A guide to nailing social media trends

A guide to nailing social media trends

Every social media strategy in 2023 needs a pillar dedicated to social media trends.

While every business’ approach will vary, an awareness of trends and ability to adapt quickly to platform changes is so important in todays’ landscape.

Some key tips to nailing social media trends within your content strategy are:

💙 Make sure you’re staying on top of what’s trending every week. (If you subscribe to our Social Media Trends Report, this will magically land in your inbox weekly - no scrolling required!

💙 Identify when trends are relevant to your business. Some trends will work for your brand and your objectives, and some wont! There’s no need to try to jump on every trend that emerges - be selective and utilise trends that work best with your authentic tone of voice

💙 Act on trends quickly. There’s no time for a 4 week approval process here - if you’re not acting on a trend within 48 hours, you’re too late

💙 Create and edit your content within platform where you can. Stats are suggesting that native content created within app outperforms content designed and edited elsewhere

💙 Remember that trending content doesn’t need to be perfect. While it can be challenging for brands to move away from slick, professionally designed content that has been through months of revisions and approvals, we know that the audience today is craving authenticity. Not every piece of content you share needs to be perfect - it just needs to create positive sentiment with your audience

If you are keen to update your 2023 social strategy to include authentic, fast moving, native or trending content, subscribe to our Weekly Social Media Trend Report.

When you sign up you’ll receive: 

💙 A report of trending content, magically landing in your inbox each week

💙 Actionable content prompts to tap into trends

The cost? $10 per week. No scrolling required, no minimum sign up, cancel anytime.

Sounds pretty good right?

Click here to learn more and subscribe!

If you are keen to update your 2023 social strategy to include authentic, fast moving, native or trending content, subscribe to our Weekly Social Media Trends Report.
Want to see what we're up to on social media? Visit us on Instagram.

Social Media Management - 8 reasons to outsource to a professional

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 [email protected] today.

Social Media Management - 8 reasons to outsource to a professional


Why Instagram Stories are a must for business in 2018

Why Instagram Stories are a must for business in 2018

Instagram Stories are a feature that Instagram introduced last year to fight off competition from Snapchat. The feature allows users to post photos and videos that vanish after 24 hours (unless you add them as a highlight on your profile, which stay there indefinitely). Instagram Stories are proving to be very effective in getting brand engagement for those who have embraced them already. So, what are you waiting for? Get insta story creating!

Fun facts:

  • 250 million people use Instagram Stories daily
  • Users spend 28 minutes more on Instagram now thanks to Stories
  • 33% of the most popular stories are from businesses
  • 20% of stories posted by businesses result in a direct message

Here are some ways to best utilise Instagram Stories for your business:

  1. A look behind the scenes

As a general rule, consumers love friendly, relatable brands. Stories is informal in nature, so use this to build a rapport with your followers. Show them the process of setting up a photoshoot, the planning that goes into an event or a product launch for instance.

  1. Gift unique offers

Try running ‘stories only’ competitions and putting discount codes up on Instagram Stories to build brand loyalty and reward those that check out all of your content. We all love a discount code or giveaway!

  1. Embrace geotagging and hashtags

Posts that feature one or more hashtags receive over 12% more engagement than those without and posts with a geotagged location get a whopping 79% more engagement. Another great benefit of adding tags to your posts is that you’ll get improved visibility as your post will be included in the Story ring for that area and hashtag. So, add in that hashtag and geotag location stat!

  1. Create polls

Adding a ‘poll’ sticker is a fabulous way to gather opinions from your followers and also get more engagement. The poll sticker allows you to ask your followers a question and customize the answers. E.g. What’s your favourite colour? Red or Green. Polls allow the audience to feel involved with the business and decision making. You get answers and they feel involved…win win!


Social media can be a confusing aspect of business for many people and that’s totally okay! If you think your business would benefit from a little help when it comes to Instagram and your other social channels, shoot us an email - we’d love to chat with you about your strategy!


How To Set And Keep Your New Year's Resolutions!

