2021 Immediate Future

So that’s 2021 done! What a year it has been. We have seen a lot of the world come back to some ‘normality‘ (whatever that means!). We have also seen a huge shift to a more social-first mentality as we come to terms with this new…

We’ve almost made it to the end of 2021, and what a year it has been! Before we dive into the mulled wine and mince pies, we’ve got one last round-up for all of the latest happenings on social media this past week. Twitter tests new creative…

Ahh yes, we all love some trends, don’t we? And why not end the year with a look at some design trends for 2022 as predicted by the lovely people over at 99designs. 90’s Nostalgia: Who doesn’t love 90’s aesthetics?! With Gen Z bringing…

With 2022 just around the corner, who knows what we will see, but before that happens, I thought it was worth remembering those brand campaigns that made us laugh and will still be talking in the new year. This year business has gone all out with their marketing campaigns.

It’s that time of the week again. Have a look at the latest happening in the world of social media through our social snapshot: Twitter adds auto captions for video uploads Twitter has announced that all videos within tweets will have auto captions, providing more ways…

Do end-of-year tactical social media forecasts benefit your business? In a word, no. I could finish the blog there by stating the obvious and not offering insight, but that would mean I too fall into the trap of offering perceived wisdom, but reality being the opposite.

Everyone loves social media, and China is no exception. With over 931 million active monthly users, it is the largest social media market in the world! However, in China, social is nothing like what you and I are used to. The platforms are different, with advertising, algorithms, and influencers…

With so much social news popping up every day, we know it can be hard to stay up to date. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Check out the latest happenings in the world of social media with our social snapshot Instagram adds the option…

As you may have noticed, all the social media channels are in constant competition to become the platform with the most active users. Or to be the first to launch some new functionality on the market that, if successful, will be copied by other companies. In September 2021,…

Today we’re looking back at old school social. Asking what worked in the past in the world of social media and how it might work again in today’s new landscape. What can we learn and how can we go back to benefit the future? A couple of…

Marketers, it’s that time of the year again. With less than a month until New Years, we’re looking ahead at trends that will dominate in 2022 on social media. TikTok remains the biggest influence on social In 2020, TikTok was the world’s most…

It’s that time of the week! Grab a coffee as we take you through our social snapshot of everything you need to know about what’s new in social media TikTok is testing a new ‘Business Registration’ TikTok business profile managers are now able to access the…

With only one day left in November, the countdown is officially on until the holiday season. For some, it’s a time to wind down activities and lean into celebrations, but for others (I’m looking at you, marketers ), it’s a time to get our creative hats on and…

There have been some rumblings over at YouTube these past few weeks, with rumours circling that they will finally be giving the axe to the dislike button… With rumours turning out to indeed be true, this update will be rolled out site-wide within days! DUN DUN DUN Like any…

With so many social news popping up every day, we know it can be hard to stay up to date. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Have a look at the latest happening in the world of social media through our social snapshot: YouTube enables reusing…

At immediate future, we’re constantly testing new and exciting things to help us continue breaking the social boring. Especially when it comes to design. For both client-facing employees and our official designers, Canva is a great starter tool to get creative and super easy to use! What is Canva? …

This is part two of our Employee Advocacy: overcoming hurdles series. For part one, click here: https://immediatefuture.co.uk/blog/employee-advocacy-overcoming-hurdles/ We’re back with our employee advocacy series, recapping all the great insight that was covered in our recent webinar Fixing Holes in Employee Advocacy with Katy…

Following on from the Figma discussion a few weeks ago, where we talked about the pros of using apps like Figma in your design workflow, I wanted to take a moment to give a shout out to some other very cool apps that designers…

It’s that time of the week again! Grab a coffee as we take you through our social snapshot of everything you need to know about what’s new in social media Twitter rolls out improved labels for misinformation To help users be better informed, Twitter is…

Hashtags. They’ve been around forever (not quite, but almost) and they’re a bit like marmite, some of us love them, some of us hate them. But at the end of the day, they’re extremely effective to use on social media – if you’re using them in the right…

