Archive: 2022

Well, there’s simply nothing more we can talk about with 2020. It really has been a rollercoaster of a year for us all and we’ve captured some of the crazy highlights in our festive round-up image. From decamping overnight to home offices, furloughed & un-furloughed staff and keeping…
Read More
We’re just about ready to down tools and dive into the mince pies! BUT, before we do, we’ve got one last round up of the news, updates and announcements on social this past week.   TikTok adds ‘Year in review’ In many ways, 2020 has been a year…
Read More
The time of year has arrived where marketers and platform experts take a look back over the past 12 months and start making predictions for what’s to come. And although many of us are starting to wind down for our well-deserved Christmas break, these insight-filled blogs and guidelines…
Read More
In recent days, gamers have swarmed social media to show their disappointment in the launch of the highly anticipated video game, ‘Cyberpunk 2077’, some of which have been waiting over ten years for its release. To the dismay of many, the game released to platforms in an unplayable state, making…
Read More
Although we’re starting to wind down for the Christmas period, the world of social media is not. With news, updates and new features being announced every day, it can be hard to keep up! So, sit back, we’ve got you covered for the latest in all thing’s social media.
Read More
If you’re not storyboarding your social media then you’re set for 2021 failure. Brands who continue delivering arbitrary social media face a significant challenge ahead. Against the backdrop of a brutal 2020, some will think my comments harsh and not what they want to hear. My counter, as I…
Read More
Next year is going to be a challenge on social. Activity is already up over 40% this year on the big networks and the platforms we never heard of before, like TikTok, are now mainstream viewing. Competition for attention is going to be harder than ever. And success is…
Read More
Sales and marketing are two important business functions within an organisation; and because they both impact lead generation and revenue, they are consistently working together. However, despite this obvious crossover – how these departments work together is not always seamless and requires constant communication and alignment. As social…
Read More
Many of us will be happy to see the end of 2020, but it’s still important to reflect on the happenings in social media from the last twelve months. Facebook year in review Unsurprisingly, a major theme for Facebook/Instagram this year was Covid-19. The Instagram Stay Home sticker…
Read More
We’ve predicted four standout Social Media Ad format performers for 2021, but there are six you should probably add to your go-to library. And no, this is not another of those time-wasting summaries or predictions that proliferate social media at this time of year. We’ve been doing our homework…
Read More
Whenever a planning phase is imminent, such as the start of a new year or preparing a campaign proposal, a key element is often missed – results and data from the last campaign. If you’re on top of things and managing to review your social marketing data regularly,…
Read More
It’s that time of the week again – time for your social snapshot! We’ve got you covered for the latest in all thing’s social media. So, sit back, enjoy and take it all in.   Facebook launches social good website Facebook’s launched a new website ‘Social Good for Business’,…
Read More
Let’s face it Covid restrictions have transformed trends, behaviours and shaped the way we live our everyday lives. And when it comes to shopping, things are very different from what they were seven months ago. Ever-changing consumer habits have forced many companies to re-think their retail and distribution models,…
Read More
  Without a doubt next year is going to be bumpy. We’re not over the pandemic yet; the UK faces Brexit; and a recession is on the cards. Whether your industry is flying or picking itself back up again, you will need a plan for next year. This…
Read More
As it’s less than a month until Christmas, it only seems right to write a festive-inspired blog and get everyone in the holiday spirit This week, TikTok launched a holiday playbook for small businesses, to help with marketing plans ahead of…
Read More
It’s been a BIG week for social news. We’ve seen new features, new partnerships and details about what’s to come from all of the top platforms! To help you stay on track, we’ve rounded up a few articles… Let’s get stuck in   Instagram’s testing FAQ’s Instagram is working…
Read More
Over the years, as social media has become the be-all and end-all of where online content is consumed, the quality and style of creative imagery have continued to advance and achieve a wide range of results. As social is an ever-evolving landscape, trends and fads come and go from…
Read More
Building your brand personality on social will set you in good stead for the future – more than that, it’ll ensure your audience understand who you are and what you stand for, building up brand trust. The key to building this up is consistency – write in a…
Read More
Imitation is the highest form of flattery. The phrase is so common because it’s true – once you have a highly successful idea, chances are someone is going to make either a better version, or a far worse version of it, but the end result will be that…
Read More
