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   Facebook has been testing yet another story feature for its mobile proposition in selected countries, and it is currently opening it up to a few more. This could be an indication that the feature will soon be launched globally, but there hasn’t yet been an…
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  A new app with the invite code ‘pizza’, say no more, we’re sold! YouTube has always been the old faithful, reliable friend that never lets us down and keeps us laughing into the early hours. Strange and random, yet those YouTube videos always give us something to talk…
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On its mission to take over every aspect of our daily lives, Facebook has been bringing a lot of new features recently – hasn’t stopped trying to take on other social platforms (Snapchat, Tinder…) Now it seems it is going after TripAdvisor (or Google Trips, it depends on…
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Live-streaming video is set to become this year’s big thing in social, and some brands are already embracing it to great success.  Follow our top tips and you could be joining them: Make the video your audience want Like any piece of content, your…
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Social evolves at breakneck speed; channel changes occur daily; and development roadmaps are sometimes hidden from us. It has become harder than ever for marketers to stay abreast of what they need to know. To be able to push the boundaries of campaigns and deliver…
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If you are you one of the companies that isn’t utilising your social media channels, or maybe hasn’t even started using social media yet, then here are some great reasons why you need to do so.   Many companies today are using social media by posting updates to…
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By now, you must have heard of Prisma, the app that lets you turn any picture into instant art. If you haven’t, here’s a few reasons why should find out: It was named best app in both the Apple and the Google play stores It’s time for you…
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Social is moving to take over TV. This has been the case for a while and as we have recently explored Facebook is ramping up to take on YouTube for the social video top spot. In mid-February Facebook announced the launch of the Facebook…
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Facebook has just quietly rolled out its latest development in the fight against one of its biggest issues – the distribution of fake news. While the term has rapidly become adopted into pop culture (I visited my sister this weekend, and when I found my clothes in her…
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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…
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Had you even remembered WhatsApp had a ‘status’ feature? It’s that original line that states ‘Hi there, I’m using WhatsApp’ underneath your profile that probably hasn’t been changed, or in my case, noticed, since you downloaded WhatsApp when it was released in 2009. Talking of originality, WhatsApp have…
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    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…
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I was walking on the street and I just saw a girl with my dream pair of shoes (OK I already have a lot, so let’s just say one of my dream pair of shoes). Right then and there, I wished there was some way I could get…
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There has been so much written about social media strategy for small businesses.  Almost everyone uses social media today as it’s very much a personal medium that works, and a few employees engaging directly with customers on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn can be a natural extension of any…
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Admit it, we all know someone who thinks that working with a major influencer is an easy way to get their product in front of millions of people. They often fall at the first hurdle when they realise their favourite YouTube Creator is charging a not-so-small…
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Social media customer service is becoming more important by the day. According to J.D. Power, 67% consumers have now used a company’s social media channel for customer service. And when they do so, they expect quick response times which a lot of companies are…
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They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and if that’s the case Snapchat should be positively blushing right now. Because lately all of the social networks seem to be crushing fairly hard on that friendly ghost. Get a room you guys. The latest, fittingly in this…
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You might have recently seen a lot of purple dove-like birds banging their heads on your Facebook timeline. There’s a sentence I never thought I’d write. