social media strategy Immediate Future

social media strategy

Instagram is perceived as the favoured social media platform by many, and including it within your social strategy is a must. But for years, marketeers (us included) have struggled with scheduling posts due to the app not having its own scheduling tools, turning to external apps and sites.

It’s astonishing the number of people who proclaim this without having even tried using the platform for B2B. “Facebook is more of a consumer channel. We use Twitter and LinkedIn.” Yet, when pressed, the spokesperson rarely has any supporting evidence or experience as to why they’ve landed at…

The UK and most of Europe is currently experiencing a heatwave – as I write, the temperature in London is set to reach 38º Celcius… scorchio! So how are you planning to deal with this? Hire some air-con? Hibernate in the Ice Bar or, to be fair, any bar…

This phrase is relatively new, but the social savvy will recognise it instantly as the hybrid of neuroscience and marketing. Whilst mixing psychology and sales isn’t something new (charm pricing, duh), for the first time social is recognising the power neurology has on marketing – explaining why books…

With all the rumours that surround privacy on social media platforms and the common suspicions we have about being spied on through our popular handheld devices, Facebook is clearly trying to take a step in the direction of transparency. We all get spooked after having a conversation in…

Every company, be it B2B or B2C, will always be searching for new ways to spruce up their social media strategy; whether there’s a new format or a fun, innovative creative concept to try – we all want to break the social boring. But, are you experimenting with your…

It’s a question we’re frequently asked, and one that doesn’t seem to go away. It’s clear there is still much confusion around the metrics you should pay attention to, versus those that are nothing more than a positive signal. Too many people in industry mistake the latter for…

The social media world is constantly evolving, and new tools and platforms come and go. One platform that has staying power is Pinterest due to its traffic-driving and converting capabilities; however, the key question for many brands is should we be active on it? I’m (P)interested, tell me more……

Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with the fast-moving world of social media, but this is where we step in. Keep on scrolling for the latest updates and tips from the industry! Facebook brings back reach estimates for Custom Audiences. https://po.st/svu5UB Marketeers rejoice! Facebook has…

Are you up to date with LinkedIn? LinkedIn pages have a few new ways you can improve the visibility, content and followers – here’s a checklist you can use to make sure you’re maximising this platform – because they have over 500m users! Tagline There’s a space…

All businesses are after results – but how do we make sure our social strategy lines up to deliver? While it might seem obvious, strong social needs a strong foundation. Here are the 3 tenets meaningful social content can’t live without: Know your audience Whether you’re in the…

Another week has passed, and my, what a week it has been! We’ve rounded up the best articles and updates, just for you. So, carry on reading, and we’ll get you up to speed with the latest happenings in social in no time. Sorry, ads are coming to TikTok.

According to the latest data, more social media users than ever are choosing to visit the ‘Explore’ section of Instagram – in fact, more than half of users do. Along with the data also showing that 80% of users follow a business* on the app,…

This is one audience tech brands want to reach. The audience where 70% are the decision makers and the rest influence the purchase. We took a look at who they are, what they talk about and what motivates them. And produced a report which digs into…

It’s always interesting to find out what’s happening in the world of social media, but we understand that sometimes it’s hard to keep up. That’s why we’ve rounded up a range of articles that we just want to shout about! Keep on reading to find out what’s been happening……

Tech brands are a social bunch. Socially savvy and active, you’ll see messages posted on social networks everywhere. But look closer at the content and it appears that very little of it is targeted at senior buyers who make or influence the purchase decisions. And that’s a HUGE…

The very strong chance exists that you enjoy a BBQ! After all BBQ & at-home eating & entertaining is now the UK’s No1 summer home leisure activity, with three out of four households now owning some type of BBQ grill. So you probably aren’t missing out in hosting,…

We LOVE social media at immediate future (you would certainly be surprised if we didn’t) but even we know that there is more to marketing than just being social. And even if you deliver terrifically engaging and converting campaigns, you still need more than just a social presence. Which…

It’s a fact! Studies show that most consumers expect a sharp response from brands on social media, and with an increasingly large number of users turning to social to complain and review, it’s crucial brands get their customer service bang on the money! On Twitter, the average user won’t…

Music and audio experiences are huge parts of consumers’ lives. Just consider the spectacular rise of podcasts. 6 million adults now tune in to a podcast each week. Ofcom reported that the number of weekly podcast listeners almost doubled in the past five years — from…

Another week has passed, which means one thing… time for another Social Snapshot! This week we’re bringing you a variety of content; channel reports, platform updates and ways to help you improve your social strategy. We’re always here to help! Facebook’s working on a new ‘preview’ option for…

The media landscape has changed forever. Shock horror. No new news there. However, the majority of businesses are yet to evolve their buying behaviour. Too many are still caught in the ‘this is how we’ve always spent our budget’ camp. Happy to continue investing significantly in Out of Home and TV.

