social media strategy

We know it’s technically still too early to talk about Christmas, but in the world of marketing, Christmas usually starts in July – and this year it was even earlier! (See Katy Howell’s Christmas in July Serious Social for all the facts and figures about…
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Our purpose at IF is to break the social boring – what does that take? Bravery. Courage. AND preparation. The campaigns you see out in social which tackle taboos or hit a topic head-on – and then succeed – they’ve taken time to prepare, to look at what…
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Much like Vine before it, TikTok exploded onto the social media landscape – with an estimated 500 million users across the globe today. Naturally, a slice of that pie is up for grabs and Facebook jumped in with Instagram Reels in August (though some were seeing a different,…
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It drives me mad when our industry talks about brands being authentic. It is thrown around on social posts, videos and blogs – like a sticking plaster you can slap on a brand to make it all better. It perpetuates the illusion that to be authentic, you just…
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For this week’s social snapshot, we’re bringing you the top social news that’s on our radar (and feeds). It’s been a big news week, with lots of features, programs and insights guides. So, let’s jump straight in! Some users are now able to view Instagram Stories on Facebook…
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It’s a frequently asked question framed at us by boardrooms and marketing directors. More often than not it comes from the senior-most person in an organisation. People who wish to sense-check what the brand is doing on social and validate past spend versus future investment. We’re frequently asked to…
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New features galore this week – join us as we go through all the tools you’ll be playing with in coming months with our Social Snapshot:   Instagram has replaced Nametag Codes with QR Codes to quickly connect users Back in 2018, Instagram launched what it called ‘Nametag…
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Last week I had the pleasure of talking with Neville Hobson, the Director of Digital Marketing at Internet Society, about all things social media (you can listen to the pod or watch the video). First off the bat was the topic of trust.
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A lot happened this week in social, so we’ll get right to it. TikTok continues to gain rapid momentum and the social giants are trying to keep up, so we’re seeing a lot of advancements in AR functionality. Moreover, the upcoming US Presidential Election has led to significant…
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Successful social media campaigns are achieved not by a single “viral” tweet, but by experience, understanding and preparation – there are SO many hurdles that social media marketers have to leap, and often because social is seen as “easy”. We’ve got news for you, it’s not!…
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Twitter is rolling out new settings that will allow all users to control who can reply to Tweets. It’s a feature they tested earlier in the year, but now we’ll all be able to start limiting who replies to our content. So, what does this actually mean? We…
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OMG! Have you seen the latest lockdown content from Nike? Wow! Now this is the content we need to entertain us. https://twitter.com/Nike/status/1288845608694902786?s=20 I know Nike have deep pockets, but you don’t need to have big budgets to create attention grabbing content on social. We’ve been saying since the…
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The B2B landscape is an interesting one. There’s a common misconception that B2B organisations are low on usable content, but it’s simply not true. The landscape is actually flush with more information and eye-catching, challenging content than perhaps a lot of businesses realise. What do I have right now? Think…
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‘The audience you want, versus the audience you have.’ It sounds like a jargon fuelled line you’d hear in a Harry Enfield comedic skit featuring the character of a cheesy marketing exec spewing lingo to make themselves look good. However, the ‘loadsamoney-esque’ dialogue is an important strategic facet…
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Call-out or cancel culture has been around for some years now. But like many things in marketing, it’s accelerated in importance over the last few months. Brand values have moved centre stage and what you stand for matters more than ever. The impact of #cancel is seen whether…
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Increasing engagement on social media can sometimes be difficult – just because one thing works for one company, doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll work for yours. With over 3.6 billion people using social media worldwide and algorithms constantly changing, companies need to be smart. But what counts as engagement? Engagement…
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It’s that time of the week again – time for your #socialsnapshot. We’ve got you covered for the latest in all things social media. So sit back, enjoy and take it all in. Users can now broadcast their Messenger Rooms via Facebook Live Facebook has announced a…
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There’s no doubt that 2020 so far has been a little tiring for marketers. With limited resource and time during the workday, let alone the demands of working from home, some social media marketers might be looking for a little help with content planning. It’s not just about finding a…
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Last week, Facebook released a video on making creative impacts with text, timing and format. While focused largely on Facebook, the video has some general tips that are crucial for everyday social marketers looking to have their knowledge or current methods vindicated, and those that are trying to…
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Ah, content planning – the bane of many digital marketers! As CJ rightly pointed out in his last blog and podcast (check it out), you might *think* you don’t have enough content to run on social media. And if you think that, you might fall…