Fleets are finally here, make your Messenger chats auto-disappear and receive help from Instagram – let’s take a look at it all in today’s Social Snapshot:   Facebook adds new ‘vanish mode’ for Messenger Facebook has announced a new ‘vanish mode’ for Messenger, in which your messages will…
Read More
Quality content pieces take time, effort and resources. And while the saying goes ‘let the content speak for itself’, that isn’t always the case when it comes to social media. Why? Audiences digest content differently – whether it be a certain time of day, a specific format or…
Read More
The topic for last week’s Serious Social Live was brainstorming, and particularly how we can all navigate the challenges presented by brainstorming when remote working. As with all scripting, we start with crafting the questions; finding the area of resonance between the audience’s need for knowledge and the insight…
Read More
The new normal, post-Covid world, or whatever you may call it, is going to change everything. From the way we work to the way consumers behave. If we look to the future, it’s looking pretty bleak – we can’t sugar-coat that. Brexit, the continuation of covid, a potential recession…
Read More
Another week, another #socialsnapshot. This week saw updates across many of the big social media players. A big focus has been on Twitter following its continued censorship during the US Presidential Election. Marketers are also keeping an eye in the shifting power of e-commerce platforms following the positive…
Read More
  2020… what else is there left to say? A soul-sapping, up and down rollercoaster of emotions that has forced some to do the unthinkable. Yes, that’s right people. Christmas trees are sprouting up in front-rooms across the UK as families and friends alike look to ’light up…
Read More
  I am always a bit shocked when I discover there is no strategy behind marketing – how on earth do you know if it works if you don’t know where you’re going? So, when I heard that somewhere between 50-60% of branded communities have no strategy or…
Read More
With the groundbreaking election taking place across the pond, we are reminded to vote and to share with others the importance of voting through our social channels. Platforms are giving us factual information, and sometimes something creative to show support. These sort of social media events have been going…
Read More
Supporting businesses, Christmas and a few new platform announcements – it’s social snapshot time, so let’s just jump right in!   Twitter offers Christmas insights Like all of 2020, Christmas is going to be different this year. So, to help marketers prepare for the unusual festivities, Twitter has shared…
Read More
Will perennial bridesmaid LinkedIn ever become the bride? It pains me to say I suspect not. Before anyone thinks this is an anti-LinkedIn or anti-Microsoft rant, this X-Box playing marketeer wants nothing more than LinkedIn to realise its potential. Sadly, the diversified IT supplier appears to place more…
Read More
Can you quite believe that we are a mere few weeks from the end of 2020! For many, it can’t end quick enough, but for brand marketers, we KNOW there’s never quite enough time to plan for the year ahead. We’ve just launched our…
Read More
That title is not nearly as scary as it sounds (though there’s plenty to be concerned about with social media, but that’s not the subject of this blog) – it’s just a reference to a new feature from Facebook called ‘Neighborhoods’. Certain users in select locations are getting…
Read More
Q3 spend results, a new ‘Neighbourhoods’ feature and an extended time limit on live streams for Instagram – let’s dig right into this week’s Social Snapshot:   Instagram extends time limits on live streams to 4 hours Annoyed you can’t archive your livestreams? Wish you could stream for…
Read More
In this day and age, almost everybody and every business are on social media. For us individuals, it’s a great way to keep in touch with family and friends, and occasionally show off something we’re proud of. But for businesses, it’s an important aspect that should be included in your…
Read More
Increasingly, brands look to digital-only events to replace the much-loved physical events that have welcomed footfall to conferences and exhibitions across the globe. However, pivoting to a digital-only event can be tricky. At the start of this year, few would have predicted the scale of home-working and the speed…
Read More
If you’ve been following our blog for a while, you’ll remember when we wrote this post – the overarching tone of voice was “Gah, FINALLY, LinkedIn!!!” Given that almost every real-life event in 2020 has been cancelled or moved to online (thanks for nothing, Mr C. Ovid!), we…
Read More
Ready, set, #SocialSnapshot. It’s that time of the week again, and the newest roundup of social media updates does not disappoint. The first thing on our watch list is the newly-launched LinkedIn Stories. Marketers and professionals will now have the opportunity the share images and short videos with…
Read More
Social media reactions have become a staple across all platforms, as a new way to engage with content from brands and friends. These reactions give better context to how you feel about the content and a deeper understanding of what works and what doesn’t work. Gone are the days…
Read More
Let me be clear I am not suggesting plagiarism. There is enough of that in the creative industries as it is. Instead I believe, whilst we are locked behind screens and away from the serendipity of the water cooler ‘eureka’ moments, we need to work hard to find…
Read More
