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.
The importance of consistency on Social Media
The most successful brands on social media make sure their brands are consistent and professional at all times. This week we’re chatting to our Digital Marketing Specialist, Sam Gray to get her insight into the importance of consistency on social media.
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Is it necessary to be active on all social media platforms?
Not necessarily – it’s important to establish your target audience before you start your social media strategy.
If your target audience isn’t on a particular platform, then it’s probably more beneficial to concentrate your energy and resources into a few key platforms instead of trying to master them all.
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Tell us a few social media faux pas that affect the consistency of a brand’s online presence.
It can be easy to get caught up in regramming photos that people have taken of your product or at your venue. Everyone has their own unique flare and social media persona, so regramming too often can confuse your own theme and social media identity.
Try not to go too crazy with the filters either! Just tweaking your photos by up-ing their brightness and sharpness is all you need to do to prep them to go live on your account.
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How important is regular posting?
A regular posting schedule is super important to maintain and build engagement rates.
Delving into your stats will help you decipher which days and times are best for you to post so you can establish a consistent posting schedule.
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Stock images or original content? What is better for consistency?
Creating original content is the best way to maintain consistency across your social feed. If you struggle to consistently develop original content, using stock quote templates is a good way to keep up with your posting schedule, while giving you a break to get your creative juices flowing again!
What elements make for visual consistency across social media?
There’s a few elements you can implement into your social strategy to create a consistent aesthetic. Here’s a few things to consider when establishing your visual identity:
- Colour story and style guide, including key fonts and preferred colours
- Photography style
- Scheduling patterns e.g. posting a quote, flatlay then product image to keep your feed in a strict grid
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Do you think tone and personality in text play a large role in keeping your socials consistent?
100%! Whether it’s short and snappy, full of colloquial language and slang or product focused – your copy should always stay consistent and true to your brand’s identity.
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What links are there, if any, between engagement and consistency on social media?
It’s all about consistency! It’s important that your audience is able to identify your content, without seeing your handle! Consistency in copy, content and scheduling should be the main pillars of your social media strategy. If your audience starts to recognise and love your content, engagement will follow!
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Quantity or quality when it comes to your social media profile?
I would say quality over quantity! If you can only manage to get a few posts up a week, make sure that they’re great posts – look at when your audience is most likely to be online and try to get them out on these days every week to help your engagement rate grow.
Want to chat to a member of our team about your digital strategy? Contact us today.
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.
Should you make your Instagram feed shoppable?
Consumers have shorter attention spans than ever, so discovering a way to streamline the shopping experience from inspiration through to purchase was crucial. Without further ado, it’s time to introduce the shoppable Instagram feed!
Have you seen those posts on Instagram with a little shopping bag logo in the corner? Those posts are what we call ‘shoppable’ posts, meaning if someone taps the image, a product name and price will pop up, allowing the user to purchase the product.
Originally, shopping on Instagram was only available to businesses in the United States, but it has since expanded internationally with businesses in over 44 countries now being able to utilise the feature.
Many big-name brands have made their Instagram feeds shoppable, in order to connect with customers in a fresh, more immersive way. The shopping on Instagram feature encourages customers to follow through with their intended purchase. Many shoppers will abandon the shopping pursuit if it’s too difficult. For example, a customer sees a pair of pants on an Instagram feed and heads to the link in bio to shop it. They’re taken to the main website and have to sort through hundreds of pairs of pants. Unless they’ve fallen head over heels for the pants, they’ll most likely abandon the shop and look elsewhere. Sad face.
So, a shoppable Instagram essentials tries to prevent this from happening by making the shopping experience seamless. By tagging products in posts, you’re allowing consumers to complete the entire buyer journey from discovery to checkout, without ever leaving the Instagram app!Talk about a one stop shop!
If you have quite a large inventory with an extensive range of products, we’d strongly recommend creating a shoppable feed. This way, consumers can simply shop the look they love straight from Instagram rather than having to look through a website.
If you have a smaller stock offering, it’s completely up to you whether you want to adopt a shoppable feed or not. We definitely wouldn’t discourage the idea but go with whatever you feel comfortable with!
Still not sure whether a shoppable feed is a good fit for you and your business? Why not pencil in a chat with our team to discuss your Instagram strategy.
Want help creating the visuals for your Instagram feed? Read more here.
Top tips for successful influencer collaborations - by an Influencer
Unless you’ve been sleeping under a technological rock (assuming one without wifi), you’ve probably heard a little about social media ‘influencers’ and the benefits that follow from collaborating with them to help endorse a particular product or service. This new avenue for content creation and distribution has been a blessing for advertising and marketing businesses, making for a unique, timely and cost effective service available to clients.
This week we're chatting to our Senior Content Creator Alice Honey about the in's and out's of influencer outreach.
