social media agency

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…
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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…
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  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…
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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…
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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…
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  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…
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“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.
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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…
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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…
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  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:…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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  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…
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  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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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:…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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!…
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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.
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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…
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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.
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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 –…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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,…
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  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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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  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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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 –…
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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…
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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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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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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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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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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…
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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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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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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…
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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…
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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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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.
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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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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…
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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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This won’t come as a surprise to anyone, but the big players in social media are finding new ways to monetise their platforms. The shift towards full eCommerce platforms has been particularly apparent in recent weeks, with the introduction of new storefront features. So, what’s new? And more…
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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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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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  In recent months, the workplace has shifted more than we’ve ever experienced. Some have found this shift towards remote working productive, while others have found it unmotivating; no employee experience is the same and we’re all scrambling to adjust to the new normal. And while information is…
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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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We’ve all likely noticed the upswing in social media traffic – but we now we have hard statistics on the massive surge happening in recent months. A look at monthly traffic, Google’s new digital skills training sessions, Facebook’s redesign and more!   Media habits are changing Across all…
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Don’t let the title fool you, we’re not suggesting that you simply reintroduce old content into your social feeds. In fact, we feel so strongly against this that we went as far as dedicating an entire Serious Social podcast episode to NOT repurposing content. There is, however,…
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  Few will be surprised by this statement. So why haven’t more acted on this knowledge in recent years? It is as if some marketers have been caught in a cavity of boring and until someone senior to them instructs otherwise, inside the cavity they will stay. Some…
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