In a world with continual platform updates and algorithm adjustments, changes in social platforms and search engines can leave a digital marketer’s world tumultuous at the very least. Continuing to adapt and learn has always been key to dominating the ever-changing digital landscape. To keep up, you must be willing to drop the ego and consistently learn new techniques, even if the ongoing changes make you want to pull your hair out. Continue…
Instagram was initially introduced to the digital world in 2010 and quickly gained popularity. A few years later, Facebook took over its ownership with an estimated user count of 1 billion monthly active users. With the number of users rapidly increasing, Instagram was identified as an excellent tool for marketers to promote products, services and ideas. In May 2016, Instagram made a move that shifted culture, launching the Instagram business account – a powerful way for businesses to advertise and market. The feature is available for both IOS and Android globally.
Every day 500 million users open Instagram and start scrolling, ready for a personalized experience tailored to their unique interests.
The numbers are rapidly increasing. Instagram now has 2 million advertisers and 1 billion overall users. Seeking captivating stories told through stimulating images, Instagrammers come to the platform for content from their friends, family, and – you guessed it – their favorite brands. Continue…
As we approach the holiday season, it is important we understand the power of the holidays on our businesses sales. This year alone the National Retail Federation expects sales in November and December to generate $678.75 billion. This is the season for shopping and attracting new customers—don’t miss out on your perfect chance to reach your target audience. Follow these simple steps for the perfect holiday marketing strategy.
Brand strategy as a concept can often be bit murky or esoteric. Whether you’re an established business or an individual searching for a more prominent way to self-brand, it can be difficult to identify a starting point and select a course of action. Social media offers endless opportunity for engagement, so maintaining a cohesive presence across platforms can be daunting. It’s important to remember that your strategy is your anchor, and keeps your team in sync with how your brand interacts with the world.
The world of marketing is ever-evolving, and though there is no universal marketing strategy that will “just work” for every type of company, some marketing professionals make it seem like they possess the secret formula. Now that digital marketing has taken over, there are many new aspects of marketing that we must take into consideration when creating our marketing strategies. I went to multiple masterclasses on digital marketing that were held during weekend one of SXSW, and I’m here to share my key takeaways on where to focus your efforts when creating your digital marketing strategy. There are also several trustworthy websites that share news of digital marketing trends and helps you to make an informed decision.
There is a reason that there are thousands of articles online that address ways to improve your company’s social media presence — Social media is fun to talk about, tough to implement and an even bigger challenge for companies to be creative and stay consistent.
The truth is there is no cut and dry answer to social media. It’s subjective, ever-changing and ideas must be adapted to fit your business and brand. Wait, what was that? Yes, adapted means you have to do some work. Perhaps this is why so many struggle with social media. We hear words like “strategy” and “content creation” and we automatically cringe at the thought of where we should start climbing this beast of a social media mountain. It’s simply too much work. Your company is not that complex, Right? (These are probably some of the same people who said four years ago, “I don’t have time for social media” or “My customers don’t use Facebook.”) Think again.
“Shop the World, Steal from the Best.”
You do learn some things in school. An advertising professor at The University of Texas said the above quote and it holds true for many aspects of marketing in any industry. (Don’t take the word “steal” literally, please.) Shop around for strategy and tactic ideas like Instant Profits with Instagram . Check out all kinds of brands and companies across the board, on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter. Note what you love and what you don’t. Take a look at regional competitors in your space and similar companies in your industry across the country. See how they engage fans from contests, images, blogs and other creative ways like highlighting clients or staff. Save pages that impress you and that you would one day like to achieve. Even if you aren’t sure how to implement something immediately, put it on a wish list so it can be top-of-mind when planning. Social media is an a la carte approach, shop away.
Think Big, Be Simple, Stay Fresh.
This section is key to implementation. (Where most of us drop off, me included.) Don’t be overwhelmed or discouraged after looking at brands like Coke or Chobani; adapt (ahem, work) their tactics into your own social strategy. Note: Be sure to share unique content on each social media platform, not everything on Twitter needs to be on Facebook and vice versa. Remember no company is too small to utilize these ideas; you just have to make them your own and don’t over complicate the concepts. Below are some items to think about and examples on what to adopt and why.
Don’t be Afraid to Flop.
Social media is a living breathing strategy. You aren’t always going to score a home run but you have to start somewhere. Now is the time when you can come up with actionable items. When you make your own rules, you are more likely to abide and succeed. The goal to creating fresh content and injecting big brand ideas starts by reevaluating yours.
Have some success stories of your own? More ideas to share? Comment and help other professionals stay creative when delivering social media content.