As a Senior Content Creator and ‘Micro Influencer’, I find myself on both sides of the equation when it comes to understanding the logistics behind what it takes to facilitate successful influencer collaborations. Here are a few tops tips, consisting of what I consider the most important factors to be considered by an agency or business when embarking into the world of digital collaboration with influencers and online personalities.
Pick the right influencers for your brand:
Whether you’re outsourcing for a client or your own business, it’s extremely important to consider what it is you hope to achieve from your influencer collaboration. Be sure to pick an individual to work with that you feel can meet your expectations. It’s essential to consider the visual style of the influencer and whether your product or service is something their online presence/brand would convincingly align with. Managing yours or your clients expectations by reaching out to well considered individuals sets you up for success.
Make the brief clear:
Once you’ve reached out to an influencer who is willing to work with your particular product or service, write a clear and concise brief that outlines your expectations of the work they produce (if any). This can be short and sweet, or in-depth depending on the size of the project. The more detail you can provide, the easier it will be for an influencer to work with your product and reduces the risk of receiving undesirable content for your brand. Creating a seamless brand-influencer relationship can open up future opportunities between both parties and create a sense of loyalty to your brand or client.
Pay for your collaboration:
I would strongly recommend considering adequate remuneration for an influencer’s time and work, in order to get the most of out the collaboration. By paying an individual for their content creation services, you are able to be more specific as to your requirements/brief outline, and in return will receive more considered and high quality work from your influencer. A reasonable price for influencer services can usually be determined via contacting them or their management directly, however it is important to keep in mind that the more well-known or ‘influential’ they are, the higher their price will likely be.
There are always going to be variables when it comes to collaborating with digital influencers. Taking adequate steps and being professional, yet approachable is without a doubt the best way to make the most of your collaboration and solidify positive brand-consumer relationships.
Want more handy hints on influencer outreach? Read more here.
Watch Alice's top tips on how to get the perfect shot for Instagram here.
The Importance of a Digital Strategy
Being a digital marketing agency, it’s no secret we place great importance on digital strategy and planning. This week we're chatting with our Senior Creative Strategist, Michaela Skilney, who gives some insight into her approach to digital strategy and its significance.
- What challenges do you face when developing a digital strategy?
One of the biggest challenges I face when developing digital strategies for clients is reconciling what’s a reasonable and realistic outcome for a campaign, and what the client expects to achieve. It’s essential to set goals and aspire to reach particular objectives, however social media isn’t an exact science.
More often than not, clients are under the false illusion that an agency can guarantee what content will go viral and how many followers they can attract. The truth is, if an agency can guarantee those types of outcomes, they’ll be employing the likes of automated bots, which are completely at odds with all platform’s T&Cs (and I would be running in the opposite direction!)
What a digital strategy can guarantee is that your social media presence is the greatest reflection of your brand, your offering and what appeals to your audience.
- Does your approach differ client to client?
Every client, regardless of how similar their product, service or audience is, will have a unique set of goals, a unique promotional calendar and to be successful, unique selling points. It’s therefore impossible to adopt a one-size-fits-all-approach from client to client. It may be less efficient on paper this way, to view client’s in isolation, but that’s the difference between what you get with a boutique agency like ours versus a strategy template you can download online!
- In your opinion, is having a digital strategy as significant as a traditional marketing plan?
Regardless of what medium you’re working in – traditional or digital marketing – a strategy is essential to give your efforts a sense of purpose. Without strategic thought and planning prior to the commencement of a campaign, you’re essentially setting yourself up to fail. Without the right preparation, you find you’ll always be in reactive mode and constantly behind the 8-ball!
- When developing a digital strategy, what research is involved?
There’s a ton of research involved when developing a digital strategy, predominantly around target audiences and their digital user habits. Most of the time, clients know their brands intimately and can share the history of their business off the top of their heads. What they mightn’t know, where I come in, is who their current digital audience is, and whether that marries with who they want it to be. The purpose – and outcome – of any digital content, whether that be a social media post, a blog or an EDM (electronic direct mail), is that it will reach someone and be consumed. Research at the digital strategy phase allows for your content to be targeted and seen by those you want to engage.
- Where’s the best place to start when constructing a digital strategy?
In order to create a digital strategy – a plan of attack for a brand that truly speaks to who they are and who they want to be – I need to fully immerse myself in what they do so that the end result feels as though it’s been crafted in-house. This usually begins by meeting with key business stakeholders for a complete brain dump on their part (their offering, their customer, their strengths, their weaknesses, their current digital output, their digital likes and dislikes, their projected sales etc.) as well as understanding what pre-planned promotions, product launches and events are in place for the next 3-6 months. These steps are the foundation on which I build my strategies, so you could say they’re non-negotiable!
- Do you believe every business should have some sort of a digital plan?
