This is the 3rd post in a series I have written providing some help and advice to answer the question: How much will social media cost me? Make sure you read the full series - 'Social Investment'. This area is definitely not given as much time and attention as it needs to be. I think I can best describe underestimating content creation by saying it's like expecting to win the London Marathon by making sure you walk 30mins a day with your dog. Disjointed thinking right? Exactly. Value is at the heart of creation In order for you to truly attract your ideal customers on social media…or at least ‘find’ them - you need to value them. You value them by really getting to know them and what … [Read more...] about Content Creation Sweat
Content Creation
Tips for the Perfect Blog Post
Keeping your content fresh on your blog is really important for search. Google loves fresh, new content. But, sometimes it can be hard to think of what to write for your blog...right? Well, here are five steps for you to keep in mind, when you sit down to write a blog post. 6 Steps to producing the perfect post Step 1: Keep Bob front of mind When you sit down to write, make sure you can quite succinctly describe who you are writing to. This is your target audience, or customer avatar (which is what we call it). You may have different audiences that you produce content for, so for each post you sit down to write - be clear on who it is you are trying writing for. Bob, for example, … [Read more...] about Tips for the Perfect Blog Post
Tips for Social Media Managers
We are now 15+ years down the line with social media and yet I still come across people and businesses who haven’t quite understood that social media needs some focus when it comes to systems. More often than not, one person has been “gifted” with the job of “looking after social media” in the business and the rest of the team get on with their jobs. I’m here to be the reality check: social media affects everyone in the business and it’s a collaborative process. This means that this lonely person is not the VOICE of your business, they are responsible for helping you convey the message of course, but the ultimate origination of the message doesn’t necessarily come from him or … [Read more...] about Tips for Social Media Managers
Pause for Creative Thought
Finding time in your day, your week, your month to just PAUSE is rare. Until recently I would have said to you - I just don’t have time to think. I felt “full-up” - my brain wasn't able to take in or process any more information. Then…I met Duncan Wardle of ID8 & Innov8. Creative thinking is the key to innovating…evolving your service, your delivery, your products and the way in which you care for your clients/customers. What I haven’t completely gotten on a logical level is that you need the space for thought. I know you will say: Isn’t that obvious? But I have literally been so busy in my business and deep in delivering my service to my clients that I have made no space for … [Read more...] about Pause for Creative Thought
How To Extract Information From Experts
Creating valuable content for your social media strategy involves making sure that you get to showcase the expertise inherent in your business. One of the challenges that come with that is how to extract information from the necessary people – who tend to be the busiest and most key individuals in the business. Here are my top tips on how to go about this: 1. Make sure they understand why you need the information They won’t want to know the nitty gritty of which platforms you want to share the information on, but give them a general understanding of what you are trying to achieve by asking for this content. 2. Find out the most suitable extraction method Everyone has a communication or … [Read more...] about How To Extract Information From Experts
How to get the balance and frequency of social media content right
This is part of my series of FAQ videos where I answer your questions in person for you. In this edition I answer the question: How to get the balance and frequency of social media content right. This is a very dynamic question, because how much you share and how frequently you share it, is highly dependent on your industry, your audience and more importantly the device use/behaviour of those audiences. The key is to understand the maths behind how the platforms themselves work on top of the above! Facebook has A LOT of algorithms that determine what content gets seen and what doesn't. It's very much based on how people interact with you - Facebook gives more weight to GOOD content which … [Read more...] about How to get the balance and frequency of social media content right
Where do you find content for social media?
This is part of my series of FAQ videos where I answer your questions in person for you. In this edition I answer the question: Where do you find content for social media? From people who are only just starting their social media journey to those that have been on social for a good long while - this question keeps most social media managers up at night. As you mature along your social media planning journey - your sources will alter over time. The key is to know how much to share of your own content and then to source the kind of content will sit nicely next to yours, as well as be relevant and useful for your audience. A little tool you can use to help gather your ideas is Evernote - you … [Read more...] about Where do you find content for social media?
Five Social Media Essentials
How long have you now been active on social media? Are you still psyched about it – enjoy jumping in there a couple of times of week – speaking directly to your customers, looking for ways to be funny, witty, useful and most of all valuable? Mmmm. If you are now half smiling and a little weary – no need for concern, its natural to run out of steam. Social media for business takes energy, thought and creativity – and let’s be honest, its really tough generating that 365 days a year. Here are my top tips on reviewing what you are doing, finding fresh content and quite frankly not losing the will to live! TIP 1: Look at the frequency of your sharing Facebook has changed a lot over the last … [Read more...] about Five Social Media Essentials
The social media team needs inspiration and input
Sustaining a social media strategy means finding the enthusiasm, motivation and stamina to continually feed the content monster. Part of feeding the content monster comes from idea generation and creativity - which will come from your team either within your social media department, if you have one, or from a handful of people around the organisation. Keeping up the steam of enthusiasm It is very important to ensure that you are nourishing the enthusiasm in your team, because that will ripple out to your social media audience and impact engagement, reach and of course, in the end…your results. Schedule time for refreshing the brain The brain is a muscle and needs exercise. To stay creative, … [Read more...] about The social media team needs inspiration and input
Spinning a Tale versus Spinning a Sale
Many businesses are so consumed by their sales target, that they completely forget to tell their story. They use sales clichés, boring technical terms, and quite frankly in this day and age uninspiring content leads to uninspired consumers. Think back to when you were a child, remember the fairy tales you sat listening to - wide eyed...silent, anticipating the next chapter. You can picture the content now can’t you? This is how your blog writing should leave your readers. How do you get them coming back for more? You quite simply “tell your story”. Treat each blog post as a “chapter” in your story. Each chapter should have a clear beginning, middle and an end, and leave your audience … [Read more...] about Spinning a Tale versus Spinning a Sale