to sell, or it is more service driven? Keeping that in mind, think of the best platforms that will portray these key qualities and unique selling points of your business. By identifying your business’s strengths, you will be able to choose the best platform (as well as start to create a content strategy based on these key features.)

A few key questions to ask:

  1. What is the unique purpose of this social media platform?
  2. Will using it showcase the best parts of my business?
  3. Is my target audience on this platform?

Are you just getting started on social media and need some help choosing the right platforms? Or are you an established business needing to improve your current social media marketing strategy?

Melbourne Social Co has a team of experienced social media professionals ready to grow your business through digital marketing today.

Get in touch for more information: [email protected]

 


Using PR To Grow Your Business

Using PR To Grow Your Business

Public Relations is a vital component of any business communications strategy, as it helps to build brand awareness, develop lasting relationships with media, customers and key influencers and showcase your product or service in a new way.

By using a range of PR strategies including pitching for editorial coverage, hosting influencer events, sampling campaigns and distributing media kits, you can get your business ‘out there’ and in the minds of your target audience - leading to increased awareness for your brand.

Read on for 3 ways PR can help grow your business today:

Generate media coverage:

PR is a really great way to generate media coverage about your business and share your story to your target audience through high quality content.

From blogs, magazines, newspapers, TV and radio, the options are endless with ways journalists, bloggers and key influencers can promote your business in an engaging, refreshing and interesting way.

Recent studies have shown that PR is almost 90% more effective than traditional paid advertising, as consumers trust this form of media coverage as it comes from a third party source rather than the business itself.

Showcase your product in a different way:

Whether you choose to host a fun event or simply want to send out beautiful media packages (featuring your product and marketing material) to bloggers, journalists and more, PR gives you the opportunity to showcase your product or service in a new and creative way that helps you stand out from the crowd.

By stepping out of the box and getting creative with your PR strategies, you can increase brand awareness and develop lasting relationship with people that will help to grow your business.

Share your own story:

Perhaps one of the most powerful things about PR is that it gives your business a voice. Through the above-mentioned strategies like media coverage, media packages, events and a whole lot more – you have the chance to share your business story in a positive and respected way that people want to listen to.

By working with PR professionals like us here at Melbourne Social Co, we can help share the great things about your business to your target audience so your business can keep on growing!

Are you ready to use PR to grow and build your business? Get in touch with Melbourne Social Co today!

e: [email protected] – m: 0439 856 522


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/