April Fool's Day Round Up 2016

I have been excitedly awaiting April 1st over the last few days. What gags would marketers hit us with, to fool and delight?  All morning, I was checking my phone rather impatiently. There was a slow start to the fooling this year. I wondered if maybe Easter had taken the shine off a bit. Perhaps our social media creatives had to choose between Easter content and getting a laugh.

The first April Fool's post to grab my attention was from our local Civil Defence page

Waikato CD is requesting submissions for the Joint Abandonment From Auckland ('JAFA') amendment to the Group Hazard Plan. Submissions and suggestions will be accepted up until 12:00pm 1 April 2016.
Posted by Civil Defence Waikato on Thursday, March 31, 2016

These guys do a brilliant job of keeping their page fun and relevant as it is.  This post got a hearty snort from myself and everyone I showed it to.  Man buns...Well done, team!

Next up in the April fooling was Pic's with this priceless job ad.  You'd be nuts to take it though!

An exciting opportunity at Pic's. Could you be working for the best peanut butter company in the world?
Posted by Pic's Really Good Peanut Butter on Thursday, March 31, 2016

Tip Top Ice Cream had a good many customers fooled with their doggy treats ice cream.  Mainly because the post was scheduled for 31st March at 6pm.  Cheeky!  Reading through the comments, you can't help but get the feeling that they have stumbled upon a possible new product range for the future though.

Pets deserve to feel Tip Top too, that’s why we’ve launched an all-new range of pet-friendly ice cream, Tip Top Happy Tails. It’s all-natural and has a creamy taste that four-legged friends love.
Posted by Tip Top Ice Cream on Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Brew bags, is what Boundary Road Brewery came up with.  A way for you to enjoy the delicious taste of beer for breakfast.  I guess that is one way, but I think I'd rather just crack a beer (within reason!).  An excellent fool to be sure:

Lindt chocolate is a favourite in our house, but I doubt that my children would touch this one.  Broccoli flavoured?  I was quite pleased when I saw this though.  A prank that can only be a prank!

Discover our latest masterpiece, new Lindor Broccoli balls - a more indulgent and chocolatey way to enjoy your greens!
Posted by Lindt Australia on Thursday, March 31, 2016

Hubbards made me so proud.  Is it muesli? Is it a body scrub? Why can't it be both?  Wash with it, drink it like a smoothie.  According to the comments section a few people were even taken in (at least briefly):

Here’s a nifty little time saver.Hubbards new Muesli Scrub doubles as an all-natural body scrub as well as breakfast....
Posted by Hubbards on Thursday, March 31, 2016

GrabOne wondered if we would eight this one.  Selling number 8 wire for $8.88 showed their kiwi prankster ingenuity. 

A GrabOne exclusive available today only... it's the solution to all of life's little (and large) problems! http://bit.ly/22ZR7pP
Posted by Grab One on Thursday, March 31, 2016

Did you see any good pranks on social media?  Just a head's up that April Fool's is ongoing for our overseas friends.  So be careful out there and don't be too quick to believe what you read!  At least not until Sunday.

Kmedia Ltd is headed by Kym Moore, a writer and Social Media Enthusiast. Visit www.kmedia.co.nz to see our offerings or contact us directly at info@kmedia.co.nz for pricing and more information. Follow us over at https://www.facebook.com/kmedialtdnz

Facebook Reactions

Facebook have launched Reactions and today the platform has been abuzz with people excited to see these new emotions linked to the “like” button.  I was excited as much as anyone, though like most people I’m still not sure what it will mean for businesses on Facebook.

The hope is these new Reactions will give people a chance to express more than just a “like” to posts from their friends and family; and businesses to a lesser extent.  Sometimes a big thumbs up just doesn’t seem appropriate, though we know people have also used the like function to say “I see you”, or “I stand with you”.  Reactions now give users a chance to express their sadness or anger about a situation that someone has posted about.   Or their pure love for that new baby chimpanzee (Hamilton Zoo shout out!).

At this stage it is likely that these reactions will work with your business page reach in much the same way as a “like”.  So, any reaction is an interaction that will drive some reach.  That said, I seemed to get more reach from posts reacted to with anger and love today!  

In the future, Facebook may look to create more complex algorithms around this.  Maybe if a business page seems to have sadder or angrier reactions to their posts; their posts will stop getting the same level of reach.  However, there are business pages that will always have those reactions, such as news sites.  There are even causes and charities that rely on their followers being filled with empathy and/or rage as part of their Call to Action.  For this reason, I’m not sure how quickly they could move towards that kind of goal or if it’s even on the radar at this stage.  Perhaps they will prioritise strong emotional reactions for reach.

With Reactions you will have more options for engaging your customers.  So instead of asking people to like, or comment a number based on their response to an image, you could assign each option an appropriate Reaction.  You can ask people to vote on a new product idea and get immediate and more rounded feedback on whether you are on the right track.  Below is a great example from NZ's Cookie Time cookies - love it! So innovative and they worked quickly to get this out and working for their brand:

The original CookieTime post can be found here.

Reactions will give you a chance to quantitatively measure the emotion of your audience.  But it won’t tell you the why and it won’t tell you to what degree.  After all, we can all feel angry – but why am I angry about your post and how angry am I?  Did you post about your shop being broken into? Or did you tell all your followers that you are taking all their pre-paid money for a trip to the Bahamas?  

Likewise what if I express surprise? Did I win something? Did you bring out a new product?  Or did you post something less positively shocking?  No, for a more qualitative view of your followers’ reaction you are better off looking in the comments section.  