With over 1 billion monthly active users and more than 2.6 billion downloads worldwide, I think we can all agree that TikTok is massive. Within the app, users are faced with a wide range of opportunities to create and share content, which has got many organisations thinking…

The rise in popularity of social media networks like Facebook and Twitter made the customer more connected than ever before. As a result, if someone has a positive or negative experience with a brand, it can be shared with millions of people online. According to researchers, marketers, and…

It’s that time of the week – time for your social snapshot! We know it can be hard to stay up to date with social media news popping up every day. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Have a look at the latest happening in the world…

Ho-ho-ho…It’s nearly that time of the year! There is no doubt that festive seasons are a perfect time to take advantage of social media and create some awesome marketing campaigns to remember. Here are a few ideas on how to make a Christmas campaign that will capture…

Trusting the process… what is it? And what does it mean for designers and social media? Earlier this year, IF’s digital designers, Ollie Farnden and Chantal El Bikai sat down to answer exactly that. We describe the process as a day-by-day series of steps, like making a cup…

Here at immediate future, we are always testing new and exciting things to help us continue breaking the social boring. Recently, the design team stumbled across a design platform called Figma. A platform that enables users to work on a single document at the same time, working seamlessly…

We know it can be hard to stay up to date with social media news popping up every day. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Have a look at the latest happening in the world of social media through our social snapshot: Facebook’s ‘Meta’ name change…

Following the success of our first webinar Talkin’ ‘bout ‘employee advocacy’ revolution, we invited our panel of experts for a follow-up conversation to help tackle the challenges that businesses face when building and growing an employee advocacy programme. Katy Howell, CEO at immediate future, was…

It’s that time of the week again – time for your social snapshot! We know it can be hard to stay up to date with social media news popping up every day. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Have a look at the latest happening in…

The Covid-19 pandemic fundamentally reshaped consumer habits. To remain competitive, CPG and retail brands have to stay ahead of trends and proactively adapt to changing customer needs. In today’s blog, we wanted to discuss how eating habits have changed and what trends could…

When you work every day in social it’s easy to think the whole world is about social. Of course, it isn’t. In fact, social is leaky and gets everywhere touching all your channels and melting into all your campaigns. You should consider social as the oil in your…

Spooky season is the perfect time to start creating engaging social content that grabs your audience’s attention. There are many reasons why you should consider a Halloween campaign as a marketer, but let’s stick to the obvious one – it’s a significant event that’s celebrated worldwide. Although the…

It’s that time of the week again – time for your social snapshot! We know it can be hard to stay up to date with social media news popping up every day. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Have a look at the latest happening in the…

It doesn’t matter how well planned your social media strategy is or how good your product or service is; it is impossible not to receive negative comments on social media. Consumers are becoming more and more demanding, and brands are having a harder time meeting their expectations. So,…

There are two important steps you need to take before building your brand from a starting point. The first is to gather as much information and input from key stakeholders as possible. Start with the ‘Why’ – ask questions like: ‘Why your products or offerings great?’ ‘What problem…

The evolution of writing copy for social media has been a dynamic and sometimes confusing journey. The days of winging it are long past us and now specific and sometimes prescribed styles of creatives and copy will resonate with specific social platforms and brand profiles. While this…

We know it can be hard to stay up to date with social media news popping up every day. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Have a look at the latest happening in the world of social media through our social snapshot: Snapchat launches Club Unit…

In light of World Mental Health Day, I wanted to take this moment to talk about creativity and mental health. We’ve all been there with burnout. So often as designers, we think of this as a normal part of the creative process. But I’m just gonna…

Just a few months ago, TikTok had over 2.6 billion downloads worldwide and about 700 million monthly users. Including the IFers, where we share our monthly social snapshot roundups and occasionally people running around in dinosaur outfits. TikTok being so big, lots of brands want to figure out…

This Sunday, 10th October marks World Mental Health Day – an international day for mental health education, awareness, and advocacy against social stigma. Providing a positive headspace for team members should be a top priority for employers; and here at IF, we do our best to foster a…