How To Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

New Year, new you. How many times have you said that to yourself? Every year? Us too! So many of us set unrealistic resolutions each year and end up breaking them. The key to setting reasonable New Year’s resolutions that you won’t break is to make them measurable and achievable. We’ll leave your personal resolutions up to you, but to help you get on track for a more productive year at work, here are some of our top productivity tips!

  1. Address must-do’s first

Have you ever put of a big project in favour of smaller, less critical ones? We’re all guilty! Although you may get the smaller tasks done faster, you could find yourself running out of time to complete the big project. So, to ensure they get done on time, always work on the more important projects at the start of the day. Your future self with thank you.

  1. Take breaks

Try to figure out when your productivity begins to drain and take a break. Go for a walk around the block, grab a drink or snack. When you sit back at your desk, you’ll feel more alive and ready to tackle your to-do list. Also, taking time out of each day for a bit of mindfulness will do wonders for your productivity.

  1. Stop multitasking

It’s a myth, okay. We all think it’s possible but really it’s not. Instead of jumping between multiple tasks at once, commit your focus to one task at a time. You’ll be surprised how much faster you get them all done simply by tackling one project at a time.

  1. Schedule email time and turn off notifications

These are two infamous concentration breakers. Having a set time to check emails means you aren’t getting distracted throughout the day. Set aside time in the morning and afternoon to read through and respond to emails. As for notifications, turn off the insignificant ones to allow yourself to focus on the job at hand. Nothing is more distracting than a snapchat notification popping up on your phone!

  1. Know when it’s time to delegate and outsource

Many business owners think they can tackle everything on their own, and this is when they become overloaded and overworked. Learning which projects and tasks can be outsourced and which ones require your input is a skill. By outsourcing jobs to other professionals, you’re freeing up your time to focus on more important jobs.

Here’s to a greater, more productive work year for you and your team!


If you find your workload increasing and think you may need to outsource, whether it be with content creation, branding and strategy, or community management, our team is here to help! Shoot us an email to book a consultation.

How To Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions


Ready to start including video in your digital marketing strategy?

The rise of video marketing

If there’s one social media trend your business needs to tap into in 2017 it’s video marketing! From Facebook Live, Instagram stories to the cute and quirky Boomerangs on our Instagram feeds, the options on how to engage with your consumer on social media with video content are endless.

Ready to start including video in your digital marketing strategy? Read on below for more insight into how video content will lead the way this year:

Facebook Live:

Facebook Live is a great way to captivate your audience, create an engaging conversation with your followers and connect with them instantly. Facebook Live gives you a range of options to market to your customers, from demonstrating a product or service, answering FAQs or showcasing some great behind the scenes content. The trick? Prepare in advance, you only get one shot at going live!

It’s all about the stories:

From Snapchat to Instagram stories, businesses now have the opportunity to continue to give their customers updates on their business in ‘real time’ with content that only last 24 hours. These stories are a great way to showcase some engaging behind the scenes content including the day-to-day running of your business or an event or photoshoot. As the stories aren’t permanent, you can be as ‘real’ as you like and don’t have to focus on aesthetically perfect imagery, rather on uploading content that keeps your fans interested.

The power of multiple platforms:

Perhaps one of the best things about video content for businesses is that you can share it across all of your social media platforms! Recent statistics have shown that 85% of adults aged 18-49 use multiple devices at the same time, meaning you have the opportunity to share your video content to someone on your YouTube channel, who is also scrolling through their Instagram feed and checking Facebook all at the same time!

And the best part? Your consumers want to watch it:

There’s a reason video content is becoming so popular, and that’s because your consumers actually want to watch the content. Four times as many consumers would prefer to watch a video about a product than to read about it, which means your consumer is already open to looking at your content, you just have to captivate them!


Are you ready to start including video content into your social media marketing plan this year? Contact your team of content creators at Melbourne Social Co today.

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

 

 

 

 


5 things your social media manager wants you to know!

5 things your social media manager wants you to know!

Whether you are a start-up company or an established business, we all know that having a social media manager is an important part of any digital marketing strategy.

However, when working with a social media manager, there are a few things they want you to know.