Still, for those of us who have been dreaming of a dislike button since the day we signed up, Reactions offers the excitement of wishes becoming reality.  Let the reacting commence!    

Kmedia Ltd is headed by Kym Moore, a writer and Social Media Enthusiast. Visit www.kmedia.co.nz to see our offerings or contact us directly at info@kmedia.co.nz for pricing and more information. Follow us over at https://www.facebook.com/kmedialtdnz

The Importance of Subscribers on YouTube

YouTube can be an excellent resource for your business, if you aren't big on blogging but have something to say and you aren't too shy about recording yourself.   You can edit your vlog and upload it.  You can also share vlog links across your other social media assets to encourage views.

YouTube can be an excellent resource for your business, if you aren't big on blogging but have something to say and you aren't too shy about recording yourself.   You can edit your vlog and upload it.  You can also share vlog links across your other social media assets to encourage views.

For any YouTuber, subscribers are the key.  Subscribers get notification of your videos being uploaded.  They are the first to view your videos and therefore help you get those all important views and video rankings.  The number of subscribers you have also affects a couple of things - like your ability to get a custom URL for your channel (you need at least 100 subscribers), and the possibility of using it to generate sales and sponsorship.

So it's safe to say, you should be aiming for channel growth. The first thing you should do is watch some YouTubers.  Watch people in your industry as well as people who aren't.  In order to stand out on YouTube, your channel has to offer something a little different to your peers.  However, you can also learn a lot from other channels and how to present yourself. 

• When they are talking what do they do with their bodies, how do they engage the viewer?
• When they are wrapping up their video, how do they encourage you to subscribe or like the video?
• What is their gimmick? What will yours be? 
• Do they have a channel thumbnail, cover art and custom video thumbnails in place?

Over at canva.com you can create all your channel images.  There are even custom templates for your thumbnails.  Having a custom thumbnail uploaded for each video allows you to carry your branding through.  Consistent branding makes your videos stand out from the crowd.

Another thing I noticed other vloggers doing, was custom subscribe buttons.  These seemed like an easy Call to Action to put in place.  Plus you only have to upload the image once for them to appear on all your videos.  Magic!

You can set up your own custom button fairly easily.  I made one for a channel I look after.  I used canva.com and created this one which I saved as a png file:

Then over at YouTube I went to My Channel in the top left hand menu:

I clicked on the Video Manager link that is over the Channel's cover art:

Then I clicked on Channel in the left hand side menu.  The next Click was to Branding - this is where you upload your custom image as a Branding 'watermark':

The next thing for us to work on, is BOLDLY asking for people to like, share and subscribe to the vlog channel.  This is another way to give your Call to Action, and it should be delivered with confidence.  After all, you have something to say and it's worth the watch!

Kmedia Ltd is headed by Kym Moore, a writer and Social Media Enthusiast. Visit www.kmedia.co.nz to see our offerings or contact us directly at info@kmedia.co.nz for pricing and more information. Follow us over at https://www.facebook.com/kmedialtdnz

Meme of the moment - Be Like Bill

Unless you have been living under a rock without your  smartphone clawed in your hand, you will have seen at least one Be Like Bill mention on Social Media. Be Like Bill is a passive aggressive stick man doling out internet etiquette one meme at a time.

#BelikeBill pic.twitter.com/NxGhVqgqxl

— Be like Bill (@belikebilI) January 16, 2016

Bill is highly relatable and therefore shareable.  There are things people do on social media, which sometimes irks us.   Bill allows us to say what we want without the blame - see, totes passive aggressive!  "oh, that wasn't about you...you food posting crazy person".....(Seriously though, post your food people, if it makes you happy).

Bill isn't infallible, as these next two show. Which is it Bill? Are you the grammar police or no?

#BeLikeBill pic.twitter.com/Osdj1N7O7g

— Be like Bill (@belikebilI) January 22, 2016

#BeLikeBill pic.twitter.com/dZOffv8V8c

— Be like Bill (@belikebilI) January 28, 2016

If Bill isn't your style, there is also his gal pal Jill and both have their own social media pages.

“@BeLikeJill: #belikejill pic.twitter.com/bQTAnWm3Wy”@kev_rawding

— Jill rawding (@jrawding19) January 20, 2016

I do get a little twitchy whenever I read what a real woman or a real man is supposed to be like.  However, I do like wine.  So rock on Jill.

Because of the format of the stick man and font it is easy to manipulate for anyone's use.  Here, the Police have embraced the meme to share some safety messages:

#BeLikeBill #AustraliaDay have a great one guys 👍🏻🚔🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/xoFjMLFWdN

— WA Police (@WA_Police) January 26, 2016

Rain is forecast for the next few days - if you're out on the roads please #BeLikeBill pic.twitter.com/AK551STcMf

— Police Scotland (@policescotland) January 21, 2016

Then there have been a few companies using Bill to promote their products:

Be smart like Bill,switch to @sprint @marceloclaure @ch117622 #BeLikeBill @Kpalet5 @sprintNEarea @kunletel @b_rez1 pic.twitter.com/eH9m4xeaQu

— SprintBowie (@sprintbowie) January 24, 2016

Lease your next car. Be smart. Be like Bill. #BelikeBill @belikebilI #carlesing https://t.co/s3zygA79lb pic.twitter.com/BD8pDMYsf4

— ContractHire&Leasing (@ContractHire) January 19, 2016

The absolutely best one I have seen though, has to be from Streets Ice Cream!  #winningatcontent

Check out the video on their Facebook at the below link:

Be Like Buffalo Bill

There are also apps and quizzes available online to allow you to create your own version of the meme (though be careful with these as some do pose a security threat to your computer - you can read about that here). 

Ultimately though, the tide has already turned on Bill, so you might see a bit more of this going forward (I swear, stick people just make us mad!):

Be like Uma. Kill Bill. pic.twitter.com/TlMysHLsUi

— Bo_JAH (@mcbojah) January 21, 2016

Be like Uma .. don't be bill .. #BelikeBill pic.twitter.com/2oRj9PYfMU

— Verified ;) (@nattym1979) January 19, 2016

And best of all, this Batman meme (that gets around too), when Bill or Robin just needs a high five to the face:

Be like Batman. ;-) #BeLikeBill pic.twitter.com/Z4lBrvXey1

— Ken Kaminesky (@KenKaminesky) January 28, 2016

Kmedia Ltd is headed by Kym Moore, a writer and Social Media Enthusiast. Visit www.kmedia.co.nz to see our offerings or contact us directly at info@kmedia.co.nz for pricing and more information. Follow us over at https://www.facebook.com/kmedialtdnz

New Zealand Social Media's April Fool Day Darlings

That's a real pie blended up!

It's April 1st today, and all over the country New Zealand Marketing peeps rejoiced as their carefully crafted April Fool's content was scheduled to hit our newsfeeds.  All those hours of work released for us to see and hopefully have a good laugh at.

Tonight I'm compiling a list of the ones I liked the most from the morning madness.

First up in the food category has to be I Love Pies and their awful looking mince and cheese smoothie.  I mean, I guess if you heated it and ate it as soup, it wouldn't be too bad...but still nicely done to them!  You can see the whole post here

Tip Top's Foraging Range

Second up is Tip Top Ice Cream, who's new Fruju ice blocks looked like they would hit the pavement faster than hitting the spot.  Kale and Coconut was not too far away from believable but the Cauliflower and Walnut one sounded and looked revolting.  You can see the posts here and here

Pic's Really Good Peanut Butter offered up a double lidded glass jar, so you can always get to the last of the Pic's.  Genius!  You can read more here

And while we are on breakfast spreads - Boundary Road Brewery came up with their own answer to Marmite - a Pilsener Lager Yeast Spread.  That might have been a bit of a winner methinks.


While we are on breweries Mac's beer came up with a bottle you open from the bottom, so it has a more "wine glass" feel.  I can't see how that would go wrong.  Meanwhile Good George came up with a drone for local beer delivery - where do we sign up fellas?

Pak n Save Supermarket got in the spirit of April Fool's as well.  Introducing a new Pak n Shave service where you can buy food and get a hair cut too.  I must admit though, that when I read "Get the chop while you shop" my mind went elsewhere.  Maybe a thought for next year guys!

Well it was super fun watching my newsfeed this morning and I hope you enjoyed reading along.  Did you see these ones?  Did you see anything that I haven't covered here?  Comment below! 

If you live in New Zealand and have need of Social Media Content Management for your business, visit www.kmedia.co.nz to see our offerings or contact us directly at info@kmedia.co.nz for pricing and more information. Follow us over at https://www.facebook.com/kmedialtdnz

How do I get rid of comments and edit in Instagram?

Back in November Instagram announced a whole bunch of updates to their app, but the one that got me fist pumping had to be the edit caption option. It was always a painful exercise having to delete a post and re-do it just to fix a typo:

http://blog.instagram.com/…/1…/discovery-and-caption-editing

In the last few weeks I have noticed a lot of comments on pictures here and there, that could be easily deleted or edited.  However, editing Instagram is not always as intuitive for users as you might hope.  So for all those learning to use Instagram, I wanted to document a few more hints and tips.

Editing Your Caption

Once your picture has posted, take a look at it.  In the bottom right there is a menu button (looks like three vertical dots).  If you tap the button then you get options.  To Edit tap the word Edit.  This will take you into the text box and give you the ability to edit it and re-save the photo post.

Editing Your Own Comments

If you post something and it's not quite right, you don't get an edit option!  However, there is a work around.  Tap the speech bubble button as if you are going to comment.  Then tap on the comment you want to edit.  A menu will pop up.  Select copy text, and you should receive a message to say it has copied.  Then tap the comment again, and select delete this time.  You can then paste the copied text into the comment box by holding your finger on the text box.  It will ask you if you want to paste.  Paste your text in and edit as required.

Delete Spammy Messages From Your Photos

It happens to the best of us.  Post something up in a public forum and suddenly you are being urged to "hurry hurry hurry! F4F" and the like.  Some random comments are fine, and don't seem out of place on the image.  But if you get a comment on a photo that makes you uncomfortable then you can delete the comment.  Like editing your own comments, tap the speech bubble button, select the comment you want gone and then tap delete on the menu that pops up.

Hope these tips help you keep your photos and comments error free.  Thanks for reading along.

If you live in New Zealand and have need of Social Media Content Management for your business, follow us over at https://www.facebook.com/kmedialtdnz

September 2014 Instagram Challenge

Suddenly September and Spring is in the air. Christmas is on my mind, hence the delay in getting this blog out!    In fact September is sliding by before my very eyes.  Nevermind, it's definitely time for some Instagram fun.

  And so as always, a new month brings a new Instagram challenge.  Thanks to all those that participated last month. 

Here is the September challenge:

I clearly had summer on my mind when I selected these ones! 

