Category Archives: social media marketing

Are You Giving Consumers What They Want?

The late Steve Jobs, ever the contrarian, is on record as saying ‘Some people say, “Give the customers what they want.” But that’s not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they’re going to want before they do. I think Henry Ford once said, “If I’d asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, ‘A faster horse!'” People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.’

It’s a philosophy that served Apple well, but it may not necessarily translate to every aspect of business. It also presupposes that brands are able to drill down, look beyond the obvious and provide unique offerings that match unmet (and previously-unimagined) needs.

Yeah, nah — such skills are very rare indeed. Unless and until you’re able to predict the future, it’s far better to find out exactly what customers say they want. Yes, per Mr Jobs, they may be wrong, they may not know what they really should want — but if you start by finding out their desires, then you’ll be in a much better position to deliver on those wishes (or substitute an unexpected but better alternative).

What Consumers Want in Social Media Posts

For example, Sprout Social research has recently identified a basic mismatch between the social media content that brands are creating and the type of content that consumers are actually keen to receive.

Here’s the comparison:

This latest study is consistent with findings from earlier research. Consumers like, friend or follow brands for two primary reasons:

to find out about discounts, deals and special offers
to get insider knowledge about what’s new

Sure, you can’t only be writing about deals and discounts, and new products don’t come along every day — but you should take note of the research and prioritise your content accordingly.

Brand Content That Engages

Another perspective provided by that same Sprout Social research: the type of brand content that consumers are more likely to engage with and share:

As we noted above, the better informed you are about consumer preferences, the more effectively you can post relevant content that they will engage with and even share.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SHARING CONTENT THAT CONSUMERS WANT

If you’d like to gain a better understanding about consumers, their needs and their wants in the social media sphere, you might like to check out our Social Media Marketing courses:

Here are the current courses (click on the links for more details about each course):

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING COURSES

Facebook Accelerator Programme

So you have a few hundred (or a few thousand) followers on Facebook but now you want to know how to get to the next level? Our Facebook Accelerator seven-part online course will lead you through the steps necessary to supercharge your Facebook presence and get Kiwi consumers engaging with you and your brands.

For more details of the Facebook Accelerator programme, please click here.

The Principles & Practice of Social Media Marketing

This is a thirteen-part eCourse providing a comprehensive introduction to Social Media Marketing, from the Basics to detailed instructions on how to build and run a Social Media Marketing programme.

For more details of the Social Media Marketing online course, please click here.

The Complete Facebook Marketing Course

For those who wish to master Facebook Marketing in its entirety, we’ve created a ten-week online training programme which will take you from absolute beginner on Facebook to highly effective Facebook communicator.

For more details of the Complete Facebook Marketing programme, please click here.

Mastering Facebook Advertising

This is a nine-part eCourse providing a comprehensive introduction to Facebook Advertising.

For more details of the Mastering Facebook Ads online training course, please click here.

How to Prepare an Effective Social Media Brief

Even if you don’t intend to become directly involved in social media yourself, you may still need to understand the principles, practices and opportunities of social media — for example, if you need to brief someone about running a social media campaign. This programme is designed to provide you with the insights necessary to prepare an effective brief.

For more details of the How to Prepare an Effective Social Media Brief programme, please click here.

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You’ll find out the details of this Instagram Marketing seven-part online training course by clicking here.

6 Things Beginners Need to Know About Social Media Marketing for NZ Businesses

Are you new to the idea of Social Media Marketing and wondering if it’s right for you and your Kiwi business?

If that sounds like you, here are six things you need to know to determine if Social Media Marketing is appropriate for you.

1 Social Media is where your customers are

Roy Morgan Research reveals that in New Zealand we now spend almost half of our media consumption time online …

… and the biannual World Internet Project NZ data reveals that two-thirds of us (in this instance, “us” means Kiwi Internet users) visit social media networks at least daily.

In other words, where once the best place for marketers to find Kiwis in large numbers watching TV, listening to radio or reading newspapers or magazines, nowadays online in general (and social media in particular) is where we mostly choose to spend our time.

2. Social Media is where you can go to join the conversation

In the introduction to his 1999 book “Permission Marketing“, Seth Godin told us:

Whether it is the TV commercial that breaks into our favourite programme or the telemarketing phone call that disrupts a family meal, traditional advertising is based on the hope of snaring our attention away from whatever we are doing. Seth Godin calls this Interruption Marketing, and, as companies are discovering, it no longer works.

Interruption Marketing has no place in Social Media, either. It’s called “Social” for a reason — it’s all about conversations. Bring your sales pitch to a friendly chat and you’ll quickly get ignored.

Instead, be ready to listen, engage and build relationships with consumers and you’ll finally start to get somewhere.

3. Social Media is where you can get feedback about your brand and your products

If you provide a lousy product or service, you’ll hear all about it on Social Media. Here, people have a voice — and they’re not afraid to let their friends (and you) know what they think.

On the other hand, if you build a wonderful product, people will happily talk about that as well.

4. Social Media is where you can find people who may want to come to your website

Once you build a relationship with your followers, you can invite them to come and visit (and be comfortable that you won’t offend them).

Alternatively, you can pay for sponsored posts inviting people to your website (which will work, if your content is interesting and relevant to them).

5. Social Media is where you can actually make sales

Again, if you have the right sort of relationship with your followers, you can actually sell stuff directly to them.

Or, again, you can pay for product ads.

6. You will have to pay to reach people through Social Media

Once upon a time, you could create a Facebook page or a Twitter or Instagram account and lots of people would see your messages without you having to pay anything.

Those were great times but, alas, they couldn’t last, in this commercial world. Now, unless you pay to advertise, most of your social media messages will simply go unseen.

For many years, Facebook has been reducing what it calls Organic Reach (the number of people who see a post for free, without you paying to promote the post).

In early 2018, Organic Reach took yet another hit, as Digiday reports:

If any brands haven’t already shifted their Facebook strategy entirely to paid, then they may have to soon.

The social network is changing its news feed to prioritize what friends and family share, which will reduce the amount of content that users see from brands and publishers.