Embracing all things digital can be overwhelming for some brands and business owners, but it’s unavoidable. Consumer habits have changed from bricks and mortar stores to online shopping, and information gathering shifting from magazines and catalogues to social media and blogs. If you want your brand to thrive, let alone be relevant, you need to have a digital presence – and what kind of presence you have all depends on a solid digital strategy.
Want to chat to Michaela and our team about putting together a bespoke digital strategy for your brand? Contact us: info@melbournesocialco.com.au to find out more.
The ultimate guide to Instagram stories
Instagram continues to climb the ranks of popularity when it comes to social media platforms and it’s not hard to see why! Interestingly, more and more users are shifting their attention to Instagram stories, which means brands should be utilising the feature to help build brand awareness and increase engagement rates. We’ve put together a guide on all things Instagram stories to help you conquer this fun feature of Instagram!
Location, Mentions & Hashtags – Including hashtags, mentions or a location in your story is a great way to increase discoverability and get it seen by more people – even users that don’t follow you will be able to see it!
GIFs– These are huge right now. Everyone is having a lot of fun adding quirky GIFs to their stories whether it’s wine glasses clinking or a piece of pizza dancing. They’re something a bit different to your plain ol’ text and will make people smile so why not use them!
Polls– Who doesn’t love a good poll? Pasta or pizza? The Notebook or The Holiday? Polls are a fun way to encourage users to engage with your brand through stories. There’s a new poll feature too called the ‘emoji slider’. It allows users to decide how much they like or dislike something with the help of an animated emoji on a sliding scale.
Sharing posts to your story– An exciting new feature of Instagram Stories is that you can use it to cross-promote your content. From your profile, you can choose to share your latest post/s to your story. By doing so you can drive more engagement by encouraging your story viewers to view your post and ultimately get more eyes on your content.
Highlights – Back in the beginning, Instagram stories were ephemeral in nature as they only lasted for 24 hours. This is still the case, but Instagram created an option to extend their life and it’s called ‘highlights’. You can now save your stories and they will live permanently on your Instagram profile until you delete them. Your highlights section isa creative way to express your brand, show off products, drive traffic, or market your business!
It’s obvious that Instagram stories can benefit your business, and with Instagram introducing IGTV, we imagine a lot more people are going to migrate to Instagram and stay there. Instagram are trying to be a one stop shop for all things social, so now is the time to embrace all its affordances for your business!
If you think your business could benefit from a greater Instagram presence, and would like a little help doing so, shoot us an email – we’d love to chat with you about your digital strategy!
Our Senior Content Creators' top tips for creating social media content
Every brand wants to be seen on social media, but the key to really being heard lies in how attractive and engaging a brands' social media content is.
This week, we're chatting to our Senior Content Creator Bree Munro, to get her top tips on how to create engaging social media content that will result in success.
How important is hashtagging when it comes to engaging social media content?
Hashtagging is essentially a way for prospective customers or clients to find you on social media. If you’re just starting out, a hashtag strategy is an essential part of building an audience around your page. Posts with at least one hashtag receive 12% more likes, shares and comments versus those without them! You can have up to 30 hashtags on Instagram, but the verdict is still out on whether you should use as many as you can. I would recommend a mix of branded and relevant engagement hashtags in the 10-20 range when starting out, to avoid looking too spammy, but still ensuring your content is getting the love it deserves.
What have you found works well when trying to create engaging content?
It’s all about video! In the last year we have seen the rise of the Youtuber, Instagram Stories, and now IGTV, with content ranging from behind-the-scenes, to Boomerangs, to engaging tutorial videos and everything in between. People don’t just want highly polished and curated feeds, they want to see what is happening behind the brands. Other than that, there has been a trend towards crisp and clean studio images, and we have been incorporating a lot more edgy graphic design elements into our content.
Is there anything you’ve found that doesn’t work so well?
When we are building a strategy for clients we like to remind them that it is ‘social’ media, not ‘sales’ media. Making every post about selling your product is the equivalent of putting pamphlets in someone’s mailbox every single day! Eventually they will get a “no junk mail” sticker (or unfollow you in this case). Build a community around your product or service, encourage engagement and conversations, and this will result in long term return customers, sales, and followers.
Are there any techniques out there that people use to generate content that you don’t agree with?
Sharing content and crediting its source is part of networking on social media, but there is nothing worse than an entire feed of re-grammed images from other people! Original content is key.
When creating content where do you start? / What’s your first step?
The first step in creating content is identifying the targetaudience and putting yourself in their shoes. What do they want to see? What will they engage with? What will encourage them to act? Every market is different, and a digital content strategy should be adjusted accordingly.
How important is variety when it comes to content creation?
Extremely! While it is important to have a consistent brand and theme across your social media channels, there is nothing more boring for a consumer than the same repetitive content. Not only that, but social media is an everchanging landscape and it is important to keep up with the trends. Mix it up, put some personality into it, and most importantly – have fun!