It's another 7 day photo challenge, and a fun networking opportunity for you and your business.  Join in, do one during the month or all seven - whatever suits you best.  Think of it as a fun way to increase the content that you are sharing on your Instagram channel.  Taking part will give your customers a behind the scenes look at your business' fun side.  

I'll be checking in on all our participants and I will be sharing any note-worthy entries month-to-month as well.  So look out for those updates too.

If you live in New Zealand and have need of Social Media Content Management for your business, visit www.kmedia.co.nz to see our offerings or contact us directly at info@kmedia.co.nz for pricing and more information. Follow us over at https://www.facebook.com/kmedialtdnz

How Often is too Often?

Getting the balance right on posts to social media assets is something every business wants.  You want to post often enough to be relevant and useful, but not so often that your followers unfollow you or mute your content.  But how do you know what the balance should be?

When you are first starting out, it will be quite difficult to gauge from your own social media assets what your approach should be.  There simply won't be enough data for you to make a good decision about your approach from your own followers.  However, you can do something:

Competitor Analysis

Have a look at other similar but more established business pages.  When are they posting?  How often are they posting?  What is the level of engagement from their followers?  From this you can determine when it might suit your audience to see your posts and how often people want to hear from you.

Ask your followers

Even if your fan base is small, you can ask a question and then see what the response is.  Ask something fun like "Are you seeing this post on a phone, tablet or laptop?"  or "How addicted to social media are you?  How often do you check per day?"  Post questions like this at various times in the day to see what the reach is like and how many people respond.  Answers to these questions will give you some insight into your potential customers while gauging overall interactions.

Be aware that while some businesses might flood newsfeeds with sales posts and calls to action, followers have the ability to mute or unfollow businesses that become a nuisance or upset the balance of business and fun on social media. 

Calendar and Schedule

Once you have determined a schedule of content that should work for your business, get gathering and scheduling those posts either on a calendar or directly into the asset if it allows that functionality.  On Facebook, for example, you can schedule for weeks in advance.  It means you then only need to add ad-hoc posts when you want to comment on current affairs that you couldn't account for.

Revisit

Every quarter, I recommend a revisit to your approach.  Make sure that what you are doing is actually yielding you the results you were after.  If it's not working, then look at your page statistics again and determine if there has been a shift in when people are online or engaging.  As your fan base grows, you will find this shift happens quite naturally, especially if your initial fan base was not made up entirely of your ideal customer.   Refocusing your efforts regularly means that you don't end up being left behind.

If you live in New Zealand and have need of Social Media Content Management for your business, visit www.kmedia.co.nz to see our offerings or contact us directly at info@kmedia.co.nz for pricing and more information. Follow us over at https://www.facebook.com/kmedialtdnz

August 2014 Instagram Challenge

Hello August!  I'm actually starting to feel a little panicky about how quickly this year is sliding by.  Today it was warm enough that it felt like Spring - I even lay outside for some time taking in the sunshine.  Unheard of, mid-winter.

As always, a new month brings a new Instagram challenge.  Thanks to all those that participated last month.  We had some really neat shares. My favourite was under #plants - which looked a lot like how gardening turns out for me most of the time (fail).

Here is the August challenge:

Big excuse for a bit of design work, but bigger excuse to go and buy or bake cupcakes.  August is all #win. 

It's another 7 day photo challenge, and a fun networking opportunity for you and your business.  Join in, do one during the month or all seven - whatever suits you best.  Think of it as a fun way to increase the content that you are sharing on your Instagram channel.  Taking part will give your customers a behind the scenes look at your business' fun side.  

I'll be checking in on all our participants and I will be sharing any note-worthy entries month-to-month as well.  So look out for those updates too.

If you live in New Zealand and have need of Social Media Content Management for your business, visit www.kmedia.co.nz to see our offerings or contact us directly at info@kmedia.co.nz for pricing and more information. Follow us over at https://www.facebook.com/kmedialtdnz

Keep Calm & Create Content

The Keep Calm trend is a bit on the old side, but people are still using the terminology as well as the content pictures to comment on all aspects of social media and general life.  My go-to when wanting to create a Keep Calm poster is the Keep Calm-o-Matic

At Keep Calm-o-Matic, you get a selection of icons to use, fonts, and backgrounds.  You can search for posters that suit your requirements, or create your own to share.  You can even upload your own images to be used as backgrounds.  That is how I made my Queen's Birthday one:

I used an image I use on my website, which incorporates my brand colours.  Getting the wording right, and to sit nicely took a little while.  However, I love the font colour and the icon against The KMedia pink and orange. 

Remember that creating your own content is a great way to help you increase social media engagement.  It can be relatively easy when you use tools like this one.  It's free to use and you don't have to sign up if you don't wish to.  Content is still King (or Queen) when it comes to increasing engagement across all social media channels.  So Calm Keep and Create Content! 

If you live in New Zealand and have need of Social Media Content Management for your business, visit www.kmedia.co.nz to see our offerings or contact us directly at info@kmedia.co.nz for pricing and more information.

Adding a Clickable Link in Instagram

Inspired by a conversation I was having with other Instagram users, I thought I would write this up for anyone else who might be interested.  Instagram is a great way to connect with new followers by visually showing them what your business does.  But then once you have those followers, how do you direct them to your other active social media assets, website or blog?