Agencies believe brands will have to spend more on paid ads on Facebook in order to get the same number of views — further lining Facebook’s pockets. This is just the “final nail in the existing coffin” of organic reach, said Doug Baker, director of strategic services at digital agency AnalogFolk.

Our own data confirms the local decline and fall of Organic Reach. We took a look at our New Zealand database of more than 23,000 Facebook pages as at 28 February 2018 and found that:

80% of NZ Facebook pages are now achieving less than 2% engagement
Just 3% (750) of the NZ Facebook pages we measured achieved more than 10% engagement (people liking, sharing or commenting on their posts) in the previous week
A mere handful of NZ Facebook pages (31, 0.13%) achieved better than 50% engagement — typically driven by the strong performance of a single post. Most then returned to normal low engagement in the following weeks

So what should you do? How can you learn more about Social Media Marketing, including what to do (and what not to do)?

Here’s where we can help. We offer a number of courses which can show you how to market effectively through Social Media:

FOR AN OVERVIEW OF ALL YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING OPTIONS

Our thirteen-part Principles & Practice of Social Media Marketing course will take you through all the Social Media platforms relevant to New Zealand marketers.

JUST ABOUT FACEBOOK

For those already operating a business page on Facebook, check out our Facebook Accelerator course by clicking here
or (for those entirely new to Facebook) our Complete Facebook Marketing course here.

FOCUS ON INSTAGRAM

Details of our Instagram Marketing course can be found here.

FOR B2B MARKETING ON LINKEDIN

This course will show you how to use LinkedIn effectively.

IF YOU INTEND TO OUTSOURCE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

This course will take you through what you need to know to prepare an effective Social Media Marketing Brief

Welcome to the Social Media Marketing playground!

Social Media Marketing: State of the Market 2018

Every year, the fine folks at Social Media Examiner poll their 450,000 followers to determine what’s hot and what’s not in social media marketing.

The full report for 2018 has just been publicly released and if you hurry (freely available for download until May 30) you can grab it here.

The results are global, but with half the respondents based in the United States.

Social Media Marketing 2018: Key Findings

We’ve been through the report and these are some of the key findings that caught our eye:

Facebook remains king. A very significant 94% of marketers use Facebook (followed by Instagram at 66%). Two in three marketers claim Facebook is their most important social platform.

Fans and followers are no longer as sought after as before. For the first time in years, generating leads has become more of a focus for marketers than cultivating a loyal fan base. In our view, that’s just a side effect of the reality that (especially for Facebook) the importance of follower numbers has diminished as organic reach has declined. 52% of marketers surveyed said that they saw their Facebook reach decline in the last year.

Even so, 50% of marketers have increased their organic activities on Facebook over the last 12 months and 62% of marketers plan on increasing their Facebook organic activities over the next year.

Facebook is the most important paid social advertising medium (and will continue to be so as we move towards 2019). Facebook ads are used by 72% of marketers (followed by Instagram at 31%). Nearly half of all marketers increased their Facebook ad activities in the last year and 67% plan on increasing their use of Facebook ads over the next 12 months.

Paid social media advertising is on the increase. The platforms where marketers have most increased their use of paid media are Facebook ads (49%) and Instagram ads (28%); and in the near future, both platforms will see even more expenditure, with 67% of marketers planning to spend more on Facebook and 53% planning to spend more on Instagram.

Return on Investment remains a challenge. Just 44% of marketers felt that they could measure ROI or social media activities.

The jury is still out on effectiveness. Slightly less than half of those marketers surveyed agreed that their Facebook marketing is effective.

Nevertheless, social media marketing is still viewed as delivering strong benefits. A significant 87% of all marketers indicated that their social media efforts have generated more exposure for their businesses. Increased traffic was the second major benefit, with 78% reporting positive results.

Snapchat isn’t really a thing: 82% of marketers don’t currently use the platform and 72% have the no plans to use Snapchat in the next 12 months.

Influencer marketing has yet to reach its full potential: 61% of marketers are not currently working with influencers.

B2C: nearly all business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers are focused on Facebook.

B2B: most business-to-business (B2B) marketers also use Facebook, whilst a significant percentage use LinkedIn.

Most popular communications methods: images remain the most popular content form, used by 80% of marketers, while videos are used by 63% (up from 57% in 2017). Going forward, marketers plan to increase their use of videos (77%), visuals (68%), live video (63%), blogging (57%), and podcasting (25%), in that order.

Learning More About Social Media Platforms

Social Media Examiner asked marketers to identify which social media platforms they want to learn more about. Facebook took first place at 79%.

If YOU would like to learn more about any of the above platforms, take a look at our online training courses:

FACEBOOK

Check out our Facebook Accelerator course by clicking here
or (for those new to Facebook) our Complete Facebook Marketing course here.

INSTAGRAM

Details of our Instagram Marketing course can be found here.

LINKEDIN

This course will show you how to use LinkedIn effectively.

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

This thirteen-part Principles & Practice of Social Media Marketing course will take you through all the Social Media platforms relevant to New Zealand marketers (including all those shown above).

7 reasons why social media marketing is more important than ever for Kiwi businesses

You’ve probably heard that Facebook has dramatically reduced the organic (unpaid) reach of Facebook pages, so that no matter how many followers you have, only a very small proportion of those will be shown your Facebook posts.

That is true, although it is still possible for many Facebook pages to enjoy remarkable viral success.

For example, the Humane Society of New Zealand‘s Facebook page scored many tens of thousands of engagements thanks to plenty of posts of animals needing TLC and the occasional meme like this:

On a more commercial basis, Wanaka wedding photographer Andy Brown Photography is achieving excellent results in social media, with hundreds of likes for many of the company’s stunning photos:

Even if yours is one of the businesses impacted by Facebook’s actions however, that does not mean that you should abandon social media. Here are 7 reasons why social media is more important than ever for your business:

1 Your customers and prospects are there

It’s more challenging than ever to market to Kiwis. They simply don’t hang out in the usual places anymore. Newspaper circulation continues to dwindle; television viewing remains high but audiences in 2018 are spread across the free-to-air networks, tens of Sky channels and the commercial-free streaming services such as Neon, Lightbox, Amazon Prime and of course Netflix.

