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.
Creative ways to get into the Christmas spirit
It’s nearly Christmas time and that means it’s time to add some festive cheer to your brands' social media calendar!
Christmas is all around us and it’s important to adjust your online presence to reflect the season.
Give your profile some Christmas flare!
Now that December is here, everyone’s mind turns to Christmas, so go with the flow and spruce up your profile with some Christmas cheer. You don’t have to go overboard and flood your profile with Christmas themed tweaks, but think about giving your profile picture some snow flakes, or some festive baubles. Put a cheery Christmas greeting in your bio; adding a festive touch to your profile will make sure your audience is feeling the Christmas vibe from you.
Christmas Offers
Music to the ears of Christmas lovers! Christmas discounts, December offers, it’s all part of the festive season, and it is definitely something your brand should consider. Whether that is discounts, buy one get one free, contests or any sort of offer prompted by the festive season, it’s a great way to generate excitement and festivity over the Christmas period.
Embrace the spirit of giving
Christmas is about giving, and this should be embraced by brands wanting to celebrate this festive season. Christmas is a time where sales can sky rocket, where audience engagement will rise, but it is also important to embrace the spirit of giving back this Christmas, and doing so to your followers. Giving back to your loyal followers is an amazing way to embrace the spirit of Christmas.
Having the Christmas spirit present in your social media is so important. Christmas is such a big part of social (and shopping) culture of today that you would be foolish not to use this joyful time to your brands advantage!
Want to chat to our team about a seasonal promotional strategy? Get in touch today.
Melbourne Social Co celebrates our 7th Birthday
We’re excited to be celebrating our 7th birthday at Melbourne Social Co this month!
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, and now seven years later the digital marketing world is as thriving as ever.
Being in the industry this long has allowed us to evolve over time and be able to offer more than just standard social media management. We know that there is “no one-size-fits-all” approach when it comes to amplifying a brand’s presence online.
The evolution of Melbourne Social Co is something our team is truly proud of. Moving into our 8th year now, our agency’s focus is on creating innovative and game-changing digital content for our wonderful portfolio of clients.
“The business we founded in 2011 is very different to the agency we operate today, such is the fast-paced and ever evolving digital marketing landscape. That being said, this evolution has been a wonderful journey to go on, from humble beginnings as a social media management team, to our positioning today as brand strategists and premium content creators. It’s such a rewarding industry to be a part of, and a pleasure to work with a creative, dynamic team who are incredibly passionate about what they do.” Shelley Friesen - Director, Melbourne Social Co
Want to know more about our team? Get in touch today.
How to strategically use graphic quotes on Instagram
It’s time to debunk the stereotype that graphic quotes on Instagram are only used as a last resort, as filler content when you’ve run out of original content ideas.
We think brands need to embrace the quote, the info-graphic, the text template, and we are here to tell you why!
They help generate engagement
Text images or graphic quote are very to the point, they are a great tool to utilise when you want to draw attention to something specific, for example a sale, or a big campaign. Breaking up your feed with quotes and text means that the message will be more obvious and not hidden in a caption underneath a pretty picture. Additionally, posting inspirational, humorous or thought provoking quotes is engaging to your followers because it’s something new and different in terms of branded content.
Promotions/Testimonials
Promoting the amazing comments, reviews and testimonials your brand receives through graphic quotes is an amazing way to promote your business. Consumers love to hear what people are saying about products their considering buying – so what better way to grab their attention than through snappy, succinct quote posts on your socials?
Conversation Starters
Posting thought provoking quotes or question graphics is a great way to engage and start a conversation with your audience. A branded graphic asking followers “what’s your favourite product of ours” and prompting them to respond in the comments is a great way to create relationships with your followers and keep them engaged.
Building Brand Awareness
One of the best things about implementing the use of quotes or text images into your feed is the ability to make them branded. You have the ability to choose the colour scheme, the appropriate text and also the opportunity to put your logo on these templates. In doing all this, you’re generating more awareness for your brand and keeping it at the forefront of your followers mind - all while maintaining that gorgeous Instagram grid!
Want a little help creating gorgeous graphic quotes for your brand? Contact our team today to find out what we can do for you.
Or, perhaps you'd like to browse our range of graphic templates we've created via The Social Files.
Tips for starting a creative career
The creative industry is thriving right now, with the rise of digital marketing, Instagram influencers and the world’s obsession with all things social; a creative career is the popular choice right now.
While a creative career doesn’t necessarily require academic studying, there are things you need to learn before delving into the creative world. When embarking on any career, it is important you arm yourself with as much knowledge as you can, and the same goes for starting your creative career. Here are some tips to ensure the success of your big career move!
Find a course that’s right for you!
Just because a creative career doesn’t necessarily require a university degree, doesn’t mean there’s not a lot to learn! Our sister brand The Social Co Academy has amazing online courses on offer. Their amazing courses were recently featured in Fashion Journal as a course to help kick-start your creative career. The courses will help you learn how to master social media marketing from the comfort of your home, teaching you everything you need to know!