The short answer is that Instagram only gives you one clickable link to use.  That's the space you put your website URL in under 'Edit Profile':

For Kmedia Ltd our website may not be the best URL to give.  The website remains fairly static and much of my updates go to this blog or to other social media assets.  So if you are like me, maybe you would add your blog address instead:

 

Or if you are looking to increase traffic to your Facebook asset you could add that page as a URL:

Don't forget to include some 'Calls to Action' as well for users.  An image like the below shared occasionally will remind people to check out your Facebook (or other Social Media Assets) and follow you there as well if they wish to.  If you tell them what they need to do and make it easy, then they are more likely to take the desired action

Lastly, any URL links typed into the Bio description or as a comment on an image will not be clickable.  But I understand that the URL will become clickable from Facebook or Twitter if shared to those channels...they just won't be clickable in Instagram.

Hope this Instagram helper has been useful to you - thanks for reading along.  Check out my other blog posts for helpful hints and tips!

If you live in New Zealand and have need of Social Media Content Management for your business, visit www.kmedia.co.nz to see our offerings or contact us directly at info@kmedia.co.nz for pricing and more information.

Like Generation & Lead Generation

When you first set up your business on social media, you may have many goals but one of the first ones is going to be Like Generation, followed quickly by Lead Generation.  After all, if you have no likes then you have no one to convert to Leads.  And really the whole point of putting your business on social media is to increase your brand visibility so you can generate Likes, Leads and ultimately Acquisitions.

But how?

Like Generation

The best way to start is with a website.  Your website can then drive people to your social media assets.  Have social media buttons and add these to your site to make navigation to your social media channels easier for users.  Also make sure you have a clear 'Call to Action' for those buttons - like a big neon arrow saying:

Set up a contact form on your website and an email newsletter (make sure you have the permission of the subscribers to email them regular news - no one likes spam).  In your emails, you can direct people to your social media as well.

You can also set up a blog, and use that to drive further 'Calls to Action' with widgets and links to your channels.  Try to select only the social media channels you think will work best for your business.  After all, there may be no reason for you to have Instagram.  You may have no intention of vlogging or creating podcasts.  Pick one or two and do them well - lots of content and engagement with people.  If you want to add more later, you can. 

Once the social media assets are in place, invite your family and friends.  Get active, share your own page's content on your personal account too.  Join some local or international business groups and network with those members - make sure you stay within the bounds of the group rules. 

Another way to generate likes is to participate in a giveaway.  Generating likes this way can be useful for getting your content out to a wider audience, and can be relatively cost effective as the value of the prize doesn't need to be a lot to get some interest.  But be aware that likers who come to you via a giveaway will not always convert to true leads. 

Lastly, avoid buying likes or followers.  There are sites that do it, but the types of likes you'd be buying aren't worth the pixels they are written on.  Honesty is the best policy, so stick with showing true integrity.

Lead Generation

Once you have people following you on social media, you need to offer them regular 'Calls to Action' for them to take up.  Sticking to the 70/30 or 80/20 rule.  70 - 80% of the time engage them with fun content that keeps them wanting to follow you.  20 - 30% of the time tell them about your offerings.  Make the offering time sensitive, make it good deal (without doing you or your product a disservice) and tell them how to complete the transaction - maybe with a direct link to where you need them to go so they can become an Acquisition. 

I follow many businesses online myself and what often converts me from a follower/lead to an acquisition is a well timed 'Call to Action' which includes some urgency and a good deal.  They either post around the monthly pay cycle, or have a number of teaser photos of items before announcing limited stock and/or a saving of some sort.

My latest online purchase was for a pillowslip that I had no need for.  However, I saw a cute print on Facebook which the business noted sold out on the previous print run. The next post, they confirmed a small print run had been completed for those keen and with a direct link to the online shop.  When I got to it, they had already sold out, but then I was right there in the online shop and I saw a print that I liked better so the transaction was complete. 

In Conclusion?  Calls to Action!

Once you are online and you have your social media set up, it's really the 'Calls to Action' that help you convert your likers to leads and sales.  You need to engage them and be fun, so they want to see you in their newsfeed.  Then make those calls appealing and make it easy!


If you live in New Zealand and have need of Social Media Content Management for your business, visit www.kmedia.co.nz to see our offerings or contact us directly at info@kmedia.co.nz for pricing and more information.

Top Tips for Google +

Google Plus is sometimes seen as the poor cousin of Facebook.  But with 540 million active monthly users, you can not ignore this social media channel if you are in business.  And the fact of the matter is, many G+ users are not on Facebook.  While on a high level, the platform will have many similarities, you will find that the interactions and things shared on G+ have a different look and feel too. 


Here, I thought I would share some helpful hints and tips about using Google+ which I have been collecting over the last couple of months.  The tips below have helped increase my own engagement and follower numbers as well, in an organic way.

Use the Search Tool

It's Google and what do they do really well?  Search engineering!  So use the search function.  You can use the search function to look for people, pages or posts.  So search for topics that match your interests or business and then engage and interact with those posts and pages.  This will help get your name or brand out in the G+ world, and will help increase your followers in a relevant but organic way.

Mention

Use the ability to mention other companies and brands on G+ to increase engagement and following.  If you go to a local cafe and they are on G+ maybe post a photo and a mention about your visit.  If there are brands that would work well with what you are doing, then build a relationship.  In general, you need to give some love to get some.

Communities

There are tonnes of community circles out in G+ land.  Search them out and join them.  Start to interact.  Post topics on the community.  Reply to people's posts.  You will see a much greater return of +1s and interaction if you post to communities than when you put a thought out into the public stream.  Or another way to see it - stop shouting into the wind and go to a clubrooms to chat instead.