We know what you are thinking! Why would a social media agency admit to their job being hard?! We like to think of ourselves as an honest bunch here at immediate future; we don’t just create and post content for the hell of it. We like to look at…

Another week has passed, and my, what a week it has been! We’ve rounded up the best articles and updates, just for you. So, carry on reading, and we’ll get you up to speed with the latest happenings in social in no time. New report shows Facebook engagement in…

Week in week out, all the major platforms are constantly tweaking, updating and testing in a bid to increase engagement and make users more active. These updates aren’t always ground-breaking, but they’re slowly implemented to improve usage based on how users interact, and ultimately to make the experience…

Do you know enough about tracking users engaging with your social media activity? Without a tracking pixel implemented on a website, you cannot retarget users who land on your site, create website user lookalike audiences or exclude users who have already visited/converted within a campaign – it means…

If you’re fascinated by the increasing use of AI in marketing, then the latest campaign from a kitchen utensil brand takes some beating. Spotify worked with Tramontina to allow us to “discover the flavour of your favourite song” – it’s beautiful and brilliant. It’s also extravagant…

Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with the fast-moving world of social media, but this is where we step in. Keep on scrolling for the latest updates and tips from the industry! Snapchat’s working on new music rights deals to enable users to add songs to their snaps.

We all love a good story, don’t we? Whether we’re sharing or watching, stories continue to have a huge influence on the way we share, market and influence on social media. It’s a deep-rooted feature that all major platforms have at least experimented with, and with Instagram paving the…

Each Spring, the Facebook platform evolves with changes being affected to algorithms, functionality and offerings. It’s routine in the weeks following Facebook’s annual F8 conference that the much anticipated and well-documented announcements are affected to the platform. This year, the volume and impact of changes are more significant than…

If you spend time on Facebook, you will know that it has become a crowded landscape indeed. Yes, content is largely personalised to the user with prioritised content relevant to their interests, but it has grown so quickly that the News Feed can, at times, feel unmanageable. The result…

Seasonality is a very important factor in the marketing world. Our behaviours online certainly change over the seasons. Only a couple of months from now hits the summer slowdown. Consumers are spending less and employees are holidaying more, and a lot of businesses fall into sloth-mode. But, you…

Amongst the excitement of F8 it can be hard to stay up to date with the social news. But, fear not, we’ve rounded up the best articles from the past 2 weeks for you below ⬇️ Because, you know, we’re good like that! Snapchat releases latest update of…

When the updates are non-stop it can be hard to stay in the know. But, fear not, we’ve rounded up the best articles for you below ⬇️ Because, you know, we’re good like that! Vine returns as ‘Byte’ – but is it too late for a comeback?…

A bold statement, isn’t it? And a truthful one. For clarity, at immediate future, we’re wholly focused on delivering impact, aligning to funnel, and proving value from your investment in Social Media. Regular readers will know we drove millions of pounds worth of travel sales, exclusively attributed to social,…

Why are people on social media? To connect with friends and family. To experience new things, new ideas. To discover more about who they are, what they like, what motivates them, whether or not to try the new Marmite Peanut Butter. To find their people… to find their…

We’re here for you with a roundup of interesting updates and tips from the fast-moving world of social media. Read on to catch up… How can you drive more traffic from Instagram? https://po.st/6P3GJl Given you can’t include clickable links in posts, what are the best…

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Coming from us? We must be bonkers. But, hear us out! To do good, meaningful and impactful social media, you need to be serious about it. Here are 8 reasons why you might want to reconsider your use of social media.

When planning messages and creative for campaigns which require an action to be taken, we’ve always got the customer journey in mind. The simplest approach is to ensure you are present to inspire and delight when research takes place, when the action is taken and then following the action…

It’s not going to come as a surprise to many that the latest statistics on social media use show that we’re spending 24 hours a week* on platforms, or that we’re bombarded with thousands of different types of messages, from several different sources both offline and digital during…

A recent Facebook study using eye-tracking and device-tracking has found that TV viewers are also looking at their smartphones 31% of the time, most often at a social app. More than half of participants’ mobile time was devoted to Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.

Sure, sure… high street economy is a bit on the low side with big franchises announcing closures of big flagship stores, but not everything is lost. The economy, though, is not sinking worldwide. Markets are just shifting towards the easier (at least for the consumer) e-commerce.

Remarketing can be a powerful tool to engage and retain your audience, but are you thinking enough about it? Often it’s the best performing campaign line within our social strategies, gaining clicks from users who have already engaged with your brand in some way –…

With the Great British Bake Off just around the corner (Yippee!) it’s not too late for brands to take advantage of the engaged and vibrant social community that #GBBO attracts. This year’s Love Island proved how fruitful social TV campaigns can be. Savvy marketers tapped into the zeitgeist…

It’s a story that’s all too familiar to us all. Businesses led by leadership teams who have not immersed themselves within, or spent enough time understanding social media. But, despite knowing they should have a presence on social media, and probably be advertising on social too, they try to execute in…

JD Wetherspoons has announced its exit from social media. You’re bound to have plenty of questions. Why come off social media? Will it hurt the brand? How about the long-term? Should other brands follow suit? We’re giving you the answers in this Serious Social. As a single-brand operator, the…

Many of its 44,000 Twitter followers were shocked at yesterday’s announcement that JD Wetherspoon will be closing all of its accounts across all social media platforms. The reasoning behind this bold decision however, remains relatively vague. Wetherspoon’s CEO, Tim Martin, listed a few reasons why he’s calling it…

So, a six-year-old can now be on Social Media? Yes, you read that right! Facebook have released an App that targets parents with children younger than 13. This is Facebook’s first product aimed at children and they are not the first to focus on this large, untapped…

Yet, Instagram has over 700m active users (that is almost 6 x that of Snapchat) and 400m daily active users (It’s reported to be the second most engaged platform after Facebook). 75% of total Instagram users are outside the US and over 80% are connected to…

In our ‘blink-and-you’ve-missed-it’ digital world, social media is leading the way in which most of us receive information. Instagram’s influence continues to grow. The platform topped 700 million monthly active users earlier this year and Instagram Stories reached 250 million daily active users just over a month ago. As…

The online consumption of Sports Online sports viewing has been growing significantly and as consumer attention gets scattered across multiple platforms and devices, it is interesting to understand what major marketing players are doing to follow suit. Trends A positive problem? Opportunities arise for advertisers as a…

Social and mobile go together like Instagram and food porn. They are a match made in marketing heaven. Why? Because for every waking moment, consumers seem surgically attached to their phones. And according to the latest research, when it comes to social media, 80% of folk now access…

Years ago, when immediate future first started, we talked a lot about social being the oil in the engine. The same is still true today. Social works at its best when integrated into marketing machine: amplifying and enhancing performance both within social and across all your marketing and…

Express yourselves! Say more with Twitter’s latest tweak We can all agree that saying everything we need to within the character limit on Twitter can become quite tedious and at times extremely frustrating! Yet somehow, being the super-species we are, we have adapted and now excelled at this.

The expertise, guidance and knowledge that CEO’s have to offer is invaluable! Tap into your CEO’s brain by putting them forward as ‘thought leaders’ on social media. Raising awareness for your business, attracting new potential customers and creating a community is the start of a long list of…

It’s safe to say that the use of visual content is going to stick and there is a wealth of data that can be used to support the benefits of this type of content. On average, visuals perform 4.4 x better than text-based content and as…

Digital marketing is all the rage this year with branding testing new and innovative ways to communicate with your targeted audience. Social media channels have released major updates to accommodate the way we interact, communicate and digest information. Let’s guide our potential customers on the yellow brick road…

As we rush towards the end of the year, many marketers turn attention to budgets and planning. Planning goals, KPIs and a roadmap for the year is, as always, the essential starting point. So too is an understanding of what has changed since last year. What are the…

The quality of Periscope’s live streams is about to skyrocket thanks to the launch of Periscope Producer. It’s a bold leap forward for the Twitter-owned live-streaming platform which, until now, broadcast content exclusively shot on mobile devices. Periscope Producer allows content creators to stream highly…