Take inspiration from those with established creative careers!
Scroll through instagram and get inspired by the people who are doing it right. It can be hard to find the right balance on social media; so don’t be afraid to look to your fellow creators for inspiration and ideas. Establishing a creative career doesn’t come easily, so be sure to keep up with the latest trends and content appearing in your career space!
Be flexible!
Social media is ever changing, and you should be to! Learning to be flexible in any career will help you stay at the top of your game. Adapting and changing, as you need, will help keep your content and ideas fresh and ensure you stay relevant in the fast paced creative world.
Want to know more about The Social Co Academy?
Perhaps you'd like to book in a consulting session with our team?
Or, maybe you're looking for the perfect internship to get your foot in the door at a creative agency.
Four Ideas To Inspire Great Content
This Week We're Sharing Four Ideas To Inspire Great Content
Content is the driving force behind all aspects of communications. Whether it be social media, public relations, marketing campaigns; content is at the heart of every strategic approach. Coming up with content ideas is so important, but it’s no surprise that coming up with new ideas all the time can sometimes be a struggle!
Don't worry, we're here to help! This week, we've put together four helpful ideas to help inspire and stimulate your content ideas.
Check out what your competitors are doing and find opportunities to create even better content
Cut down the time you spend coming up with new ideas and look to your competitors, because they’re handing them to you! They’re your competitors for a reason, so sift through their content and find some content opportunities that you could do better!
Review what you’re currently doing and improve upon it
There is always room to improve, so be sure to always review your current and past content to see where there is room for improvement. Making sure you’re always refining and tweaking your content will keep it fresh and the best it can be.
Look at your analytics to see what content is doing well and then create more of it
This tip is important; statistics don’t lie, so trust in them and use them as a guide for what is working and what isn’t. Review the content that has done well statistically, assess why it’s been successful and apply this knowledge to future content, this will in turn ensure that your future content is engaging and well received by your audience.
Make sure you create content of significance for your audience
An obvious one, making sure your content is geared towards your audience will help your content to be valuable and specific. Keeping your audience in mind at all times will help spark idea that your audience will love!
Repackage your existing content
Make the old new again by revamping some past content! There’s no rule that says you cant reuse content, so when your lacking inspiration, sift through the archives and repackage some vintage content.
Would you like to know more about our Content Creation services? Contact us today.
Melbourne Social Co's tips to create a happier and more exciting workplace!
Here at Melbourne Social Co we've put together our top tips to create a happier and more exciting workplace!
Don’t put up with a dull workplace that stifles your creativity, considering how much time we spend at work each week. A happy and exciting workplace is important to boost productivity and workplace pleasure.
Inspirational quotes and messages
Why not surround yourself with words that inspire and motivate you to do your best. The workplace can get a little dull so adding anything that stimulates employees and pushes them to be their best is a great way to improve and strengthen a workplace. Check out some of our fave inspo quotes here at Melbourne Social Co.
Desk plants and flowers
Bring some Zen to the office! Here at Melbourne Social Co we love adding some gorgeous greenery or fresh blooms to the workplace. It's good for the soul and the mind. Studies have shown that plants can boost office productivity and happiness, so why not brighten up the workplace!
Personalise your workspace
Your workplace is essentially your second home; with the amount of time spent at work it should reflect you! Add some personal touches to your workspace to make yourself more comfortable and at home.
Get an office mug that will make your day, everyday
Stop using the generic workplace provided mugs and get yourself a mug that’ll make you smile! Even something as small as having groovy mug can improve your mood at work and in turn will help to create a happier workplace.
De-clutter
Clutter creates stress, and there is no place for unnecessary stress in the workplace. Do yourself a favour and remove the clutter and mess from your workplace to ensure you can be as efficient as possible!
Want to chat to our team about your digital strategy? Or would you like to learn more about careers at Melbourne Social Co?
Get in touch today!
Is bigger better when it comes to a marketing agency?
Do you believe boutique agencies create more authentic relationships with clients? If so, why?
Absolutely! One of the major perks of business’s working with a boutique agency is that you get a much more personalised experience with our Account Managers as we have a manageable client base so we can really dedicate our time and energy to each and every one of our clients.
At Melbourne Social Co, we pride ourselves on the close relationships we have with our clients – we want them to feel like we are just an extension of their team! This kind of relationship helps us to do our best work, as we’re always communicating with our clients we get to know their business inside out so we can produce content that hits their targets and that we know they’ll love!
Is bigger better when it comes to a marketing agency?
Not at all. In fact, I think it’s very much the opposite.
Working with a boutique agency has many benefits from offering a more personalised service that can be tailored to individual clients and their needs (no more one size fits all packages!), to being more cost effective. We also have an ‘all hands on deck’ approach, which allows senior members of our team to oversee all accounts big and small and lend their input and expertise.
What’s your opinion on boutique agency, versus, one in house employee?