Wondering what they are? Read on below:

1. Social media is one part of a larger marketing strategy:

While social media can no doubt have an invaluable effect on growing your business and driving sales, it’s not the only part of your marketing strategy that needs consideration. Social media should be included as part of a larger overarching plan that aims to achieve your long-term business goals. Other marketing strategies that work together to grow and build your business could include digital and print advertising, in-store promotions, events, PR or influencer collaborations.

2. Social media is not for business promotion only:

We know you love your business and want to promote it to the whole world, but unfortunately your social media audience doesn’t want to be marketed to all the time! That’s why it’s important to let your social media manager devise the right strategy that combines a mix of your business promotion and general interest content that provides value to your consumer. This strategy will help keep your customers engaged in your business and keep them coming back for more!

3, You don’t have to be on all social media networks:

With a vast selection of social media networks out there, it can be easy to feel like you have to be on every social media platform. But here at Melbourne Social Co, we live by the rule, if you’re going to do something, do it well, so sometimes it’s best to select a couple of platforms and focus on building those followings and engaging those audiences before you continue to branch out.

Once these social media accounts are growing, then perhaps it’s time to consider expanding to new trending networks that are a good fit for your business and your target audience.

4. It takes time to build and grow your social media profiles: 

While we all wish there was an overnight recipe for social media success, unfortunately social media results take time. Building a great online community for your business requires many things, including a mix of a great strategy, unique and engaging content and above all consistency! These things must be repeated over a significant period of time in order for you to see the best results

5. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach:

What works for some brands may not work for your business and that’s ok! This is just one of reasons why you should work with a team of digital marketing specialists who can assess your business, goals and objectives and create a social media strategy and plan that best suits you.


Do you need help shaping a social media strategy or managing your social media accounts? Here at Melbourne Social Co we have an expert team of social media specialists ready to help your business!

Get in touch with us today by sending us an email at [email protected] or calling us on: 1300 386 165.


2017's Social Media Trends

2017's Social Media Trends

It's the beginning of a brand new year, which means it’s the perfect time to evaluate your current digital strategy and include new social media trends into your plan for 2017.

As the social media space is ever-changing and new trends are emerging every day, we’ve rounded up some of the biggest social media trends to leverage in 2017, so you can take your business’s social media marketing to the next level!

Read on below for the top trends:

Live video

There’s no denying that video played a vital role in marketing in 2016, from Facebook Live to Instagram Stories, Snapchat and the continued growth of YouTube and its ‘mega stars’.

In 2017, expect to see more brands tapping into the power of video, through live-streaming events and seminars on their social media networks as a way to boost their social media reach and consumer engagement.

This will be predominately posted through Facebook Live and Instagram Stories, which means if you haven’t started using these great features, now is the time to integrate them into your social media marketing strategy.

One stop shop:

As consumers are spending more and more time on social media, it’s no surprise the our favourite social media channels are slowly turning into a ‘one stop shop’ for everything from accessing great content to purchasing products or services.

This is signaled by Pinterest’s buyable pins and Instagram’s newly formed shopping platform which will soon give consumers the opportunity to view pricing information on products and click a link to purchase the items of interest.

The aim is to give consumers everything they want all on one site, so they don’t have to veer away from the platform for anything else.

Facebook isn’t going anywhere!

There has been increasing doubt over the past few years about the relevance of Facebook in the digital marketing space, especially thanks to the rise of platforms like Instagram and Snapchat. However, statistics are showing that Facebook is still the most used social media platform around the globe for both end users and B2B brands which means you shouldn’t discount it from your marketing strategy.

While it’s true that consumers are using new platforms like Snapchat and Instagram, they are not replacing Facebook, rather using it in conjunction with the other platforms.

The decline of organic reach: 

In 2016 we saw the increasing decline of organic reach on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, with greater preference given to accounts that use paid advertising along with producing great, authentic and quality social media posts.

This means in the New Year it’ll be even harder to get your content ‘out there’ without putting a bit of money behind your social media content. Your budget doesn’t have to be large, but any money you can put towards Facebook/Instagram advertising will really make a difference.


Do you need help tapping into these social media trends in 2017? Get in touch with your digital marketing experts Melbourne Social Co today!

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


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


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.