A goldrush of sorts is happening in the tech world amidst rumours that Twitter could be up for sale and the list of potential suitors for the channel is growing by the day. It’s hard to tell at this point who the serious contenders are. However, this hasn’t…

Clients often come to us seeking guidance on their social media strategies, and one question is always asked of us ‘What and how many channels should we be on?’ In order to answer this, we first look at their current social media presence, in the form of a social…

There’s a story that Chip and Dan Heath tell in their book “Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die” that I think about often when creating B2B content for social. A Stanford University Graduate by the name of Elizabeth Newton ran…

Following hot on the heels of Twitter’s announcement that the platform was introducing #Stickers as “…a fun new way to add creativity to your photos and connect them to the world on Twitter”, the platform has now invited brands to join the party with “Promoted Stickers”.

On the 29th June 2016, Facebook announced it was going to tweak its News Feed (Edgerank) algorithm to prioritise content from family and friends over brands and publishers. “The goal of News Feed is to show people the stories that are most relevant to them. Today, we’re announcing…

Live-streaming has been around for a long time, but the ease and availability of numerous tools such as Meerkat and Periscope have made it possible for anyone to “go live” and broadcast to the world. Years ago, marketers used to spend huge budgets on TV advertising, billboards, print…

From the adorable To the daring From the weird To the wonderful There can be no doubt that the internet loves a good GIF. And that love affair is growing stronger by the day. From 2012…

It’s official – Instagram has shaved, traded its fixie for an Audi A8, suited up and launched Business Tools. Considering the platform has over 200,000 advertisers and upwards of 400 million users, many would say this move was inevitable. Credit Suisse estimates that Instagram’s ad business brought in…

Over the years I’ve sat in many meetings hearing statements like: “We need an idea for social!” or “take the ad campaign and ‘socialise it’.” Then there’s this little belter: “We need a viral video!” Or my personal favourite: “that’s a nice idea, let’s shove it on social…

We’ve said it before, but nurturing a social media account is a lot like having a baby. They require constant attention in order to thrive and achieve greatness. Take your eyes off the prize and you run the risk of your precious campaign tugging the tablecloth…

What! Yup. If you have just one social strategy then you may as well consign it to the dustbin. Social is now too sophisticated for one strategy with a social channel (platform) agnostic approach. Every social network now has different audiences, varying behaviours and whole swathes of content formats…

In part one of our “Pro Tips for Powerful B2B Content” series, we looked at three ways to help you create B2B content that inspires action, outstrips the competition and wins business. In this, the final part of the series (for now), we will dive into…

It’s 7pm and you’re still at the office. A posting plan for your company’s social channels stares mournfully back at you. You’ve read phone books that are more exciting. It’s okay, you reason, we’re a B2B brand. Our audience is time-strapped. Professional. They want facts, not fluff. “Out…

Freelancing gave me the freedom to experiment and share knowledge without major application. It was invaluable to me as usually social media newbies often land as a junior in an agency with little in the way of being able to experiment with serious application. I feel I was lucky to…

How should we humanise our social presence? How should we show the people behind our brand? How should we display the softer side of our company? These are common questions from organisations who (quite rightly) invest much of their social media resource into gaining hard, tangible results. After the…

As the minefields of social advertising get ever more complex and essentially a very far cry from simple tweet or post boosting we must move toward to putting audience first, defining your objectives and monitoring closely to optimising your targeting as you go. All very good practice,…

I’m sure that many of you are well versed in brand building in the traditional sense, but when it comes to your own personal brand, how would you rate your online brand identity? These days, everything from landing a new job to scoring a hot date can result in…

Demographic data has always been key to any marketing or social strategy. After all, the most compelling campaigns were based on understanding what makes a target audience ‘tick’ – think of the Dove campaign for Real Beauty, the famous ALS Association’s…

Gone are the days when you would receive updates from politicians through a press conference or televised announcement. Instead, more and more state officials are opting to voice their policies and connect with their constituents through popular networks like Twitter and Facebook. According to Pew Research,…

With the new year come new trends…yada yada yada yes. But there’s no denying, as we try to keep up with the cascading popularity of the annual Consumer Electronics Show or #CES2016, that there are some highlights of this year’s show that hold clear opportunities for…

These days the buzz seems to be around ‘social listening’ – it sounds cool, it sounds sexy, and there are a million and one tools out there ready to take your money to offer you a world of insights into your customers, markets and online audience. However, in…

