2021 Immediate Future

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 happening in the…

Throughout 2020 and into 2021, social media has become more important than ever to stay in touch with people, find new trends and hobbies and keep up to date on current events. Brands had to thrive while undergoing rapid, unexpected digital transformation, and social marketers had to…

“If you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you’re going.” Of course, Maya Angelou’s famous quote was actually four lines of prose. The purpose of her abbreviated statement was clear though, respect and understand the past, to help you move to a better future. This is the essence of business networking.

The last year or so, while we have all been stuck working from home due to the pandemic, Tiktok has slowly taken over, well, the world. We have seen many brands jumping on the bandwagon to create content for the platform, enabling them to target a more youthful demographic…

Another week, another social snapshot. We know it can be hard to stay up to date with the social media news popping up every day. Stick with us as we take you closer to the world of social media and everything you need to know. Twitter experiments…

That title is a nod to Bo Burnham’s Inside, the comedian’s latest special on Netflix, in which he spends a hefty amount of time discussing the effects of social media. His song Welcome to the Internet covers how there’s a little bit of everything for everyone, good and…

Last week saw the launch of our Technology CMO Outlook Report. Alongside Copy House, we put the flesh on the bones of the normal benchmark reports and brought to you in-depth interviews from the CMOs of some of the biggest names in tech. On Friday, we were live with…

We can’t lie to you. As a social media agency filled with creatives, we are often faced with the hard truth that our creativity needs to live within the borders set by the social media platforms. And while we’re up for the challenge of making the most impactful…

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 happening in the world of social media through our social snapshot:…

Who doesn’t love a refresh? Be it a new hairdo or a colourful wardrobe? In this case, I’ll be talking about our brand refresh – a labour of love for almost 8 (yes, e i g h t) months. Taking what we already had, simplifying it, and…

Brands, we hear your plea… you want better engagement and higher conversions, right? What’s the secret [BBQ] sauce? It’s the consumer data. In social, there are billions of consumers chatting about everything under the sun, so you just need to listen, interpret the data and use it to…

Social media is not a walk in the park. Any marketer can tell you that. There’s a lot of strategic thinking and planning that goes on behind the scenes (stating the obvious I know). But as brands continue to jump onto the social platforms, and sometimes ALL…

Another week, another Social Snapshot! We know it can be hard to stay up to date with the social media news popping up every day. Stick with us as we take you closer to the world of social media and everything you need to know. Instagram extends Reels…

Building a relationship between you and your design team is imperative to creating social content that leaps off the screen and becomes ingrained in users’ minds. You should trust your designers to know what they are doing and keep the clients’ best interests in mind. In…

In our first blog on the customer experience, we explored how to be human in the digital world, how to get leadership onboard, and how to prove the value of customer care across the business. This week, we’re going a little deeper; looking at how to implement…

Welcome to the new 20s, where not taking action or being silent are no longer options for organisations. The importance of inclusion and diversity is here to stay. There is no room for brands to sit back and act passively. Why? Well… consumers are becoming more demanding and…

Hello and welcome to our latest Social Snapshot News Roundup! Let’s dive right in: Clubhouse – the uber popular social audio app – launched its Android version this month, bringing with it one million new users, and a million more are sitting on the waitlist. The app…

We live in a digital era and there are billions of internet users worldwide. That means there are lots of opportunities for brands to engage with their audience and achieve business growth. One of the most effective methods for spreading brand awareness and attracting new customers is…

Why isn’t anyone advocating storytelling reporting to your own boardroom? As we emerge from COVID-19, boardrooms are scrutinising their post-COVID recovery plans. Budgets and ROIs are being assessed to determine if they’re investing in the right areas to deliver the required business impact, at the speed needed. There…

As a designer, trusting the process is second nature. We have to work on specific elements, gradually building them up slowly and methodically until we get the final product. This is something that can make or break a design team, making sure that everyone has confidence in their…

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. Pinterest shares…

82% of people agree social media is a vital channel for delivering exceptional customer experience. We know consistently delighting customers is a complex task – requiring skills in leadership, tech and a healthy dose of agility. Often, though, the idea of focusing on the customer experience through social…

If you need some practical tips about community engagement on social, you’ve come to the right place! Audiences, whether in B2B or B2C are very unforgiving when it comes to how brands engage with them – more than ever, we want brands to be fast, human, clear and…

Any social media marketer knows that working in the platforms every day isn’t enough to qualify themselves as a subject matter expert. With algorithms and channel functionalities changing by the hour, social media marketers need to be reading industry blogs and following platform news to stay ahead of…

Another week, another social snapshot! We know sometimes it can be hard to stay up to date with the ever-changing world of social media. We’ve got a round-up for all of the latest happenings on social media. So, sit back, enjoy, and take it all in! Clubhouse…

Yes, I absolutely did say that! And don’t worry farmers, this has nothing to do with you lot, I promise. After years of our photos and artwork being subjected to weird cropping, Twitter has FINALLY rolled out their new image display for mobile, and let me tell you,…

Social skips its way through the whole customer journey, impacting various touchpoints, from awareness right through purchase into advocacy. More importantly, you need to map the journey, in detail, if you hope to be able to deliver a consistent and much-needed customer experience. And you do need to…

Another week, another social snapshot. We know it can be hard to stay up to date with the social media news popping up every day. Stick with us as we take you closer to the world of social media and everything you need to know. Facebook launches…

Customer experience on social seems to be a huge topic right now. And is something we’ve discussed a lot recently at IF. Over the past year, the way we use social has changed. In fact, our overall behaviour online has changed. With more and more consumers…

If you’re being challenged to deliver SQLs this year, then this blog is for you – and there is a video about it on our Facebook channel too, here, if you prefer watching a video, to reading a blog. Last week’s Serious Social Live saw me…

Hashtags remain one of the most effective ways to generate engagement on your Instagram posts in 2021. A report says that a post with at least one hashtag averages 12.6% more engagement than posts without any. So, it’s worth including them in your content strategy.

It’s that time of the week again – time for your social snapshot! Grab a coffee and stick with us as we take you through our weekly roundup of everything you need to know about what’s new on social media Twitter launches an initial test of ‘Professional…

Clubhouse has given us all a little peek into some recent updates that will be happening to the app. These include the beginning of Android testing and higher quality audio. First off, when checking out someone’s page, you’ll now be able to see any upcoming…

A few weeks ago, we wrote a piece on when it was best to stand out from the crowd, and if done right, can create some truly engaging content that sees other brands jumping on your bandwagon. The most recent occurrence…

“Change is popular when someone else is doing it, but when it comes to changing ourselves, not as many hands are raised.” Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend DigiConf 2021 and was struck by a session from Malin Liden on cultural change during a pandemic. Who even…

Another week, another social snapshot. Sometimes it can be hard to stay up to date with the constantly changing world of social media! Stick with us as we take you closer you through our weekly roundup of everything you need to know. Facebook letting users transfer posts…

You’ve probably noticed our Friday Serious Social episodes on your feeds, where each week we report updates on the latest and greatest happening in social media, feature in-depth insights from various sectors, host interviews with thought leaders and discuss the different ways to break the social boring. But…

What employees say on social matters. It can sometimes break a company and often raise it up. Your insides are on view. Yes, all the wonderfulness of your company and all the hidden skeletons (and messy, frayed, edges) are now shining clearly to your customers, your investors, your…

In an update that doesn’t come as a shock… although has me going “hmmmm??” Reddit is currently testing out its own Clubhouse-style audio social. However, the most notable difference is the voice chat feature being available to moderators, and also subredditers who purchase a “power-up” subscription. …

Another week, another social snapshot. With social media news constantly popping up, it can be hard to stay up to date. Stick with us as we take you closer to the world of social media and everything you need to know. LinkedIn introduces a new ads guide…

Influencer marketing: a form of social media marketing that helps bridge the gap between businesses and consumers, offering insights into products to help inform decision making and ultimately influence audiences. Of course. What started as a hobby and changed into a career in 2009, influencers have taken the social…

Well, we could simply say… research, plan it, write it, check it, check it again, post it. But there’s really much more to writing for social media than many people think. Here are our top tips, and what not to do! First Thought What is the first thing,…

It’s no secret that the last 12 months has thrown out some challenging moments for every single brand and organisation across the globe. Recently, Katy Howell (CEO, immediate Future) and Belle Lawrence (Associate Director, Immediate Future) sat down with a group of experienced marketers in the FMCG world…

Another week, another Social Snapshot! Grab a coffee and get stuck in to get yourself up to speed with the latest happenings in social TikTok adds auto-captions TikTok has added a new auto-captions feature where users will be able to overlay automated subtitles onto their videos to…

There are new social media marketing tactics popping up every day. When first getting started in social, it can be tough to define which ones are right for your brand and audience. Influencer partnerships can have a huge impact on boosting your…

As we move towards a more hopeful outlook to the opening of the world’s door’s, we should remember that our time in this horrible, horrible pandemic has changed the digital landscape for the foreseeable future. This new mindset will change how we host events/talks even past this…

Social media is about open, unfiltered ideas being sent across the web to anyone in the world willing to listen. Platforms like Twitter are called that because they give users a literal platform to speak from, voice their opinions and engage with others. Over time, this idea has…

Paid media is a complex and ever-changing beast that can make success on social particularly difficult. Especially if you don’t take note of the regular adaptations to features, functions and most importantly algorithms – recently there have been some big changes. Understanding algorithms is key for knowing what you…

In our recent webinar, Big Brand Secrets For Creating Audacious, Killer Content, Katy Howell, Laura McNally, and Karly Boyce sat down to talk about how brands can create bold, brave, and daring content. The conversation delves into what bold looks like to them, the process involved in creating…

Another week, another Social Snapshot! 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… Instagram’s testing labels in Stories Instagram has been found…

As we all know and have seen, Twitter has been working on their Spaces tool and more specifically trying to improve their Spaces experience. Currently, the only way to join is to open the…

Since McDonalds and AutoTrader talked about being bold with content, it has been front of mind for me. I cannot stop thinking about the minutiae of being brave with social comms. It matters. Social is so noisy, you need bold content to grab attention. But it is a…

Clubhouse is the talk of the town, but did you know the famous audio, invite-only app is one year old!? That’s right, this week, Clubhouse celebrated its one-year anniversary. Despite the platform still operating in private beta – an invite-only operation that is only available on iOS (sorry Android…

As part of its analyst day overview, earlier this year, Twitter released a series of potential new features they hope will boost numbers and aggressively grow their user base over the next three years. Including various new subscription-based features, which will enable creators to monetize their Twitter following:…

Social is a very visual medium, so why are brands still doing a bad job at communication through design? Whether it’s a boring, wallpaper image, or a message which doesn’t translate from print to social (we’re looking at you, Burger King), there’s no reason brands can’t take the…

On social, its crucial for brands and identities to sometimes stand out from the crowd, to create content that engages users and makes an impact. Making the same content as others can appear stale and overdone, so there is a lot of pressure to create content that can…

Another week, another Social Snapshot! 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… Twitter’s restricting ad replies The news we’re welcoming with…

Imitation is the best form of flattery – rarely is an idea fully formed at the start. The technical birthplace of wireless is in the Netherlands, where WaveLAN (an early form of the still nascent wireless networking standard) was introduced with the intent for use in cashier…

With the new financial year upon us, stakeholders are busy checking and ratifying plans and budgets for FY21/22. With the annual merry-go-round of financial and marketing planning shenanigans comes a new focus on demand generation. After all, organisations have endured a year no one expected. Surviving was rightly considered…

March 8th is International Women’s Day, and it marks one of the most important days of the year for organisations, communities and individuals to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness about women’s equality, lobby for accelerated gender parity and fundraise for female-focused charities. We’ve collated some key information and…

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 grab a coffee and get up to speed Facebook announces new features for IWD With International Women’s Day coming…

That’s right, Pinterest are out here celebrating and showcasing independent shops owned by women for International Women’s Day. “Working women were disproportionately hit by the COVID economic fallout. Last December, women accounted for 100% of U.S. jobs lost that month. There are even talks of a “Shecession””. Now,…

Will Clubhouse live up to the hype? Will it last? Frankly, no one knows. But what is clear is that audio is coming into its own. Twitter is rolling out Spaces, and Fireside is waiting in the wings with…

With 20.33 million daily active users, TikTok is fast becoming the place to be. What started as a platform viewed for the younger audience, the demographics of users have broadened (popularity increased during 2020), and more and more brands are exploring this new venture. But how should brands approach…

With so much change, disruption, and discussion around what’s next all around the world, it can be difficult to stay in touch with what really matters at the moment. For a brand on social, if you aren’t on top of key trends, how people are feeling and why…

#ICYMI Katie Patterson, Senior Account Manager at IF, sat down with Lois Engstrand, Global Senior Marketing Manager, at ClauseMatch to discuss her journey of building a marketing department out of nothing. So what really goes into strategising and building a marketing function at a start-up?…

59 million people used Snapchat’s AR tools during the recent Super Bowl in the United States, the platform reported this week. When you take into account that Snapchat has 92 million users in the US, that’s a whole lot of activity. At the top of…

Let’s get real, most of the content you’re scrolling through on social right now is BORING. Social feeds are a sea of pointless pictures, yawn-inducing infographics, and videos that would send an insomniac to sleep! BUT then… you’re stopped in your tracks by something stand-out, thumb-stopping, and exciting!…

Last week we informed you that Facebook was looking to cash in on creating a rival product to the widely popular Clubhouse. While this is true, it seems that Instagram is still trying to catch up with other social networks and enable users to have more than two…

Reactive social media is something we’ve seen a lot of recently and was considered a growing trend in 2020 after everyone turned to social at the start of the pandemic. When done well, this type of content can really pay off, but it doesn’t come without its risks.