We know it can be hard to stay up to date with social media news popping up every day. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Have a look at the latest happening in the world of social media through our social snapshot: Twitter removes live stream guests’ s option…

As I am sure many of you know, Facebook suffered a major outage yesterday (Nearly 6 hours to be exact!). With chaos on the streets, many users fled to the safety of other platforms such as Twitter, Linkedin and, of course, Tiktok. Problems were reported across the world,…

Briefing for social creatives isn’t always as straightforward as many people think. To help make sure your social briefs always hit the mark, we’re going to run through some quick tips you should always keep in mind when briefing yo ur designers to ensure that you’re collaborating…

Today is International Podcast Day! A day to celebrate the power of audio and just how far it’s come in such a short period of time. Derived from the infamous iPod, podcasting began back in 2004, (the same year the great IF was born!) and has since grown in enormous…

We know it can be hard to stay up to date with social media news popping up every day. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Check out the latest happenings in the world of social with our weekly snapshot Instagram pauses ‘Instagram for Kids’ project…

Writing social posts is easy, isn’t it? Just hop on twitter, whack in 240 characters and watch the leads and conversions come flying in, right? In an ideal world, sure. But curating social posts that both resonates with your target audiences and encourages them to engage with…

Are you sober curious? Perhaps you’re just curious as to what that even means? Well, this trend is rising quicker than you can pull a pint. In short, being sober curious is all about being more intentional about how, when and why you drink – not to be mistaken…

During the pandemic, we began spending much more time on social media and interacting more with brands online. Resulting in brands having to adapt and very quickly. Now, the restrictions are easing down, but audiences still have those high expectations of brands to communicate well with them, especially…

For many years organic traffic was everything you needed for successful content distribution. However, as the competition for the search terms and audience attention grows, other elements of content distribution and promotion must be considered. In today’s blog, I wanted to discuss 4 important steps you need to…

Another week, another social snapshot. Have a look at the latest happening in the world of social media: Facebook is introducing ‘’Community Awards’’ Facebook is testing a new feature called ‘Community Awards’ to encourage engagement in groups. Find out more here. Snapchat launches…

Trends are fickle things. They can come from nothing and be the hot new thing to post on social media. On TikTok, we see this more now than ever with different sounds or dancers for users to use or copy. The trend we will be focusing on today…

Facebook has changed over the years and has become one of the more complex platforms. This can sometimes make it a tricky to maximise value from your Facebook marketing. We’ve got you covered though. Stick with us as we take you through the best practices for Facebook…

Have you noticed that the creation of content in Reels is growing day by day? But, how should you be using it? What can it do for your brand’s social media strategy? Instagram Reels allows you to create and share 30-second videos with music, filters, and text in…

This week’s Social Snapshot is here! Let us take you to the latest Social Media updates. ‘LinkedIn Learning Hub’ to provide a more comprehensive overview for both individuals and businesses. ‘Learning Hub’ to more users, makes 40 popular courses available for free. Find out more…

I’m the first to admit that my favourite social media accounts are the ones that make me laugh out loud. And while it’s a common thread in personal and culture account success, it doesn’t always play the same for business ones. Unlike meme accounts like tank.sinatra, betches and…

We’ve all explored moment marketing before, but frequently, when brands try to weave in social media to a moment marketing strategy, they often lack agility and are doing it off the cuff, resulting in average results. To elevate your social media marketing moments and ensure they’re hitting…

In the past year there has been an increasing trend of brands using their social media platforms to support various causes. Social media has shifted from a place of ideas sharing to one that educates and inspires. Supporting a good cause on social can be one of the…

We know it can be hard to stay up to date with social media news popping up every day. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Have a look at the latest happening in the world of social media through our social snapshot: Facebook is donating $3…

Over the last few months Twitter have been testing out their “Super Follow” option with select creators being able to charge a monthly fee for exclusive content – think similar to Patreon or OnlyFans. “Today we’re excited to introduce Super…