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Myths are part of historic fabric. From the existence of Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, to the Beast of Bodmin Moor, myths or legend are folklore in Britain. Some to stories have transcended continents too – the story of Robin Hood and his Merry Men making it all the…
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Sounds mad doesn’t it? Who’d of thought that now is the time to start your Christmas campaigns. Usually you are finalising plans in July for Q4, but not advertising. Things are indeed strange. A look at the social conversations and latest insight from Facebook and Pinterest makes it…
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Social has been hit by a perfect storm. A triumvirate of changes that have set it on a new path. Covid-19, which has more of us on social, spending a lot more time and increased activity is likely to stay; More polarising content has made it a hard…
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When it comes to social media marketing, Facebook is always the go-to platform for many marketers – especially when you find out Facebook users sign into the platform an average of 13.8 times a day. And with a platform that hosts multiple tools to help you set up and…
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As always, the world of social media is non-stop with news and platform updates. And of course, this week is no different! So, dive right in and find out the latest happenings with our Social Snapshot…   Facebook’s announced another algorithm change. Another week, another algorithm change. This week,…
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“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.”– Albert Einstein I don’t normally use quotes. It always feels a bit cheesy. But this is such a perfect fit for brand trust on social.  It is the small stuff of tweets, posts…
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GlobalWebIndex has reported that 29% of total internet users have used a live streaming option on social media, and 13% have watched a live gaming stream. These figures alone tell us that live streaming is the new mode to watch – and that marketers…
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It’s that time of the week again – time for our Social Media Snapshot. So, grab a coffee, put your strategy cap on, and settle in for our roundup of the biggest things that happened this week in social media.   Facebook adds new functionality to its Portal Move…
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In recent weeks there has been a reoccurring question framed at us, “if social is noisy what’s the point in publishing content? Covid-19 has sent it crazy, hasn’t it?”. It’s an obvious answer, but, ‘you need to be at the races – you need to be in It,…
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Both TikTok and Pinterest have experienced huge gains during the last few months. Engagement on Pinterest is up 75%, and TikTok users grew by 34% in April. If you’re not sure how to get started with either platform, here are a few ideas. Pointers for Pinterest With 367…
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Changes abound in another week of social media activity – from Twitter bringing back verification to Facebook’s revamped news section. Join us for another social snapshot: Twitter bringing back verification? In the past, getting verified was a nebulous, question-filled process. How many followers is enough? Is there some…
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From baking banana bread to getting sick of our own cooking and ordering in, here are some of the key drivers and examples of the food and drink sector in social media: Eating and drinking at home After 4 weeks in lockdown, McKinsey reported…
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Right now, as lockdown lifts, marketers are looking for short-term quick wins that will deliver impact. A fast move to recovery, a chance to grab market share and make a distinctive difference that will run the rest of the year. It makes sense. For many brands marketing had…
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Back in March, TechCrunch reported Instagram had seen a 40% increase in traffic due to the pandemic. With everyone at home, more time is being spent on digital platforms, and all social media platforms have been nurturing their growing platform in different ways – but…
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  As always, there’s a lot going on in the world of social media. The top players have been busy introducing updates – from e-commerce roll outs to Bitmojis (yes, MORE Bitmoji). So, buckle up, grab your notebook and get your social media on. Pinterest adds ‘shop’ tab…
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Brand as Broadcasters is the concept all business running brand events need to truly deliver greater cost efficiency and standout innovation Running brand events comes at great cost. Marketers have to evidence cost efficiencies that yield tangible returns for the business. Formats have to keep being refreshed to…
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Another week, another whirlwind of social media updates – stick with us as we take you through everything you need to know:   Twitter allows users to choose who can rely to Tweets Twitter is testing a new feature that allows users to prohibit entire groups of people…
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When it comes to conversion, the goal you might be setting doesn’t have to be a purchase – you might wish to measure conversion on increasing followers, engagement on your posts or sign-ups to an email list. Whichever conversion you’re measuring, we’ve got some top tips on what…
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Now is a time of rapid change – which can be scary. People are inherently resistant to change because it means disruption, even if it is beneficial. Can you remember Instagram’s old logos? The days when it looked more like a rounded-edged floppy disk? When Instagram’s logo was…
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As the online population grows, so does the pool of consumers – some with time, and money on their hands. In recent weeks, e-commerce businesses in sectors like crafting, beauty and home accessories – as well as gifting – have started to boom. If you’re starting out in…
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  Last Friday, we broadcast the latest episode of our Serious Social Facebook Live. Having moved from an edited weekly publication to a live broadcast. We’ve joined the brilliant British public response in flexing around Covid-19 requirements, whilst continuing our commitment to surface, address and offer solution to…