They can however be found in large numbers on the social networks:

Facebook has more than 3 million New Zealand members and Nielsen tells us (Nielsen Online Ratings December 2017) that 2.5 million visit that social network in a typical month (a great many of them on at least a daily basis). Average time spent on Facebook per month: 9 hours and 55 minutes.
YouTube takes second place, reaching a unique Kiwi audience of 2.3 million, who average 4 hours and 31 minutes watching videos on the site.
Instagram has 1.1 million Kiwi members, around two thirds of whom are under 35.

Collectively, social network numbers are huge. That doesn’t mean it’s easy to reach out to their audiences, especially with commercial messages; but the least the numbers are there.

2 Your competitors are there

Around the world, 2 million businesses use social media marketing to promote their products and services. No, you shouldn’t just use social media because other businesses do — but if your competitors are active and successful on social media, you owe it to yourself to at least check out your options.

3 Social Media often leads to sales

Studies reveal that 70% of business-to-consumer marketers have acquired customers through social media. And that isn’t just sales that the businesses would have required anyway: according to ignite social media, 41% of people who discovered an item through social media and then went on to purchase it said they’d just happened upon it and hadn’t previously thought of buying it.

4 Social Media drives awareness

According to AdWeek, at least once a month, 83 per cent of survey respondents heard about a brand or product on social media before they heard about it from any other source. And yes, awareness matters: it takes time to make sales and first they have to hear about you.

5 Social Media is an ideal place to engage with your fans

As your business grows, you’ll find it’s impossible to just invite your customers over for drinkies. Even if they really, really, really like you, your customers can’t just drop in to your business and find out what’s new and what’s happening. But they can stop by your establishment on social media and get all the goss — new products, special offers, behind the scenes exclusives.

If you stop thinking of your social media properties as a place to sell to people and think instead of the networks as a way to share stories, interact and engage, then you’ll really start to tap into the potential of social media.

6 Social Media is good for SEO

Search engine algorithms do seem to smile fondly on social media links as a positive signal, to boost the authority of your website and its pages. Sure, we don’t really know how fondly — like the Colonel’s secret herbs and spices, algorithmic factors are a closely held secret. But every little helps, especially if it’s your followers who are socially sharing the links rather than just you.

7 Advertising often costs less in Social Media

Chances are, you will have to pay to boost your posts in social media and ensure that your carefully chosen words, pictures and videos are seen by as many people as possible. But, at least for now, you will probably pay less than if you advertised elsewhere (online or off-line).

If you choose your posts carefully, and primarily promote those posts that are already showing signs of success, you can also benefit by having recipients share your posts (without you paying any more). Why would they do that? Because your promoted posts were (a) relevant; (b) interesting; and (c) worth sharing. So choose carefully — the budget you save may be your own.

Want to learn more about social media marketing and how to maximise its effectiveness? Check out our online training course.

7 Social Media Marketing Facts We Learned This Month

Social Media is constantly changing and we’re always learning new things. Here are seven facts we just came across:

1 Nearly half of your social media followers expect answers within an hour

According to Finextra, studies show that about 42% of customers who make product inquiries through social media platforms expect to get answers from brands within 60 minutes.

Yeah, achievable if you’re a small business and a social media tragic who spends his/her life socially wired. Otherwise not, unless you turn to Artificial Intelligence (eg chatbots) to meet those needs.

2 Facebook Custom Audiences targeting EU/UK consumers need explicit permission

As you may be aware, you can advertising directly to specific people on Facebook by uploading their email addresses to the site as part of a Custom Audience list. Because email addresses represent personal data, however, that information falls within the scope of the new EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). You now need the explicit permission of each recipient (if they are resident in the EU or the UK) — or you risk mind-numbingly large fines. See our short book “What Marketers Must Know About GDPR” (now available on Amazon) for more details.

3 Instagram Stories are surprisingly effective

Instagram Stories — which, like Snapchat, let you share photos and videos with your followers, but each post you share expires and vanishes after 24 hours — are twice as popular as Snapchat. They’re also less curated and more ‘in the now’ than content that is posted to the actual feed, according to CMSWire, which makes them ideal for communicating informally, without the polished, super calculated shots that show up in a beautifully composed Instagram profile.

4 Most marketers now use a blend of paid and organic social media

As unpaid (organic) reach continues to drop for social media, brands are getting with the new program and adopting a blend of paid and organic. Most marketers (86%) already use both organic and paid approaches to social media, according to a recent Clutch survey, and almost 60% say they believe paid is more effective. In late 2016, surveys showed that 39% only or mostly used an organic approach, while 11% only or mostly used paid, and 35% reported using an equal mix of organic and paid social marketing to achieve their goals (per DentalEconomics website).

5 Social Media is turning previously-little-known Winter Olympics athletes into hyper-valuable superstars

The power of Influencer Marketing has been amply demonstrated over the last three months, thanks to the Winter Olympics. According to Forbes, from January to March, Brazilian skateboarder Leticia Bufoni drove 22.6 million social media engagements, which translates into $2.5 million worth of marketing and audience reach for Nike. In 2016, sports analytics company Hookit determined that Bufoni “earned much more media value online than many other major-sport female sports superstars” and was the “second most valuable female athlete for Nike.”

6 Is messaging about to vanish from Instagram?

AdNews reports: Instagram has been testing a standalone app for private messages called Direct, a first step toward possibly toward removing messaging features from the core app. Direct, which opens to the camera in the same way Snapchat does, has been available since December in six countries: Chile, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Turkey and Uruguay.

Although it is officially only a test, Instagram’s rationale for building the Direct app is that private messaging can never be a best-in-class experience when it lives inside an app meant for broadcasting publicly.