Sometimes it can be hard to stay up to date with the ever-changing world of social media! Stick with us as we take you through our weekly roundup of everything you need to know…  WordPress turns blogs into Twitter threads WordPress has released a new function that allows users to…
Read More
TikTok is nothing new, but brands are still in the early stages of figuring out how to build successful marketing campaigns to reach audiences and add business value. But with about 850 million monthly active users worldwide, brands need to act now to begin building…
Read More
While there’s always more to learn about the largest social media channels that we’re pretty familiar with when is the last time you checked out what was happening on some of the smaller, or more niche channels? If you fancy watching our latest Serious Social about these three,…
Read More
  Are you like me? Do you enjoy, nay, LOVE, Halloween season? It is by far the most enjoyable season (don’t @ me, I *will* fight you!) I absolutely love seeing the amount of creativity that goes into costumes, make up and media. I mean, even coffee get’s…
Read More
Cross-app communication, Instagram’s 10th birthday and Facebook’s new Groups feature – it’s been a busy week, so let’s dig in today’s Social Snapshot:   Facebook introduces cross-app communication between Messenger and Instagram Facebook announced it will begin rolling out new functionality, allowing Instagram and Messenger users to communicate…
Read More
It’s been a whopping ten years since Instagram launched and changed the face of social media. Feel old yet? WE DO! So, first things first, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Instagram!   From the selfie revolution to the rise of the influencer, IG has helped shaped the digital revolution and has…
Read More
Entrepreneurs rightly state that employees are our biggest and most valuable resource. Yet many businesses are not unlocking the potent potential presented by social media. As business leaders start to scale the upper echelons of industry, they understand the importance of having an inside-out voice. Thought leadership or opinion…
Read More
  In this current state of lockdown and self-isolation, brands have embraced the use of more profound and impactful interaction with their communities and fan bases over social media. Lately, we’ve seen a lot of brands using techniques that involve and engage their users; requesting them to ‘tap’…
Read More
It’s been a big week for social media news, with lots of new features and insights! So we’ll get right to it…   LinkedIn adds new warnings LinkedIn has added a new feature to the platform which sends users prompts over inappropriate content and those that go against its…
Read More
You know the question – anyone working in an agency that specialises in social media has heard it before. Do you have a quick social media guide I can send through the company? Or Is there a one-sheet with all of the image sizes for each platform? You…
Read More
We all yearn for information. Whether it’s improving our wellbeing, how we behave as humans, evolving as a businessperson or insight that can propel our businesses to greater heights, we can’t get enough of it. Audiobooks, podcasts and vlogs are fostering never before seen traffic numbers. Metaphors are…
Read More
2020 has led to countless changes across the board – and for marketers, one big pivot has been with events and in-person activations. With new restrictions announced just this week, it looks like events will continue to happen online for the foreseeable future. Here are…
Read More
It’s been a big week for social media news, with lots of new features and insights! So we’ll get right to it… Facebook removes text restrictions Good news for all marketers! Facebook has announced it’s removing the restrictions on ads that are too lengthy in text, in the main…
Read More
      Facebook recently had a showcase event in which they provided an overview of their latest advances in VR and AR which include;   Project Aria   Facebook’s take on “smart glasses” – which, by the way, will be a pair of Ray Ban’s – is…
Read More
We’ve been honing the craft of marketing for over 100 years. Yet with the arrival of social, it seems much of what we learnt has been thrown out in favour of shiny new toys. We crave likes and engagement and followers like never before, whilst ignoring the need for…
Read More
If anyone tells you otherwise, I would strongly question their credentials and motive. For years we’ve seen flash in the pan speakers pedal false philosophies portraying a vision of quickfire success by adopting a simple tactic. At times that involved people positioning social media as the great hope –…
Read More
Out of time to catch up on social media news? We’ve done the work for you with our Social Snapshot – collating the biggest news of the week:   Oracle confirms Bytedance-TikTok partnership in US The big news this week is Oracle confirming it has secured a Bytedance-TikTok…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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,…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Despite the success that B2C organisations have seen, B2B companies have been dragging their feet when it comes to Instagram. And we get it. Starting, managing, and maintaining an Instagram account takes a lot of resources. Not only does the messaging need to be on point, but the feed…
Read More
  You read the title correctly, some Facebook users have been allowed the option to choose if they want to view Instagram stories on their Facebook feed.   The Instagram Story spears on your Facebook Stories feed with the IG rainbow border to differentiate from Facebook’s own Stories.