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Navigating through today’s societal challenges as a marketer is no easy task. Driving business objectives while also remaining respectful and providing support to audiences is a delicate balance that can easily be threatened with one wrong move. In recent podcast “Marketing in the time of…
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The current climate is changing our perception and view of what the word “community” means. If you’re unsure what you should or shouldn’t be using in your messaging right now – the first task is to listen to your audience. Discover where they are – which channels,…
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It’s a question that really puzzles me. Along with ‘why do some businesses try to mimic the market leader?’ or, ‘why do B2B companies continue to use awful stock photography of people pretending to be businesspeople?’ or, ‘why do travel companies persist with blue filters?’. At the risk…
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While the streets are quiet and the shops are shut, the bars and cinemas are closed – and so are the theatres. But in the theatre, when they are “dark” (there’s no live production), there’s a tradition to leave a “ghost light” centre stage. Partly for the safety…
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Very few of society have faced anything like what we all front up to today. Fluid developments continue to alarm and challenge us. Businesses have been placed in a period of uncertainty whilst they seek support from the government. For now, all we can all do is follow the…
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In such unprecedented and uncertain times, social media platforms have become the go-to for keeping up to date with the latest news regarding Covid-19. Earlier this week we reported that social media activity had risen 25% over the last two week period – and this percentage is…
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If you, like us, find yourself suddenly working from home, figuring out new technology and ways of staying connected and bonded to your team on one hand, as well as navigating the current landscape in marketing on the other, we’re here for you. Rapid change and uncertainly can…
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For B2B brands, account-based marketing is key to its marketing and sales for several reasons. To name a few – ABM puts the emphasis on individual prospects or existing accounts, has a huge potential for return on investment and often shortens the sales cycle. So, what’s holding B2B…
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Twitter is growing – are you missing out? Their Q4 performance report states that they have added 21% more monetizable daily active users to the platform – this takes them to 152million. What does monetizable mean? It’s a user count of how many accounts…
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Another news-filled week has passed, so here we are… bringing you a roundup of the best articles we just want to shout about. Stay with us and we’ll get you up to speed with the latest happenings in social in no time!   Instagram Stories may be getting a…
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IGTV may not have grown as quickly as anticipated, but with additional features on the horizon and monetisation in testing, it could very well be IGTV’s time to shine!   Top creators are currently making their megabucks on Youtube and Facebook, swerving IGTV for the simple fact that…
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When it comes to running a business there are fundamental practices that most follow to ensure a happy workforce, satisfied customers and general success. If bad practices exist, and you don’t treat your customer base correctly, failure is likely to follow.   So, how does this relate to…
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Whether it’s a new platform update, testing a feature or ways to improve social strategy, we’re always fascinated to find out what’s been happening in the world of social media and learn new things. That’s why we’ve rounded up the best articles from the past week we just have…
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Would you create a White Paper giving it only cursory effort? Would you slap any old image and message on a Billboard? Would you grab any piece of copy and image and throw up on your website? If shooting a TV Ad, would you corral the troops…
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After 5 years of back and forth boomerangs, Instagram has decided to take things to the next level, adding not one, not two but three new features for the ever-popular platform! According to Instagram itself, they are ‘creative twists that’ll make you say yaaassssss’. And will also help…
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More controls for conversation on Twitter – is this a positive change to reduce trolling or the beginning of closed communities on the platform? One of the latest announcements from Twitter was made during an appearance by Suzanne Xie, Twitter’s director of product management, at CES (Consumer Electronics Show)…
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A new calendar year inevitably brings algorithm changes and updates to social media platforms. But these aren’t the only changes that marketers need to put on their radar – changes to reporting and insights need to be noted as well. These changes are extremely important to brands, as…
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It’s the start of a new year, which means, new starts, fresh minds and maybe, a new social strategy?  ‍♀️Or maybe you just want to give your social strategy that extra boost? Either way, it’s time brands start utilising social media to develop relationships with consumers and gain a…
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Why Media Buyers and networked Creatives agencies are doing Social Media wrong   If you were to jump into a DeLorean equipped with Flux Capacitor and punch in a…
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It’s hard to remember life before social media platforms popped on the scene and revolutionized how we communicate with others and how we express ourselves. Social media was once a place where friend networks were in the thousands. And let’s be honest, it’s not like many people would…
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That’s right, it’s that time of year when we all prophesied about what the future year will hold. We usually look back and back-slap the 2019 forecasts that bore a molecule of resonance and success. Some will make simple to prove assertions like ‘live video demand will increase’.