7 Don’t leave Influencer Marketing until the last moment

You’re not their only client: 68% of influencers surveyed say they work on three or more campaigns in a typical month. Particularly around major events or holidays (such as fashion weeks or Christmas), influencers can become fully booked. So if you decide you want to work with influencers, plan ahead.

Stay Up-To-Date with Social Media Marketing

Want to know more about Social Media Marketing? Check out our Principles & Practice of Social Media Marketing New Zealand online training course, constantly updated for 2018:

Social Media Marketing – NZ Online Training Course

** REVISED AND UPDATED FOR 2018 **

Now that social media is the place where most Kiwis spend a large amount of time online, there is a very real need for NZ businesses to learn how to make more effective use of Social Media Marketing to reach existing and prospective customers.

Here are a few of the reasons why NZ businesses need to know more about Social Media Marketing:

Two out of three Kiwi Internet users visit social network sites every day. If you’re not active in their favourite forum, will they think of you when they decide to purchase the types of goods or services that you sell?
Through those sites, they talk about what they need to buy and they ask their friends for recommendations. Are you listening?
They follow brands and organisations on the social networks, so that they can be in the know about what’s new, what’s hot and what special deals are available. If they care enough about your brand to follow you on Facebook or Instagram or the like, what are you doing for them?
They share stuff with their friends — the good, the bad and the ugly. If you’re being talked about and you don’t know what is being said about you and your products & services (and customer service successes and failures) in social media, you won’t have a chance to respond and fix any problems before they go toxic.

To help meet the needs of Kiwi businesses, we have revised and updated our well-established (since 2010) online training course which covers both the principles and practices of Social Media Marketing in New Zealand.

This is a thirteen-part online training course providing a comprehensive introduction to Social Media Marketing, from the Basics to comprehensive information on the leading social media networks relevant to New Zealand marketers.

This online training course is conducted on a web-based e-learning software platform, enabling course participants to proceed at their own pace, accessing materials online. This particular online training course provides content in a variety of multimedia forms, including videos, slideshows, flash-based presentations and PDF files. No special software is required to participate.

Course lessons will be provided in thirteen parts, for participants to access in accordance with their own timetables. Interaction with the course tutor is enabled through the platform software tools (with telephone backup if required).

Feedback from previous Social Media Marketing online training course Participants

“this was the best professional development course I have done in many years” – Mark R, senior Agency Exec responsible for social media
“thought the information within was outstanding” – Ed P, General Manager
“What I loved was that I started with a fairly rudimentary understanding of social media but have learned a lot – including where to find more information as I need it.” – Fiona W, Marketing Manager
“I found it relevant, informative, topical, insightful and a bloody good read. It’s never evangelical, too techy, patronising, assumes that you know too much or too little about digital and has a warm sense of humour in the communication throughout which helped faciliate the learning process for me.” — Adrienne B, new media senior executive
“Thanks for pointing me in the direction of this course! It’s been extremely enlightening” — Shayne P, design agency director
“Rapt with what I have seen of the course” — Julia R, fashion editor
“I’m really enjoying the course – learning a lot – and I know the two friends I persuaded to join us are also loving it.” — Lavinia C, designer
“Am thoroughly enjoying the content!” – Kara B, magazine co-ordinator
“I completed the first lesson today and found it really interesting and love the interaction already! I am so looking forward to the second lesson already …” — Annette B, public relations director
“I was already engaging with social media and have been doing so for about 6 years or so. Remembering the days when all of my friends were on Bebo and MySpace and seeing how this has now shifted so dramatically. But, did I know how to use social media in a marketing and business sense? No, I simply did not. This course was a great way to show me how to do that.” — Sheryl K, online marketer

COURSE CREATION AND TUTORING
This course has been created and is tutored by Michael Carney.

WHO SHOULD TAKE THE COURSE
Any Business Owner, Marketing, Advertising, PR or Communications professional who, while they may have a fair knowledge of what social media options are out there, don’t know how to use them effectively (and have a perfectly reasonable fear of doing the wrong thing in a very public arena).

WHAT YOU SHOULD LEARN AS A RESULT OF THE COURSE:

The principles of effective marketing in social media
Which social networks are strongest in New Zealand, who uses them and what works best on each network
What social media can do for your (or your clients’) business
The best tools and techniques for monitoring social networks
How to really understand and engage with the consumer
How to create relevant, informative, killer content for your social media programme
How to define and measure meaningful numbers to determine the success (or otherwise) of your social media activities
Answering those questions that (if you’re not prepared) could kill your career
How to watch for, and adapt to, the Next Big Thing in Social Media (whatever that is)

COURSE CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION:
WHY SOCIAL MEDIA SILENCE IS DEADLY

In which we put Social Media in context in the modern world; discuss the reality that the medium is a runaway success (regardless of whether marketers choose to participate or not); deal with marketers’ biggest fears about the medium; and discuss the key principles of effective marketing in social media.

LESSON ONE: THE BASICS
I’VE JUST ARRIVED FROM OUTER SPACE. TELL ME ABOUT THESE “SOCIAL NETWORKS”.

For those a little fuzzy on the basics: we introduce the concept of social networks; talk about the main players; show you how to check out and claim your digital identity at key online sites and services; and (if you’re not already there) invite you to sign yourself up to the primary social sites.

Lesson Two: Facebook

In Lesson Two, we examine what really works on Facebook for NZ businesses. We spell out the characteristics of successful Facebook posts and identify 20 different posting formats that get noticed and get shared.

We look at:

What you should talk about most of the time on Facebook (hint: it’s not endlessly flogging the products that you sell)
The 10 most important factors that consumers look for when deciding whether or not to buy from you (and how you can improve each aspect)
The four most important services you can provide that will have consumers recommending you to their friends
What you need to know about the new Facebook Marketplace (before it gets swamped)
What Facebook Remarketing is all about (and why it can almost miraculously improve your online business)

Then we review the types of posts worth sharing, accompanied by a wide range of examples, including:

Plenty of stories from local and international businesses who are using Facebook effectively
The hotel chain that has twice as many people talking about it as the chain has followers
The radio station that has truly mastered the art of Facebook
Examples of posts that really tug at the heartstrings
The Facebook page that had 247,756 Facebook likes but managed to get 775,600 people talking and 160,000 people sharing
Practical posts that get people sharing

And many many more.