Excelling in social media depends on many factors. Precise targeting, elaborated content strategy, proper measurement, and testing, etc. It is a whole structure in which each part must be studied and properly planned to be successful in social. But if you look at paid media, things can get…

The process of social listening can be powerful for your marketing strategy if used effectively. Listening to, and monitoring the conversations happening online around businesses, products, specific conversations and much more, can help marketers create successful social content and truly get to know audiences on a more emotional…

It’s that time of the week again! Grab a coffee as we take you through our social snapshot of everything you need to know about what’s new in social media. LinkedIn is shutting down LinkedIn Stories LinkedIn has announced that is shutting down the Stories…

‘I didn’t have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long one.’ – Mark Twain Writing short copy is much harder than waffling on for pages and this challenge is exemplified when it comes to social. The opportunity to capture your audience’s interest is…

Since 2004, Social Media has been growing exponentially and as of January 2021, there were 4.2 billion social media users equating to about 52% of the Global Population. This brought people and businesses closer while significantly improved communication between them. In the UK, social media ad spending is…

With social media news popping up every day, it can be hard to stay up to date. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Have a look at the latest happening in the world of social media through our social snapshot: TikTok launches a new parents guide…

Social media is a crowded space. Period. This means that turning out average content isn’t going to cut it; social media marketers need to be doing the most to get their ads noticed on audience feeds – and that is easier said than done. Numerous departments and business…

Kids off school, sun is sort of out, and one way or another we are focused on a vacation of some kind. Well, according to the social data, it’s not all about sun sea and sand. In fact, Halloween is already trending. Ignoring the uptick on Friday 13th,…

… to real growth A few weeks ago we talked about the importance of trusting the process and what it means to the design team here at IF. This week I want to talk a little further about some points we hit on in that specific live,…

It’s that time of the week again – time for your social snapshot! We’ve got a round-up for all of the latest happenings on social media. So, sit back, grab a coffee, and get up to speed Instagram introduces new ways to protect users from abuse…

The summer month of August has always been a key month in the Ad calendar. The famous P9 period sees Back to School campaigns appear, closely followed by menu changes in pubs and restaurants, as they flip from lighter evenings to darker nights. At the same time, we start…

With so many metrics constantly popping up, the world of social media can be confusing. What should you be tracking? What’s important for your business goals? We’ll take you through the various metrics that every company or brand should be looking at, so you can stay on…

We know it can be hard to stay up to date with the social media news popping up every day. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Have a look at the latest happening in the world of social media through our social snapshot: YouTube launches…

Having a hard time writing Facebook ad copy? The truth is that Facebook Ad copy is essential if we want our ads to convert. A lot of the time we write the first thing that comes to mind. But, if we want to write the best Facebook…

This is part two of our Employee Advocacy series. For part one, click here: https://immediatefuture.co.uk/blog/employee-advocacy-how-did-we-get-here/ We recently covered our initial findings from our Employee Advocacy webinar, sharing the insights gained from our expert panel on why there has been such a sudden rise in Employee Advocacy, and what…

Designers know more about ‘trusting the process’ than anyone else. Though what we all need to understand is, there is a process to everything that we do and without trust and patience, we can falter at the first hurdle. When it comes to ‘Trusting the Process’ on social…

On average, users post 6,000 Tweets every second on Twitter. As a Social Media Designer, standing out from the pack is crucial, and you probably dedicate a huge amount of your time to researching competitors, trawling through Facebook design groups for inspiration, or looking at the work of…

Another week has passed and it’s time for a new Social Snapshot. We know it can be hard to stay up to date with the social media news popping up every day. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Have a look at the latest happenings in the…

It goes without saying that social media provides brands with the opportunity to reach their audiences in a personalised and accessible way. But with multiple channels available, targeting diverse demographics in different ways – how can brands be sure they’re focusing their efforts at the right time, in…

Back before social media was even called social media, brands were part of the conversation. Whether it was on Myspace, Flickr, Blogs, Habbo Hotel or the plethora of message boards – marketing comms was experimenting with talking direct to the customer. Now, 20 years on, the world has…