Trending or Hot

Like anything, if you keep an eye on the trending or what's hot items going on then you'll be able to tap into that and increase engagement that way.  This will show people that your brand is up with the play, and will ensure your business page appears fresh and active.

Hashtags

G+ will actually give your post some hashtags that it deems relevant to what you have written, but these aren't always relevant because it's an algorithm assigning them.  Help it out by adding some yourself.

Images

Images are usually a good draw for engagement no matter what the social media asset is.  This is no different over at G+.  Use full sized images.  A big trend there is GIFs as well.  If it moves and is funny or awe-inspiring in some way, then it catches people's attention as they scroll through their stream feed.  Those GIFs get quite a lot of interaction as well.

If you use some or all of these six handy hints, I'm sure you will see an increase in engagement and follower numbers in the near future.  If you have any other hints or tips you would like to share, please leave a comment below.  I look forward to adding to this list! 

If you live in New Zealand and have need of Social Media Content Management for your business, visit www.kmedia.co.nz to see our offerings or contact us directly at info@kmedia.co.nz for pricing and more information.

The Pros and Cons of Contractors

I recently read an article by a successful entrepreneur about the attitude of some businesses towards hiring contractors to help with certain aspects of their business.  The article focussed on the DIY nature of business in New Zealand, and the positive contribution that a skilled contractor can bring to the party. 

For example, rather than slogging away for hours and hours (and I am guilty of this myself) trying to create a website, you could pay a web-designer. 

Instead of fumbling your way through tax forms and receipts, you could get an accountant to do all that stuff for you.

Rather than trying to make your logo or doing all the printable design work yourself, you could just pay someone to sort that out for you.

Of course, deciding to take on a skilled someone to help you with your business is a big decisions.  Will they understand your business?  Will they care as much as you do about your business?  Are you picking the right person?

Whether it is for one-off help or for on-going support, there will always be pros and cons.

The Pros

• Skill Matching - you get someone with the skills that match exactly what you need. A contractor comes on board and needs very little hand-holding because they are using their core skills with their core applications
• Removing your pain - there is always going to be aspects of your business that are a real pain or you just don't have time to do well.  That's where the real value is in hiring someone else to do that stuff.  
• Flexibility - you don't have to add permanent headcount for the role you need filled.  You just use that service as you need. If you need to cease a contract due to economic reasons, it is easier than letting permanent staff go.
• Training - A skilled person can be paid not only to help with specific tasks, but also to help provide on-the-job training for you or your staff.

The Cons

• Budget - Although you save the costs of having to provide sick leave, annual leave and other employee benefits, on a per-hour basis, contractors are a bit more pricey.
• No Skin in the game - this could be said of any employee really these days as we don't sit in a job for life anymore.  However, it is easier for contractors to leave mid-contract or not extend past the contract end date.  When that happens, if you haven't opted for in-house training then you could lose core skills.
• Continuity - bringing in new contractors all the time can confuse things and cause a few continuity issues for you and your business.  Where possible, it's best to go back to the same company or contractor so that you minimise the risk of confusion.

Ultimately taking on a contractor is a very personal decision for any business owner.  Setting up a contract with another company or consultant who will provide a service to you, can be a leap of faith.  Shop around and make sure that the service you want is being offered and that you are happy with the terms.  As long as both parties have a passion for what they are doing together and the right skills are applied and transferred as well, this type of relationship can be a success. 

If you live in New Zealand and have need of Social Media Content Management for your business, visit www.kmedia.co.nz to see our offerings or contact us directly at info@kmedia.co.nz for pricing and more information.

July 2014 Instagram Photo Challenge

We are already into July.  How did that happen?  A new month brings a new Instagram challenge.  Thanks to all those that participated last month.  We had some really neat shares. My favourite was under #hands.

Here is the July challenge:

It's another 7 day photo challenge, and a fun networking opportunity for you and your business.  Join in, do one during the month or all seven - whatever suits you best.  Think of it as a fun way to increase the content that you are sharing on your Instagram channel.  Taking part will give your customers a behind the scenes look at your business' fun side.  

I'll be checking in on all our participants and I will be sharing any note-worthy entries month-to-month as well.  So look out for those updates too.


If you live in New Zealand and have need of Social Media Content Management for your business, visit www.kmedia.co.nz to see our offerings or contact us directly at info@kmedia.co.nz for pricing and more information.

Creation versus Curation

So you have your business page all set up and you know you need to share some good social stuff with your followers.  Things that aren't always about work, but that fit with your business.  You may have already made some key decisions like "no swear words" or "no text language".  Whatever you feel strongly doesn't fit with your business.  Of course I'm not saying don't swear or use txt spek - you will know if that is the right way to connect with your key audience.  And sometimes a well-timed swear is very well received.

The next big decision (once you have decided what you would like to share) is how you will share it.  Where is this content actually going to come from?   Whether you choose to create new content just for your page or you find things to share that have already been created - remember that appropriate content gathering is a time consuming business.  You do need to put thought and care into it.  And you need a thick skin too - if it doesn't have the impact, reach or go viral for you then chin up and keep on trucking.

Creating

If you opt for creating your own content, then you'll need some tools to do that with.  I have used three different tools myself. 