Lesson Three: Online Video

Video is central to Facebook’s vision for the future of the platform. In 2014 CEO Mark Zuckerberg was quoted as saying “In five years most of Facebook will be video”. we’re not quite there yet, but 2019 isn’t very far away at all — and already online video is becoming dominant.

One of the reasons why video is so important for business: after watching a video, 64% of users are more likely to buy a product online.

In this lesson, we discuss exactly what you need to know about online video (especially on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube), including:

How much more likely people are to watch live video (compared to video which is not live)
The dramatically-increased performance of Facebook video posts compared with photo posts
The perceived benefits (and barriers) of live-streaming video and how live streaming is currently being used by businesses
Success secrets of online video – including the exploding watermelon video that reached more than 10 million people

Along the way, we explore:

11 steps to creating an effective video content strategy
Essential tips and techniques from the YouTube Creator Playbook
Video marketing tips from the experts
30 practical tips to help you create the best live-streamed videos
The surprising legal ramifications of live content streaming (what you don’t know could cost you bigtime)

Lesson Four: Instagram

Despite the newfound popularity of social video, images continue to be a vital part of the Social Web. In Lesson Four, find out what you need to know about Instagram, including:

What we know about Kiwi Instagram users
How leading brands are winning with this image-based network
How to use Instagram to its full potential
Smart visual content strategies
What you should include in your Instagram profile
Creative ideas for using Instagram for marketing
The importance of hashtags (but how NOT to overuse them)
Using Instagram for instant feedback (for better or for worse)
How often you should post to Instagram (and what NOT to post)
The vital intelligence you can gain, just by tracking Instagram usage
Five tips for amazing visual content

Lesson Five: Social Media Advertising

As the social networks limit organic reach — the numbers of your followers who might see your social media posts just because they follow your page — organisations have turned to advertising to communicate their messages. In this lesson we examine how to make the most of your advertising options across various social media networks — and how to really take advantage of the enhanced targeting opportunities that social media provides.

We also explore:

how to take best advantage of Carousel Ads, Lead Ads and other Facebook and Instagram options
Facebook’s Canvas, full-screen mobile ad experience
using Calls to Action more effectively
how leading advertisers are using social media
using your existing customer and prospect lists to develop custom audiences

Lesson Six: Pinterest

If your target audience is female, you really should include Pinterest as one of your social media marketing tools. Here’s how Pinterest describes itself:

Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard. Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.

In this lesson, we explore:

The latest local and international statistics
How marketers are using Pinterest
Pinterest’s Business Pages
Pinterest case studies, best practices and inspirational guides
What you simply must know about Pinterest’s Secret Boards
how you can make the most of rich pins on Pinterest

Lesson Seven: Google Plus

Google Plus is strategically important, even though it really isn’t much of a social network (and has, not unreasonably, been described as a ghost town). Still, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it. In this lesson, we cover:

Google Plus stats and demographics
Why Google Plus is so important for SEO — and for your online credibility
The implications of Google blending Google Plus with Google Shopping
Why Google Plus matters more than ever for local businesses
The controversial Google Plus sharing policies

Lesson Eight: LinkedIn

It’s the world’s leading network for business professionals — and if you don’t know how to use LinkedIn effectively, to conduct research, get introduced to warm prospects and to close sales, you could be leaving a lot of potential B2B revenue on the table. In this lesson, we share the latest developments and strategies for LinkedIn, including:

the marketing implications of Microsoft’s US$26.2 Billion purchase of LinkedIn
the importance of LinkedIn social selling
the three simple secrets of effective LinkedIn prospecting
what you need to know to close more sales through LinkedIn
five ways in which you (if you’re not careful) can ruin your LinkedIn profile
getting the most out of LinkedIn’s sponsored content options
why your organisation should have LinkedIn guidelines for employees

Plus Action Steps for each section.

Lesson Nine: Community Management and Influencer Marketing

Great! You have an enthusiastic following on your chosen social network. But how do you engage effectively with these followers? And how do you reach out to influencers — those who have significant communities of their own?

In this lesson we explore strategies, techniques and best practice, including:

taking full advantage of Facebook Groups
Influencer marketing strategies that work
the vital importance of customer service through social media
tips and wisdom from leading community managers
foibles and failures to avoid
identifying and connecting with Kiwi influencers

Lesson Ten: Twitter

Twitter has come under fire recently, with several potential buyers of the struggling social network operator seemingly turning up their noses and declining to bid. Even so, Twitter can still be a powerful marketing medium if you use it correctly.

In Lesson Ten, we bring you up to speed with Twitter, including:

what Twitter includes (and no longer includes) in its 140-character message limit
7 tips for maximizing Twitter as a marketing and engagement tool
the best brands on Twitter (and why they’re so successful)
Twitter’s new people tagging and multiple photo sharing options
Twitter tools that will boost your productivity
Twitter and video: what you need to know

Lesson Eleven: Tools & Tips

Next, we take a look at the latest tools that will help you manage your social media needs effectively.

In this lesson, you’ll learn:

what you can and should measure as you use social media to market your products and services
the top tools recommended by leading social media experts
smart strategies for best engagement with your followers
new social media trends to watch for

Lesson Twelve: Monitoring

DON’T SAY A THING. JUST LISTEN FIRST (EVEN FOR JUST 10 MINUTES A DAY), THEN THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE HEARING. MAYBE THEN YOU CAN TALK.

We know you want to get your teeth into Social Media fast, but you need to start by just listening. And yes, you can do it for just ten minutes a day (if you’re very focussed). In this lesson, we show you where and how to listen (and where to find the mostly-free tools to do so); what to listen for; who to listen to (identifying opinion leaders); and we talk about how things can go wrong and how to react to problems when they arise. In this lesson, we also cover NZ’s Harmful Digital Communications Act and why it’s so essential to monitor your social media properties on a daily basis. Your homework will involve listening, listening, listening.