Okay, okay, we get it. It’s good to take inspiration from things that are working, but clearly, these things aren’t working for others as well as they are for TikTok. In this new instalment of “what else can we be INSPIRED from by TikTok” Instagram…

Employee advocacy has moved centre stage in social marketing. It is accelerating as a program, pushing out its messaging in all new ways and putting employees at the forefront of business promotions and campaigns. What is driving this rapid increase in employee advocacy across social media, and what…

Social Media has become a crucial element of digital marketing and its share of the marketing budget is expected to grow in 2021. Growing interest in this marketing category necessitates deeper, more powerful analytics. But how can social analytics benefit your business? In this quick blog, I wanted…

As of the beginning of July 2021, TikTok has had over 2.6 billion downloads worldwide and sees almost 700 million monthly active users (many IFers included!) So, it’s a no brainer that brands want to jump on the bandwagon. But, like every social media platform, sometimes it works and…

If you are starting in the world of social media, you may have already heard that before converting, you must set up a presence. However, it’s possible your social strategy isn’t working properly, which means the investment does not translate into the desired results.

Another week, another Social Snapshot! It can be hard to stay up to date with the social media news popping up every day. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Have a look at the latest happenings in the world of social media with our social snapshot…

With social media companies all seeming to blend into one nowadays, it’s interesting to note the companies who know things aren’t working and can pull the plug before any more time and resources are spent on them… Yes, we are talking about you @Twitter. Now, this is…

Apple has recently released an update, iOS14, which is causing quite the stir with Facebook. If you’re an Apple user, then over the last few months, whenever you update or load a new app, you’ll have a popup notification asking if you are happy to share…

No brand is a stranger to the realm of social media likes, but it seems like 2021 will be the year to kick them to the curb. While introduced to help relieve social pressure and improve mental health for its users, it’s difficult to ignore how this impacts…

We know it can be hard to stay up to date with the social media news popping up every day. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Have a look at the latest happening in the world of social media through our social snapshot: Facebook adds new…

With just two exceptions, TikTok has held the lead as the most downloaded app for the past 18 months. Its growth has been meteoric and undeterred despite content concerns, data safety issues and other fun controversies. The other important aspect to note is that these downloads are likely…

As lockdowns ends in phases around the world, the big question is, will the habits we formed over the last 18 months stay with us or will we return to the way it was before. And on social media the changes coming in the next few months will…

For some marketers, social media marketing can be seen as slightly complex or just a quick add-on to their overall marketing strategies, with very little focus. But, with over 3 billion active social media users in the world and the average person spending just under 2.5 hours on…

It’s that time of the week again – time for your social snapshot! We’ve got a round-up for all of the latest happenings on social media. So, sit back, enjoy, and take it all in! TikTok adds new “Shoutouts” option Do you want a personal message from…

Now, this may seem like a straightforward question. But in fact, this is a complex process that varies between channel, industry, audience size, objective and spend. So, if you came here for a short answer, you’re out of luck. But what we can give you is a top-level…

Moments make social. They fill our personal feeds with memories to look back on. From the family reunion after lockdown to our pets doing something adorable. The achievements we’re proud of to the moments of calamity our dear friends captured. Moments make social media. For a brand to make…

A few weeks ago we talked about the brand refresh, in which we touched on creative reasonings and processes. In this blog, I want us to delve a little deeper into designing with social media in mind. What it entails and how best to…

Half of marketers worldwide have turned to social listening to understand consumers’ changing preferences during the pandemic. 63% of social media marketers believe listening will become even more important over the upcoming year. In this quick blog, I wanted to touch on the increasing importance of Social Listening…

It may not be the new kid on the block, but please, no ageism here! The Facebook platform is still VERY important to the digital ecosystem, in fact, it’s top 3 according to Comscore. So we’re here to give you the checklist of your…

Do you want to have more reach on Instagram? Do you want to understand how Instagram ranks feed posts? Then you should know how the Instagram algorithm works in 2021. Now, what is the Instagram algorithm? In short, the Instagram algorithm is a mechanism that classifies content according…

Archive: 2022