Firstly, Adobe Fireworks, which you can trial for free for 30 days.  After that there is a cost involved.  I used Fireworks to do all my initial design work for my website and some branded content for my social media channels.  I found the tools good, especially for adding transparent backgrounds to elements.The below image is the type of thing I could make, using my specific brand colours:

Next up was Pic Monkey.  Pic Monkey has free as well as paid elements on their site.  So you can make content either from your images or theirs.  They have a range of fonts, and effects you can add to your pictures as well.  Plus they have templates that are the right size for cover images for your Facebook or you can customise the size of your canvas which is excellent, if you want to make a 403x403 image to suit Facebook.  Here is an example of what you could do with Pic Monkey:

The amazing star background on this image was a free texture I added.  The image was very simple to put together and customise.  It's also very effective.  I love this font.

Lastly, I have been using Canva.  Now Canva has almost totally won me over, though it has to be said that the free options are more limited than with Pic Monkey.  For example, I couldn't get a star image there for free except for stylised geometric shapes.  But there are free images there that you can find if you have good search foo.  And if you find the perfect image and it isn't free, it will only cost you $1 US.  So that isn't so bad either.

This is an example of my Canva work.  But you can see more in any of my social media channels, I do love to play at this site a lot:

Again, the above was pretty simple to put together but very effective.

Creating content doesn't have to be a huge outlay of money for you.  However, it can be time-consuming, especially if you are looking for fresh new content to be created on a daily or more basis. 

Curation

Curating is another option for you, if you don't want to be creating new content or you don't feel you have the design skills to pull it off.  But what is curating?  Well, in basic terms it's having a trawl through your favourite social media outlets, seeing things that speak to you and sharing those on your page.  So it might be a meme another brand has shared that works well for you and your company as well.  Or it might be a fun game that another page has run successfully. 

Three important things will impact on your curating content.  Firstly make sure it is relevant to your page and your audience.  There is no point filling your social media assets with irrelevant noise.  It has to be relatable and in line with your company image too. Everything you share can have an impact on your reach and your following.  Whether that is negative or positive is dependent on what you select to share.

When you share give credit to the original poster.  It's important to give credit where it is due.  This helps you build your integrity with your audience and it helps the creator too as you will help increase their reach as well.  I would suggest not sharing content that has been created and branded by your direct competitors.  For example if you are both selling bibs in the same quality and price bracket, that might not be the best company to be associating yourself with. But if the business sells bibs and you sell bowls and spoons for first solids, then that's a good alignment to make.  You'll have similar audiences, but aren't directly competing. 

Lastly, add your voice to the share. Tell your audience why you are sharing the content.  Maybe you found it funny, or it reflects how you feel.  Maybe it reminded you of a childhood memory, or just made you hungry.  Whatever you say, add your own spin and flair to it.

Creating + Curating

Of course, you don't have to go all in for creating or all in for curating.  You can mix it up!  Make some, share some.  Get creative when you feel like it, curate when you are all out of ideas. 

And if you are truly at a loss, you can always contract someone else to spend the time on it for you plug plug ;)



If you live in New Zealand and have need of Social Media Content Management for your business, visit www.kmedia.co.nz to see our offerings or contact us directly at info@kmedia.co.nz for pricing and more information.

3 of the Best: URL Shorteners

Sometimes you want to share a link to something on Twitter but the link is ridiculously long, and it's chewing up all your characters to tweet with.  Or maybe the link is just Ugly with a capital U.  What's a girl (or a guy for that matter!) to do?  Well, that is where URL Shorteners come in.  A URL Shortener is  a handy tool that reduces the number of characters your URL uses, while still sending the clickee to the right page.  These generally work by way of a redirect from the short domain name to the webpage that has the longer URL.

No doubt you will have encountered one or two of these URL Shorteners along the way.  But which one should you use?  Well, luckily for us there are quite a few of them, but here I will cover 3 of the more popular and reliable ones for business use.

goo.gl

This is the one I most frequently use.  It's Google's own URL Shortener and what I like about it is that it gives you a page preview so you can double check your page.  It's easy to use, easy to copy the new link.  It also keeps a list of your URLs and can tell you what was clicked and how often too.  So you get a bit of quick analytics as well.

TinyURL

I have had a play with Tiny URL and have been impressed with the few extra features they have.  For example, you can shorten your URL, but you also have the ability to customise what it will say.  So instead of a nonsensical code, you can have words if you like.  You can also do a preview URL and it tells you what the character count is for the old link and the new one.

Bitly

This is another one I haven't had a big play with.  However, it's a popular one and definitely in the top 3 in use.  You can use this service for free, without signing up.  But signing up does get you some statistics for analysis.  There are also paid services there including getting your own custom URL, though unless you work for a major brand the pricing may be out of reach for many businesses.

Most URL Shorteners are free and easy to use.  With all URL Shorteners you should be aware that any page deemed "spammy" or illegal will be removed from their service.  They will all have a disclaimer or a terms of use policy, so have a read and happy shortening!


If you live in New Zealand and have need of Social Media Content Management for your business, visit www.kmedia.co.nz to see our offerings or contact us directly at info@kmedia.co.nz for pricing and more information.

June 2014 Instagram Photo Challenge

Earlier this month, I alluded to upcoming Instagram Challenges from KMedia Ltd.  I launched the first of these day:

I've chosen to do a monthly 7 day photo challenge.  These will be a fun networking opportunity for you and your business.  Join in, do one a month or all seven - whatever suits you best.  Think of it as a fun way to increase the content that you are sharing on your Instagram channel.  Taking part will give your customers a behind the scenes look at your business' fun side.  

I'll be checking in on all our participants and I will be sharing any note-worthy entries month-to-month as well.  So look out for those updates too.


If you live in New Zealand and have need of Social Media Content Management for your business, visit www.kmedia.co.nz to see our offerings or contact us directly at info@kmedia.co.nz for pricing and more information.