Working with a boutique agency is great way to get the skills of 5 or so people, for the price that’s usually equal or less than a full-time junior employee’s annual salary. When we work on our client’s accounts, we combine the skills of our content creators, copywriters, community managers, Facebook ad experts and account managers so we always have an expert working on the different elements of our client’s campaigns. It’s rare to find an employee who is an expert in all of those areas!
In recent times, larger, more traditional marketing agencies have been seen to use identical and standard marketing approaches. Do you believe that boutique agencies offer a more innovative and unique approach?
Without the confines of a larger agency, a boutique agency can remove the red tape, so we can get creative, try new and interesting ideas without having to get sign-off from various senior staff or board members. This means we can produce out-of-the-box content for our clients that is different to all the other digital marketing content and strategies on the market. This is the best way to get your business to stand out from the rest and get some serious results!
What flexibility does a boutique marketing agency offer?
A whole lot! From our packages (we tailor them to suit you!), to deadlines, to your entire digital marketing strategy. We get that your business is different from any other, and we work with you to offer you a digital marketing service that best works for you.
Do you believe that boutique agencies offer a more streamlined and responsive approach?
Certainly. As we are juggling a lesser client base and have account managers dedicated to managing only a handful of clients at a time, we are always flexible and super responsive to our clients wants and needs.
What is your favourite part of working at a boutique marketing agency?
Our clients are so varied! We have the opportunity to work with clients big, medium and small so each client and each campaign is totally different. Keeps things interesting!
Want to pencil in some time with Rebekah and the rest of our team to chat about your creative requirements? Contact us today to schedule in a session with our team.
Our Favourite Workday Hacks
We all have days at work where we feel like it’s never going end, where we feel super unproductive, unmotivated and frankly, distracted. Even if you love your job, work can be draining, but to avoid feeling down on your workday we’d like to offer you some of our wonderful workday hacks!
Organise your morning
Let’s start at the very beginning; give yourself as much time as possible in the morning to avoid bringing that rushed stress with you to work. Waking up late, skipping breakfast and other disorganised behaviours won’t benefit your workday, the stress of rushing around, being tired, will have a negative impact and set the tone for your entire day. Get organised and start your day stress free!
Go from worst to best
Starting off with your most dreaded task gets them out of the way and means your day can only go up from there. By doing the tasks you like the least you can look forward to the more rewarding work and know that you’ve got better things to come throughout the day!
Stay hydrated!
Now, not only is this a great life hack, but also it’s a really important workday hack as well. This may seem obvious, but it’s something many of us overlook and forget about throughout the workday. Staying hydrated helps eliminate the risk of headaches, fatigue and distraction throughout your workday, so bring a water bottle with you and keep your fluids up!
Don’t sweat the small stuff
We’re all perfectionist when it comes to our work, but it’s important not to dwell on the things we can’t control. Keep things moving throughout your workday and remind yourself not to sweat the small stuff, this will ensure your work doesn’t come to a standstill and you’re being as productive as possible.
Love what you do!
Everyone has heard the saying ‘If you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life’ and we couldn’t agree with that more. If you enjoy your work, have a passion for it and truly love what you do then that is the biggest workday hack of them all!
Do you agree with our workday hacks? Let us know on Facebook.
Want to find out more about working with our team? Visit our careers page!
The importance of customer service on social media
It is so important in the digital landscape to understand the importance of social media customer service and its impact on brand reputation. When a brand’s social media interaction with fans and customers is less than ideal, it significantly impacts their ability to build and maintain their brand.
The importance of customer service on social media
In 2018, social media is one of the main ways current and potential customers/clients interact with businesses. Why? Because it's easy! And with more and more people taking to social media to engage with a brand or business, the expectations for timely responses is also increasing. Customers are looking for brands that place high importance on communication and are proactive in their approach to social media customer service.
In terms of responsiveness, if brands actively engage with customers/users and respond to their audience in a timely manner, it will in turn help improve brand value and reputation. Customers feel a level of satisfaction when a brand publicly and directly acknowledges them, and this is in many cases followed by increased brand loyalty.
Customer service and responsiveness on social media shouldn’t be seen as a hassle, rather, as a valuable chance to improve and build brand value and reputation. No response is the worst kind of response there is, this advice is so important when dealing with customer communication on social media. The longer a brand waits to address a customer, the more time there is for the initial issue or query to blow up into something bigger and harder to control. Leaving your audience unanswered can have major consequences for your brands' overall reputation.
To put it simply, the more time you choose to dedicate to engaging with your audience, the better your social media endeavours and overall brand reputation will be.
Need Help?
Need help managing your social media communities in a timely manner? Our local team of highly experienced community managers understand the importance of communicating on behalf of your brand. We get it, your social media manager is essentially the voice of your brand, and you don’t feel comfortable handing that off to just anybody.
Here at Melbourne Social Co, we treat your brand as if it’s our own, and handle every customer service scenario with care, even after hours.
Want to know more? Get in touch with our team today.