Read More
In the world of social media marketing, Twitter Lists are important. Brands, businesses, and marketers alike use Lists for various reasons. They can be public or private and can provide you with lots of relevant information that ultimately helps you be the best you can…
Read More
A lot has happened in social this week. Whether it’s a new feature, guide, or masterclass, it’s something you need to know! Stick with us and you’ll be up to speed in no time…   LinkedIn publishes new guide. Many marketers, especially B2B businesses, use LinkedIn ads but may…
Read More
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…
Read More
Often, when explaining what we do for a living, social media managers will be met with blank stares, frowns and pleasant smiles with an “oh, sounds complicated!” comment. This is usually because social media users aren’t at all aware of how channels work, and how we have to figure…
Read More
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…
Read More
We’ve all sat in brainstorms where detractors find reason or cause to not do something. The naysayers who police everyone and everything despite never being asked to do so. They’re also the people who never find a solution to the myriad of problems they’ve erected in front of every…
Read More
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.
Read More
When it comes to creating content for your social channels, many marketers can get in a rut – producing the same content over and over and cross-channel posting. For some, this works. But for others, it may bore your followers and lack engagements. So, what can you…
Read More
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…
Read More
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!…
Read More
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…
Read More
Sometimes it can be hard to stay up to date with the ever-changing world of social media! Stick with us as we take you through our weekly roundup of everything you need to know…   Pinterest rolls out skin tone search & AR. Pinterest has expanded its Skin Tone…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Writing for social media ads might seem like a no-brainer, but there’s a lot more involved than you may think. Social media is a noisy landscape, and you can’t simply rely on your creative to get your audience’s attention – you need them to buy into what you’re…
Read More
No time to go through all the social media news of the past week? Don’t worry – we’ve collated it all for your easy perusal. Take a look:   Facebook’s Q2 results beat estimates Facebook has beat its Q2 estimates, reaching $18.69 billion in revenue and 2.7…
Read More
‘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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Audience-first – the consideration of what your audience wants and needs to see. It’s a mantra that has been pivotal to the growth of our thriving agency. In a content-rich industry like Social Media, the proliferation of stories is plentiful. All businesses are creating stories, clamouring for the thumb…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Social media is ever-changing, and sometimes it can be hard to stay up to date! Stick with us as we take you through our weekly roundup of everything you need to know…   Screen-share comes to mobile Messenger. After bringing the option to desktop earlier this year, Facebook has…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
A few months ago we wrote about Fleets, Twitter’s answer to ‘Stories’ – which is Instagram’s answer to Snapchat! Whilst Fleets still haven’t rolled out to everyone, they are now working on creating a ‘collaborative’ version: “We are testing something new for some people using Fleets in…
Read More
A new social media subscription service, maximised ad campaigns and IGTV previews – let’s jump right into this week’s Social Snapshot:   Twitter’s working on a new subscription service Brief disclaimer – this is supposedly only speculation, but a new team is reportedly working with Twitter’s payments group…
Read More
72% of B2B marketers use social media advertising or promoted posts, so it’s no secret that paid social media is vital to generating sales and delivering ROI. But with the influx of users and increase in social advertising, how do marketers set themselves apart to ensure…
Read More
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…
Read More
LinkedIn has been historically reticent to give in-depth follower information, or it has at least limited follower-specific features. When it brought back the option to invite your connections to follow your company page late last year, it implemented a limit of 50 invites per page manager, per day.
Read More
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…
Read More
More ads on YouTube, pinned comments on Instagram – the social media landscape is ever changing, but we are here to keep you up to speed. Join us for another social snapshot:   YouTube is adding more ads YouTube videos are usually at least 10 minutes long. That’s…
Read More
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…
Read More
One of the latest releases from Twitter is the Audio Tweet! Now, I must admit I am a sceptic with this function – I’m not sure that, when social media is so visual, an audio-only format will be useful or used. However, sound is important in branding (tune…
Read More
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,…
Read More
      Tik Tok for business has just recently launched, providing a plethora of tools to help brands and marketers utilise the short-form video app for their ad campaigns.     “TikTok For Business is where you can unleash your brand’s creative side.
Read More