As we near the end of 2015 I wanted to avoid a ‘social media trends for 2016’ style blog piece. Of course everyone will be eyes on for what is going to happen over the next 12 months, how the platforms will adapt and technology updates will take…

Social Media may well be a key element in your company’s marketing mix but have you considered alternative uses for Social Media in the work place? It is entirely possible for Social Media to run much deeper than simply being another channel for your marketing communications. For…

Mission from ‘M’, just in. You must infiltrate popular social media networks with highly dynamic content, and engage your targets where possible, as the Spectre network makes a worldwide offensive. You’ll have ‘paid’ support from Q branch in the form of cutting edge channel technology and the…

August is gone with the wind. With it go Notting Hill Festival, Reading 2015, V Fest, National Burger Day and summer. Relive the glory days of balmy summer evenings, sizzling barbeques and 30+ degree weather (sort of) by having a read through our top five IF blogs…

Apple’s recent announcement that it was going to be embracing ad blocking software has sparked some serious social debate and birth of the hashtag #adpocalypse. The move by Apple has brought into spotlight the morals and ethics behind the media industry and am sure will bring about…

What are your main objectives when your company attends an event? Leads? Awareness of new products and service? Positive brand interactions? Whatever your ultimate end goal is, more often than not, the marketing activities that I see, especially across digital and social, do not tie together with a clear…

Mark Zuckerberg will be hosting his 7th Town Hall Q&A session on Tuesday the 15th of September. This much anticipated event will provide the Facebook community, and a live audience at Facebook HQ, with yet another opportunity to quiz Zuckerberg on a range of (mostly)…

All too often driving attendance to events in the B2B world is an afterthought. Companies spend hundreds-of-thousands of ££’s on set-up, stands, design, product and offline marketing and organisation. Then, in the weeks running up to the event, they realise they have not placed enough focus on making…

We call it ‘the power of a connected network’; uniting your workforce to harness the potential influence available on social. “Well that’s just social media tosh”, you might say. I assure you it is not. And here’s why: The most overlooked use of social is internal communications and…

It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, if you are consuming content online hardly a day goes by without someone somewhere dropping the “M” word. Millennial. “How millennial are you?”; “The Millennials Are Coming”; “10 Surprising Habits of Millennial…

The social media industry is always exciting, with new social media sites popping up all over the World Wide Web offering different concepts and uses. Two of the most notable social media platforms that have grown exponentially in recent years have not been born on an American…

The UK wedding industry is worth around £10 billion every year, with an average of around £36 thousand being spent on each wedding (W.I.F.E). It’s an industry which is steeped in tradition; from the importance of wearing something old, something new, something borrowed and…

Governments, not always naturals for open government and publicity, are hoovering up opportunities to develop their cyber presence via social media. Perhaps in defiance of what we recently discussed in this blog on a retreat among UK investor relations professionals, both private sector boardrooms and governments are starting…

In the unlikely event you missed Tinder’s social meltdown last week, here’s a recap of what happened: Journalist Nancy Jo Sales published an article titled Tinder and the Dawn of the ‘Dating Apocalypse’ in this months’ Vanity Fair. Tinder reacted poorly to the article,…

We’re in the middle of the summer silly season – traditionally the time of year when there’s little actual news to report (unless of course, you consider air conditioning being sexist as headline news). And this is just as important for a social media strategy…

On the 14th September 1987, the first email was sent from China to an international academic network. “Across the Great Wall,” the email proudly proclaimed, “we can reach every corner in the world.” Ironic, considering that the Chinese government has since blocked over 2,700 websites including Google, Facebook, Instagram,…

Twitter has been getting a lot of column inches recently for all the wrong reasons. For starters, though it launched officially in 2006, the company has yet to turn a profit. In 2014 it reported a pre-tax loss of £372m, despite raking in £908m…

Social Media is an incredibly fast paced and exciting industry in which new platforms, aps and blogs rapidly spring into the digital landscape. With social media facilitating innovative approaches to real time marketing, it has never been more important for marketers to keep their finger on the pulse of these…

As if you didn’t know already, social media is a noisy space. And the latest research from GlobalWebIndex (GWI) gives us one of the reasons why. Because on average people have 5.39 social networking accounts. Now that is a lot of chatter! But here’s the thing:…