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 grab a coffee and get up to speed Instagram’s really pushing Reels A few weeks ago, Instagram released a ‘how…

If you’re a marketer, whether it be in a global organisation or a small agency, it’s likely that social media is present in your day-to-day. But while most marketers have had some experience in social media, not all are the ‘experts’ they position themselves to be. We’ve listed…

I was thinking about the chat I had on last week’s Serious Social Live, with David O’Hearns from Dawn Creative. We talked about building brand. Everything from the basics to the knotty problems. In particular we discussed how branding is not just about social. It is an integrated…

Social media marketing is an excellent tool that bridges the gap between businesses and consumers. When used strategically and a clear understanding has been met, great outcomes can be achieved. So there’s no doubt why we’ve seen so many companies flood to social channels over the past year.

Here we go again! Another rundown of the latest happenings in social media from the past week. So, sit back, grab a coffee and enjoy another edition of Social Snapshot! Twitter is caring for the customer Online shopping is becoming increasingly popular and this means your digital…

Social media trends are quite often fleeting. Some find ways to adapt and evolve and stay relevant. Others are gone with the click of the fingers. One thing that is here to stay is influencer marketing. In 2021 brands are well aware that connecting with the consumers is…

In the era of ‘FAKE NEWS’, Facebook has begun its rollout of ‘Facebook News’ for users based in the UK. This service will be a tailored choice of Facebook approved news sources that users can consume on the web or the official Facebook app in its very own tab. With…

To save you a long read if you are not here for the why: there isn’t really a best time to post on social media, or rather, if there is one, it can change overnight, depends on a lot of factors, and ultimately, doesn’t really matter. Let’s explore.

It won’t surprise you to hear that an unprecedented number of brands adopted social media marketing in 2020. The ongoing COVID challenge forced many to do things differently and in many cases doing things they have not done before. Regular viewers of our Serious Social Live videos or regular…

As the daughter of two baby boomers, I’m the first to admit that I have had little faith in the digital capabilities of this demographic. I can’t count how many times I’ve pleaded with my parents that their iPad camera can, in fact, capture more than their forehead,…

We’ve almost made it to the end of January, and what a month it has been! Now you’re back in the full swing of working you might be falling behind on social news, which is where we come in. So, sit back, grab a coffee and get up to…

Who doesn’t love a bit product tagging? Especially if you’re a business or creator. The process makes it so much easier for us, as consumers, to buy what we see in a post. The latest company to jump on this, is none other than…

I was talking to a senior marketer last week about building great customer relationships. She said something that stuck in my head: we should show our customer’s respect. It resonated with me because acquisition has been the focus these last 10 months to the detriment of relationships…

For many people working outside of our industry, social media marketing seems easy. Wrong. What they don’t know is how much effort and hard work goes on behind the scenes. And it’s not just down to one person. To be successful in social media marketing, you need to collaborate –…

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 Launches it’s first LiDAR-enabled AR effect With AR set to be…

New year, new… well, nothing? If you’re feeling like nothing has changed and the world of social media is as exhausting as ever, we’ve collated a few best-practice thoughts for you – you’re stronger than you think! Be agile, not fragile Change is the only constant… who said…

Going into 2021, companies might be looking at rejigging how they approach their audience on social media. It’s a tumultuous time, with many looking to their favourite businesses for signs they are adapting and changing their way of working to meet the needs of both their customers and…

Welcome back for another year of our Social Snapshot! Today we are taking a look at the biggest stories of January – plus a few missed from the end of the year when we were all on break. Let’s dive in: Instagram adds new creative tools in…

Podcast listenership in the UK reached an estimated 15.6 million listeners in 2020. And as brands continue to see opportunity in reaching audiences and building communities through this interactive format, there’s no sign of it slowing down any time soon. But working with an audio-only…

As we hurtle straight into January 2021 with the speed of a bunch of social media marketers who are just insanely grateful that 2020 is over, I know that time will be short to read lengthy blogs! So instead, here are my top recommendations for who to follow…

Archive: 2022