Lesson Thirteen: Metrics & ROI

OVERCOMING THOSE QUESTIONS THAT KILL MARKETING CAREERS

Social Media in its early stages avoided those awkward issues about Return on Investment and whether it really delivered value for the time and money involved. Now times are tougher, the budgets are tighter and CFOs are asking the hard questions. In this lessons we look at the metrics that are nice to have but more importantly at the ones that matter. We also identify strategies you can follow to develop useful, meaningful measures that satisfy the C-suite. You can guess what your homework is.

CONCLUSION:
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE, AND WHO’S DRIVING?

Social Media (it seemed) arrived faster than a speeding bullet. What’s next for the medium, how do you tell, and what can you do to prepare? We look at the trends and offer some advice.

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TIMING

The next course begins on Monday 30 December, 2019.

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INVESTMENT

This thirteen-part online training course is available for $697. However we offer an Early Bird Discount of $100 — pay just $597 for bookings received by Monday 23 December, 2019.

Bookings are confirmed on receipt of payment, which can be by bank deposit or credit card. We can raise an invoice in advance if you need it.

To reserve your place in this course, please pay by credit card through PayPal by clicking here:

If you would prefer to pay by bank deposit, or require an invoice, please send an email to [email protected] with your requirements.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

You’ll receive our emailed confirmation of your booking. Then on the first day of the course we’ll follow up with details of your Login and Password, along with an Enrolment Key for the Social Media Marketing online training course.

If you have any questions, or would like more information, please email us at [email protected]

Social Media Trends for 2018

Tis (nearly) the season to be prognosticating, as we head towards the usual end of year chaos.

We have already talked about some of the marketing trends we expect to hold centre stage in 2018. Now we turn the spotlight on social media trends for 2018, inspired by an infographic from Filmora (available here).

1 Video

First on the list is the least surprising of all: social goes video. Yep, all those moving pictures clamouring for attention on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram (now joined by LinkedIn, which has recently added its own native video offerings) will continue to get all the attention.

What that means for marketers: if you are not using video in social media, you are much less likely to get noticed — and even less likely to get remembered. According to data gathered by Filmora, 95% of video messages will be retained by consumers while only 10% of text-based posts will enjoy that privilege.

Oh, and if you can, make those videos live. Facebook Live videos are watched three times longer than regular videos.

2 Ephemeral is Hot

The move to short-lived content, pioneered by Snapchat and shamelessly copied by Instagram Stories, will continue to be a thing in 2018.

Why? There are a few factors at work, including:

increased concentration on the actual post content, precisely because it will disappear
fear of missing out, because the messages are limited and time-constrained
users can afford not to worry about little things like spelling, grammar or accuracy, because their messages don’t hang around long enough to be critiqued

3 Chatbots are multiplying

There are now some 12,000 active chatbots on Facebook Messenger and it is estimated that 30% of our chat conversations will be with the little creatures next year.

Why? Because, in many cases they are smarter than humans — at least when it comes to talking about what they know (are programmed) to chat about.

If you already know the most frequently asked questions about your products and services, a chatbot is the simplest, most efficient and friendliest (!) way to share that information with your prospects and customers.

4 Influencer Marketing is growing strongly

Influencer Marketing is the fastest-growing marketing channel, according to Filmora data.

That’s because, with all due respect to traditional media channels, Influencer Marketing is (or can/should be):

more targeted
more credible
more affordable

Influencer Marketing can also be more successful, according to 94% of those who use the channel.

And, since these days consumers put more trust in friends, whanau and peers, Influencer Marketing is an easy approach to gather endorsements that hopefully turn into sales.

5 Mobile, Mobile, Mobile

Yeah, we may never actually arrive at the long-promised “year of the mobile“, but this is pretty darned close.

More than 90% of Kiwis under 55 now have smartphones and, guess what, we actually use them — most especially, for checking in on social media many times a day.

And yes, that means that any marketing or promotion that you do on social media needs to be mobile-friendly — and, if you are sending anybody from a social medium to your own website, that better be mobile-friendly as well.

Want to know a whole lot more about NZ Marketing Trends for 2018? Check out our upcoming slide presentation.

Need to know more about Social Media Marketing for New Zealand? One of our online training courses might be just what you need.

Oh, and if you don’t have Mobile Marketing all figured out already, we have a course for that as well.

Stop Using Giveaways to Attract Instagram Followers

We used to see it all the time on Facebook. Now the pernicious practice of using giveaways to attract followers has spread to Instagram as well.

Here’s an example, from a major New Zealand brand, posted just last month:

We’ve blurred out the brand details because we’re feeling kind and generous today. Just so you know, though, the prize was a grocery voucher — a category totally unrelated to the brand.

So why are we so against running this type of promotion?

Because — as this brand has — you end up attracting new followers who like to WIN stuff (and not even stuff related to your product category).

If that’s your core constituency (for example, if you’re a sampling company), great. Otherwise, you know nothing about these new followers except that they like to win stuff. That’s not what we call effective targeting.

In this case, the brand just handed over a $500 grocery voucher to attract a few hundred freeloaders — most of whom, presumably, will quickly unfollow the brand if it starts posting information related to its actual product category. You know, like posts that try to sell products.

So please, please, don’t try to inflate your follower numbers by giving away stuff (especially unrelated products). You’re not just wasting your time and money, you’re also diluting your fanbase.

If you want to know how you really should promote yourself on Instagram, check out our Social Media Marketing course.

Lesson Four tells you what you need to know about Instagram, including:

What we know about Kiwi Instagram users
How leading brands are winning with this image-based network
How to use Instagram to its full potential
Smart visual content strategies
What you should include in your Instagram profile
Creative ideas for using Instagram for marketing
The importance of hashtags (but how NOT to overuse them)
Using Instagram for instant feedback (for better or for worse)
How often you should post to Instagram (and what NOT to post)
The vital intelligence you can gain, just by tracking Instagram usage
Five tips for amazing visual content

A word to the wise …

What You Need to Know About Using Video in Your Social Media Marketing

As you’ve probably heard, video is becoming more and more important for Social Media Marketing.