The Three Ds of Content

This is a little observation, from months of writing on behalf of another entity on Facebook, as well as various interactions in a moderator capacity elsewhere.   It seems to hold relatively true that there are 3 Ds to content on the internet but particularly on Facebook.  What are they?

• Drink
• Dessert
• Dreams

I'm sure you may have noticed too.  Post an artful photo of a glass of wine, or cider or a fancy cocktail and you'll get more interactions than other posts.  Post a comment about some decadent dessert or chocolate that you are have tried and again, the likes and comments will start to flow.  Quotes relating to living your dreams or at least, your best life get shared readily too.

Why is that?  Well it's possible it's to do with the gender split in social media.  Rough statistics tend to suggest that 60 - 70% of social media users are women.  However, if you look directly to New Zealand statistics over at Socialbaker.com the split here is more like 54% female to 46% male.  That's certainly not a complete picture, but I think it shows the willingness to interact in kiwi males compared to worldwide, at least with the major brands.

I suspect it's simpler than that and it comes down to how our brains work.  Our brains are wired to react to things that are Dangerous, Important, Pleasurable or Interesting. Food and drink offers a base kind of pleasure that most people can relate to.   Good food, and a delicious tipple tick at least two of the DIPI boxes, as defined by Sentis.  Our life philosophy is important to each of us, whatever that might be.  Quotes that are relatable are a quick and easy way for people to say "this is me!" 

Now, if you are in the business of selling drinks, desserts or dreams then you are in a strong position.  But the rest of us have to cash in on it somehow.  And it's okay to do so.  Remember that you don't want every post to be business anyway.  You are aiming for only 20 - 30% upsell.  The rest of the time, feel free to post some inspirational quote about wine and chocolate, or other equally DIPI things.

If you live in New Zealand and have need of Social Media Content Management for your business, visit www.kmedia.co.nz to see our offerings or contact us directly at info@kmedia.co.nz for pricing and more information.

How to Organically Grow Your Instagram Following

I've been using Instagram  for over a year now, under a personal account.  It's a great app, which allows you to easily make your mobile photos *pop* and makes sharing those photos really simple.  It is one of the biggest players in photo-based social media.  In 2014 Instagram reported 200 million users use the app every month

If you are in marketing or have a brand you want people to take note of, then Instagram can be a great way to get your message out.  An account for a business can be set up relatively easily.  But then once it is set up, what do you do with it?

You need to have some kind of plan for your feed, which should be driven by a set of goals for what you hope to achieve.  You will also want some way to increase your followers, so those goals can be realised as well.

1.  Use hashtags

In Instagram, hashtags are pretty much meta tags for your photos.  They are a great way to index your content in a meaningful way for your followers.  They are also a great way to feed into a trending tag, where appropriate for your brand.  Hashtags open your feed up to be viewed by people outside of your immediate following, with potential to increase your follower numbers too.

Unlike other social media outlets adding a lot of tags is fine, but it's best not to go too overboard.  If you exceed 30 hashtags your photo will not post.  According to a report by Track Maven outlined here, 11+ tags on your Instagram photos should have a positive impact on your average interactions.  I wouldn't stray too far towards 30 though, as you don't want your images to feel like spam.

But which ones?

There are some clear winners
#nofilter - for those natural no filter shots
#photooftheday - this one is often suggested, as many people use it and search by it
#picoftheday - similar to the one above
#selfie - for those self portraits
#instagood - this is another popular one for marketers and users alike
#instacool - what is better than good? cool, of course.

On top of these, you could use #love, #family, #style, #design, #amazing, #friends, etc.

You'll want to do a tag that is brand specific like #kmedialtdnz and then maybe a popular tag or two #picoftheday, #instacool and then add one or two general tags that describe the photo #coffee, #cake maybe even a more specific flavour #carrotcake.

2. Don't be afraid to invite them into your world

Instagram is a great way to connect to your followers and provide some more flavour for your brand.  Behind the scenes photos, and teasers of products you are working on are great topics to post photos of.  Take a photo of fabric swatches, or the offcuts after an afternoon of creating.  Take photos of your breakroom coffee, the weather outside, something that made you smile.  It's called social media for a reason, and they are following you for so much more than just the sales pitch.

3. To filter or not to filter

I am a huge fan of the filters on my personal Instagram account and will hardly ever post something without a filter.  My favourite two are X-Pro II and  Lo-Fi, but sometimes I will select something else.  #nofilter is a very popular option for many users, but you may find that adding a filter here and there is not harmful to your following numbers.  Have fun and play.  You are bound to find yourself with a favourite or two.  Just don't tag those photos as #nofilter if you have used a filter.

4. Run a promotion

There are instructions over at Instagram about how to go about it here.  You have a couple of decisions to make before you launch this:

• Will you have a prize?  If you do a prize try to make it one of your products or store credit. These will be easiest for you and links nicely to your business.
• Pick your promotion hashtag
• Pick the length of your promotion
• Decide your rules or terms & conditions - what do they have to do to be eligible for the prize if there is one.
• Post a photo of your promotion on Instagram.  

I'll be running my own photo challenges coming up and will be advertising these on my various social media channels.  These will be a great opportunity for small businesses to network, and connect with each other as well as new potential customers.  You are welcome to join in.  Connect with me via Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or Instagram to be notified when these challenges are coming up!


If you live in New Zealand and have need of Social Media Content Management for your business, visit www.kmedia.co.nz to see our offerings or contact us directly at info@kmedia.co.nz for pricing and more information.