Would you like to chat to Bree and our team of social media content creation specialists at Melbourne Social Co? Get in touch with us today by emailing info@melbournesocialco.com.au.
Want to check out our social media visual content monthly package? Click here.
The Benefits Of A Boutique Agency
Thinking of outsourcing your brand's marketing requirements? Tossing up between working with a large or boutique agency? We're sharing a few tips on why boutique is the way to go!
When it comes to sourcing an agency to best represent your brand, its no secret there is a bit of an oversaturation in the world of marketing and social media.
More than often, it’s tempting to choose a large, well-known company to meet your marketing needs - but what about the alternatives? There HAS to be another option for value, satisfaction and success.
Here lies the secret weapon that is the Boutique Creative Marketing Agency.
With an intimate team of professionals directly at hand, the benefits of choosing a boutique agency are endless.
Direct access to the owner, specialist team members and closer client relationships
Too often the hierarchy at big agencies resembles more of a monarchy than an efficient, innovative space for creativity and client relations to flourish.
In larger businesses, strict structures and reporting protocol limit the contact and input a client can have when it comes to the services provided to them.
At a boutique agency, a smaller team of handpicked professionals can offer a more personal service and creative space for successful client relationships. Your creative team are able to position themselves as an extension of your business, leading to a more authentic content creation process.
Owners and senior members of staff have the ability to directly oversee projects within a smaller team, allowing a client’s input and best interests to be at the forefront of their minds; ultimately producing higher quality work that is the best representation of your business’ vision.
Lower Cost
Instead of the cost of overheads including extra support staff, lavish workspaces and expense accounts that you would find integrated into proposed quotes by larger agencies, outsourcing a boutique agency to market your business can be a much more cost effective option.
With a boutique agency, clients pay only for the team that actually works on a job, meaning no unjustified or hidden costs. Generally a Melbourne Social Co monthly retainer is equivalent to, or less than, the cost of a full time junior salary - a fee that gives you direct access to the experience of an entire creative team.
Faster turn around
Another major benefit when it comes to choosing a boutique agency over a larger competitor is the quick turn around time for projects and content.
Boutique agencies carefully hand-pick a manageable amount of clients they believe they can deliver genuine results to, so your project wont be put on hold or lost in the crowd. This tailored approach smaller agencies employ ensures your campaign will be given the attention and dedicate it deserves, leading to better results!
These are but a few benefits we can recommend when it comes to going ahead with a smaller, boutique marketing agency. For any queries, or additional information on how we at Melbourne Social Co can provide the very best service for your business or project, contact us today - info@melbournesocialco.com.au
8 Reasons To Hire A Social Media Manager
Thinking about whether to manage your social media accounts in-house or to outsource to a professional?
We're sharing a few points on why it's a good idea to outsource your social media management requirements to a professional or agency.
1. Content creation
Having a professional manage your social accounts opens the door to amazing, expert content creation. Not only will your content be creative and of a professional standard, it will also be visually consistent and add to the overall aesthetic of your social pages.
2. Stay ahead of the trends
When you work with a professional, you're tapping into their years of broad experience in social media! It's your social media manager's job to stay up to date with all of the latest digital trends and they will adapt this knowledge to your business.
3. Consistent & professional tone of voice
It is very important when managing a social account, that the tone of voice of the account is consistent and professional. If a social account is managed internally and shared around amongst a team, the tone and professionalism of posts will differ. However, if the account management is outsourced, it will prevent variation in tone and keep the entire account consistent and professional.
4. Increase engagement
Managing your social media account is a daily task, but it can sometimes come second to the day-to-day tasks you have when running a business. Having a pro managing your social media means that no comment will go unanswered and social media can stay a priority without taking away time from the business. Not only will this make your business more personable and real, but it will increase your engagement rates, which will lead to your content appearing higher in your followers' feeds.
5. Reliability
Want to remove any unnecessary worry from your day? With a dedicated professional managing the account you can depend on them to post at the right times and provide a reliable account to engage with followers - this includes after hours!
6. It’s a time saver
Who doesn’t love saving time? By hiring a professional to head your social media it’s one less thing you, as a business, need to do. With your social accounts in more than capable hands, it gives you time to focus on other pressing matters.
7. Accountability
The great thing about using a professional to manage your socials is the level of accountability they bring. Clients expect a certain level of responsibility when outsourcing and a professional will record and measure the work their doing. This helps them meet the client’s needs and also holds them accountable for the work their doing.
8. It’s Fun
To put it simply, social media is fun, especially to those who have made it their career. By hiring a professional to manage your social media, you are guaranteed a committed worker who absolutely loves what they're doing.
Ready to outsource your social media requirements to a professional agency? We're here to help! Contact us at info@melbournesocialco.com.au today.