Want some numbers? Try these (from MediaKix):

Globally, traffic from online videos will constitute over 80% of all consumer internet traffic by 2020 (Cisco).
By 2019, the total U.S. digital video advertising spend is projected to eclipse $14 billion—nearly 50% of that figure ($6.86 billion) is attributed to mobile video.
The number of videos published by U.S. users has exploded, increasing by 94% from January 2014 to January 2015. For international Facebook users, the increase in Facebook videos published is a still-impressive 75% annual growth rate (AdAge).
In November 2015, Facebook hit 8 billion video views daily (TechCrunch), doubling its figure of 4 billion from April just 6 months earlier. Each video view is counted after 3 seconds of watch time. At a linear rate, Facebook was expected to eclipse 16 billion video views by May 2016.
Facebook Videos have increased 360% across everyone’s News Feeds

And here are a few more stats, from Social Media Today:

One-third of all online activity is spent watching video
The average user is exposed to 32.3 videos in a month
75% of online video viewers have interacted with an online video ad this month
75% of executives watch work related videos on business websites at least once a week
36% of online consumers trust video ads

So video is becoming more and more important in social media marketing. What does that mean for you?

We’ll tell you what that doesn’t mean: you can’t just add your TV ad to Facebook and call it a day. Sorry.

Unless you’re Air New Zealand, of course, and have the mighty All Blacks for your talent pool, in which case you can simply get three million people to watch and 67,000 to share your inflight safety video …

For us mere mortals, however, we’ve got to try a different angle.

Social Media Examiner offers up some timely advice:

#1: Produce the Right Video for Each Social Platform

Each social network has its own opportunity for video content. Before attempting to post videos on every platform, commit to mastering video on one or two networks first. You can easily incorporate video into your social media content by featuring your business’s best content for each platform.

Facebook

As a social media giant, Facebook is among the essential video platforms.

When you plan video content for Facebook, understand what Facebook viewers actually enjoy. Captions are essential to Facebook video because most Facebook users watch video without sound.

According to Digiday, almost 9-in-10 Facebook videos are consumed without sound, a signal that brands should consider producing video content that can still be engaging, even in silence (Facebook). To that point, Facebook found that adding captions to videos increases the watch time by 12%, on average.

Facebook users also enjoy live video. Facebook Live video is watched three times as much as regular video content and continues to gain popularity. Viewers expect live video to be less polished, so you can produce it without a big-budget production team.

Instagram

On Instagram, you can add video to your story or post video to your feed. With Instagram Stories, you can stream live video or post a 10-second clip. Either way, your video stays on your story for 24 hours. Videos posted to your Instagram feed can be up to 1 minute long.

Because Instagram limits video length, planning for brief videos is important. This emphasis on short videos is different from other social media video networks. On Instagram, make your videos captivating, quick to digest, and direct.

This directness applies to your Instagram captions, too. Ensure your call to action is clear and concise and your captions support the story in your video content, not compete with it.

Ben & Jerry’s are regular users of Instagram video, to mouthwatering effect

Twitter

Twitter’s feed moves quickly, making it hard for organic Twitter content to stick. But when Twitter video connects with users, it can spread far and wide.

Twitter recently made live video available in the app, so you don’t need to use or download Periscope. This move shows the demand for live video within the native platform and the general need for video content on social channels. In fact, a Twitter report revealed that 82% of users watch video content on the platform.

Because 90% of users view Twitter videos on a mobile device, make your Twitter content mobile-friendly and watchable on the average smartphone.

A Twitter video that’s part of a campaign by Michael Kors

YouTube

YouTube is a better place for evergreen content than news or instant video. In fact, YouTube should be the place where your premium video content shines. Although the platform does have live video streaming, at the end of the day, quality execution is more important for YouTube, especially because videos on your channel can be recommended to users watching similar content.

YouTube marketing videos often have high bounce rates because they’re too boring or dry. To improve your YouTube marketing, pique curiosity through storytelling.

On YouTube, content needs to keep users engaged until your sales pitch or call to action arises. You don’t have to rush with your time limit, but you always have to consider social engagement.

The most engaging videos on YouTube in 2016, according to research from ListenFirst Media.

Focus on ways to educate your audience before you start shooting. Rushed and poorly edited videos will drive users to the Back button. However, high-quality video can hold users’ attention and drive traffic to your most important pages.

Snapchat

Just like Instagram, Snapchat is all about visual content. To increase video on this platform for your marketing, start by being active and producing plenty of content. Snapchat reports its users watch 10 billion videos per day, and Business Insider reports that active users spend an average of 25-30 minutes a day on the platform.

#2: Define Goals for Your Video Content

When you start to craft your video content strategy, you should first know the purpose of video for your brand. Is it aimed at increasing brand awareness? Is there an educational component? Are you going to be heavily promotional or produce newsworthy content?

Before getting started, think about what you want to gain from investing time and resources in creating video content. Some of the most important metrics to consider include:

Site traffic
View count (video plays)
Shares
Video completion
Brand awareness
Lead generation
Customer retention

After you establish your goals, plan what types of content you’ll create to achieve those goals. Don’t think about videos as one-off projects. Instead, think through campaigns and themes you’ll cover and test over time. No matter what approach you choose, be consistent.

#3: Develop a Consistent Theme or Format

Building on the last tip, it’s great to have a social video theme or common message to your content. When you know the purpose of your content and the style you’re pursuing, think of a theme you can use to inform your video content.

#4: Invest in the Right Equipment for Your Budget

Most brands wanting to produce social media videos are stuck because of one major reason: cost. Cameras, microphones, lighting, editing equipment, and actors can add up quickly. If you’re not careful, video can cannibalize your content-creation funds.

However, you can be money-conscious without sacrificing quality. For starters, try to do as much in-house filming as possible, because production companies can be costly. Check out rental options or even better, use your own devices. For example, this video explains how to create your own lighting setup for about $100.