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We may be winding down for the Christmas holidays, but the world of social media is showing no signs of stopping! With lots of new features being launched in the past week, it can be hard to keep up. So, we’ve rounded up the best articles to help you…
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If you’re a small business looking to grow and haven’t considered the potential benefits of using social media, you may want to keep reading. We’ve put a concise list together touching upon just some of the many reasons social media is an effective tool in helping grow your…
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Let’s be honest, we sometimes overcomplicate marketing activities. Planners can be accused of planning a plan to create a plan. Creatives are claimed to create complex artwork for the sake or showcasing their talent. Strategists are believed to strategise the best approach for strategic construction of a tweet in…
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This past decade saw leaps and bounds in the social space. To name a few – we saw the launch of Instagram and Pinterest, data breach scandals with Facebook and massive breakthroughs in video apps garnering nearly 1.5 billion TikTok downloads. The sector seems to be changing daily,…
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At IF we love all things social. So, we’re always interested in staying up to date with the latest happenings and bringing them to you in our weekly social snapshot! Read on to find out what’s been happening in the past week…   Twitter expands access to brand survey…
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Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a critical tool for any business as it can ensure you stand out in a very crowded online environment. But did you know that social media also has a part to play in your SEO plans? How? By tying into what Google looks…
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Social media marketing benefits businesses in many ways, not least as it facilitates a unique, direct relationship with your customers. However, many businesses, despite having and managing a social media presence, are failing to recognise one of the key benefits of this media – social listening. What exactly…
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Marketing teams are busy. Task lists swell daily. I’m not sure any marketer manages to achieve everything they set out to annually. Evolving sales collateral, event planning, commissioning reports, briefing the spring, summer and Christmas Ads, launching NPD, or improving demand generation. There is much to achieve as…
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At IF we love all things social. So, we’re always interested in staying up to date with the latest happenings and bringing them to you in our weekly social snapshot! Read on for a roundup of the best articles we just have to shout about…   Twitter’s…
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If the last week few weeks in the world of social media x politics have taught us anything, it’s that the public does “give a toss” about the cut and thrust of social – even if this politician doesn’t think so. In October 2019, Twitter…
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As a consumer, you’d be forgiven for missing the change in product branding which occurred this week by Facebook. Sorry, FACEBOOK. Their announcements around the rebrand focus on their objective to be “clear” about which products belong in their wheelhouse. This effort may seem little…
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Another week has passed and my, what a week it has been! We love staying up to date with the latest happenings in social, and we’re sure you do too. That’s why we’ve rounded up the best articles from the past week we just have to shout about…  …
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Included in Facebook’s latest Graph and Marketing API update, the social media platform has announced that in 2020 they will limit the number of ads a page can run at one time. Your initial reaction might be that this update could limit capabilities for your business. However,…
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We recently saw the amazing Kipchoge run the marathon in under two hours. Kipchoge and his team achieved this after their dedication and focus over many, many months. So, you are asking yourself, what has this got to do with social? Here’s why! The big ‘C’ – commitment…
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Instagram Stories are a great way of creating visually appealing content that invites brands’ followers to engage, whilst still pushing out messaging and driving traffic to their website. But with new features constantly being announced, it can be hard to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and switch up…
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Starting anything new can be scary, and for some, social media marketing is no different. Whether it’s a brand new channel to you, or you’re testing new content, new paid strategies or going after a new audience, there’s an element of bravery needed. At IF, we’re always aiming…
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At IF we love all things social. So, we’re always interested in staying up to date with the latest happenings and bringing them to you in our weekly social snapshot! Carry on reading for the best articles we’ve found and just want to shout about   Facebook starts…
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Coming up with an idea for a blog can be difficult. It can be easy to fall into the trap of rewriting the same content, over and over again, just in a different way. Or simply not using language that will drive consumers to engage with your content. Regardless,…