Here are the essentials of shooting quality video for your company:

An affordable camera: Cameras on smartphones are just as powerful as some recording equipment. Don’t waste your money on a brand-new camera when you have something highly useful in your pocket.
Simple lighting kit: Great lighting is essential when you’re filming video. Try to invest in a standard lighting kit or build your own.
Quality microphone: If you’ve seen a low-budget commercial that makes you cringe, it likely had poor lighting and cheap microphones. Purchase a quality mic. Don’t use the built-in mic on your smartphone.
Tripod: Your video needs to be stable and clear. Luckily, several tripods are built to fit your smartphone.
Editing software: Several affordable or free video-editing software options are available. Smartphone apps like Videoshop and Splice give you essential editing functions.

Social Media Today tells us about video marketing trends that matter in 2017. We’ve singled out these two as being of particular note:

1. The Rise of 360-Degree Videos

A recent case study by Magnifyre revealed something noteworthy about the 360-degree video format – the average percentage of people who viewed a 360-degree video was 28.81% higher than for the same video in a non 360-degree format. The case study also showed that twice the number of viewers watched the 360-degree video to completion.

2. Videos Watched on Multiple Devices

According to a Think with Google report, 85% of adults ages 18-49 use multiple devices at the same time. It also reports that two thirds of YouTube users watch YouTube on a second screen while watching TV. This tendency to watch videos across several devices (including TV) will probably increase.

It’s Time to Upskill in Online Video Marketing

With all this stuff going on in online video (and this is only the tip of the iceberg), we reckon it’s way past time for Kiwi marketers to upskill themselves in video marketing.

We have two courses that directly address the topic:

As you’d expect given the name of this course, that’s what it’s all about. It’s a four-part short course designed to bring you up to speed on online video marketing.

For full details of our Online Video Marketing course, please click here.

This course, on the other hand, covers online video as just one of its topics as it delves into the most important social media developments of 2017.

For more details of the Social Media Essentials course, please click here.

Snapchat Adopts Circular Video

#3 OF SEVEN THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING IN 2017: SNAPCHAT CIRCULAR VIDEO

Snapchat is making sunglasses now. US$130 pairs of glasses with a camera inside, which takes ten-second video snaps of the world.

The clips can then be uploaded to Snapchat via an iPhone or Android phone paired through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Place the spectacles in the included case to recharge, AirPods-style.

Built into every pair of Snapchat Spectacles is a video camera with a 115-degree field of view. That’s almost exactly the same perspective you see with the human eye, and it gives the glasses the ability to capture circular video.

The benefit of this is that no matter what kind of device you play those snaps back on, you see them in full screen in any orientation. So you can turn your smartphone or tablet midway through, and the video automatically adjusts to provide a full screen image.

Want to know more about Social Media Marketing in 2018? Check out our online training courses — right now you can SAVE $100 on any course with our Early Bird Rates

Here are the current courses (click on the links for more details about each course):

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING COURSES

Facebook Accelerator Programme

So you have a few hundred (or a few thousand) followers on Facebook but now you want to know how to get to the next level? Our Facebook Accelerator seven-part online course will lead you through the steps necessary to supercharge your Facebook presence and get Kiwi consumers engaging with you and your brands.

For more details of the Facebook Accelerator programme, please click here.

The Principles & Practice of Social Media Marketing

This is a thirteen-part eCourse providing a comprehensive introduction to Social Media Marketing, from the Basics to detailed instructions on how to build and run a Social Media Marketing programme.

For more details of the Social Media Marketing online course, please click here.

The Complete Facebook Marketing Course

For those who wish to master Facebook Marketing in its entirety, we’ve created a ten-week online training programme which will take you from absolute beginner on Facebook to highly effective Facebook communicator.

For more details of the Complete Facebook Marketing programme, please click here.

How to Prepare an Effective Social Media Brief

Even if you don’t intend to become directly involved in social media yourself, you may still need to understand the principles, practices and opportunities of social media — for example, if you need to brief someone about running a social media campaign. This programme is designed to provide you with the insights necessary to prepare an effective brief.

For more details of the How to Prepare an Effective Social Media Brief programme, please click here.

How to Use LinkedIn Effectively – For Your Business And Your Career

This is a seven-part online training eCourse providing a comprehensive introduction to LinkedIn, from the basics to detailed instructions on how to use LinkedIn to promote your organisation, build your personal reputation, find a job, recruit prospective employees and even make sales.

For more details of the How to Use LinkedIn Effectively programme, please click here.

ONLINE VIDEO MARKETING COURSE

Online Video is no longer an “up-and-coming” marketing tactic — it’s here, and it’s a powerful way to communicate your brand story, explain your value proposition, and build relationships with your customers and prospects.

Remember the old cliche that a picture is worth a thousand words? According to an estimate by Dr James McQuivey of Forrester Research, one minute of video is equal to 1.8 million words.

So let’s cut to the chase. It’s well past time for you to upskill yourself in online video marketing. That’s why we’re launching our newest short course on the topic.

For more details of the Online Video Marketing course, please click here.

ECOMMERCE COURSES

Our online course, “Mastering eCommerce”, tells you what you need to know about selling effectively online in a seven-week programme that steps you through the principles and practices of eCommerce in New Zealand.

For more details of the Mastering eCommerce programme, please click here.

Advanced Selling on Trade Me

This is a seven-week eCourse providing a comprehensive masterclass on selling on Trade Me. The course presumes you are already familiar with the basics of selling on Trade Me.

For more details of the Advanced Selling on Trade Me programme, please click here.

MOBILE MARKETING

Smartphone usage has hit the tipping point, in New Zealand as elsewhere. According to Google’s Consumer Barometer (2017), most New Zealanders Under 55 now have smartphones — and these devices are dramatically changing consumer behaviour, with significant implications for Kiwi businesses.To help you master this challenging mobile environment, we’ve created a dedicated online training course about Mobile Marketing.

For more details of the Principle & Practice of Mobile Marketing course, please click here.