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The age-old question… when is the best time to be posting on social media? It’s a tough one to answer. Especially if you don’t have the time to test with scheduling times, or spend time looking into the all-important data. You may have landed with huge engagement figures…
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Gone are the days when you need to remind people to check your link in your bio. Instagram does drive traffic to your website providing you follow a few key pointers which, being a generous lot at immediate future, we are happy to share with you. Here’s…
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LinkedIn is playing catch-up again and has announced the new facility to create and manage events on the channel… finally! The functionality promises to allow us to “create private events, event update notifications, search filters to invite the right attendees”, and you can find it…
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If you’re reading this, you’re probably already familiar with the Business Manager on Facebook, and perhaps using it to great advantage in your paid social strategy. For some, the next step is considering markets outside the UK… nope, I’m not going to mention the ‘B’ word! Having attended…
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It doesn’t seem like long ago since Instagram announced it will be entering the world of eCommerce. And it definitely wasn’t long ago that users of the platform could create their very own AR filters. To maximise the usage of both features, Instagram is testing…
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Whether it’s a new platform update, testing a feature or ways to improve social strategy, we’re always fascinated to find out what’s been happening in the world of social media and learn new things. That’s why we’ve rounded up the best articles from the past week we just have…
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  So you may (or may not) have heard about TikTok, and part of that depends on your age or the age of the people in your life! TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in the world. It allows users to express themselves in a…
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We love staying up to date with the wonderful world of social media and we’re sure you do too! So, we’ve pulled a variety of articles into one place that we just want to shout about, whilst keeping you up to date…   Snapchat expands ad length limits, announces…
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It would be hard to make a secret of how far social media and technology have come in the past two decades. But let’s take a moment and look at the evolution and changes we had to go through to get where we are today. With the likes…
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Meet employee advocacy, the first cousin to influencer marketing. Your employees are generally the best advocates you have. They can be a credible and creative way to build brand recognition and instill trust in your business as well as generating word of mouth. And let’s be really honest, where…
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There have been some great releases recently from the social platforms which make us all into creators – but before you leap into testing them, consider why. Is it just a “be first” mentality, or have you come up with a great idea and you’re looking for the…
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Episode 2 *spoiler alert* don’t read unless you’ve watched! Since its move to Channel 4, Bake Off has offered advertisers the opportunity to be part of this cake obsessed community for 8 weeks of autumn. After the initial move to a commercial station (which came with some negativity), advertises…
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This isn’t going to be shocking, but it is something businesses need to hear. If you post once a month on social, you won’t see results. If you share off-brand content, you won’t see results. If you’re on the wrong platforms, you might see results, but they won’t turn…
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Over the past few weeks we have seen multiple announcements from Twitter; filtering direct messages, swipeable lists, and 6-second video ad bidding. Now, the platform has announced its testing a new, larger image carousel format for advertisers and it seems they’re really trying to up their paid game. After…
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We love staying up to date with everything social and this past week did not disappoint! We’ve compiled a bunch of articles together that we just want to shout about, and we’re sure you’ll enjoy them as much as we did…   Facebook is testing a new listing of…
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Whilst most of the population is settling down to our favourite end of summer programme, Great British Bake Off, community managers are poised, fingers on keyboards, ready to work the show to get their brands noticed on social. And it makes a lot of sense after all the first…
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Another week has passed, and what a week it has been! We’ve rounded up the best articles and updates from the fast-moving world of social media to get you up to speed in no time.   Twitter launches 6-second video ad bidding, providing new options for video marketers. …
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Instagram is perceived as the favoured social media platform by many, and including it within your social strategy is a must. But for years, marketeers (us included) have struggled with scheduling posts due to the app not having its own scheduling tools, turning to external apps and sites.
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It’s astonishing the number of people who proclaim this without having even tried using the platform for B2B. “Facebook is more of a consumer channel. We use Twitter and LinkedIn.” Yet, when pressed, the spokesperson rarely has any supporting evidence or experience as to why they’ve landed at…
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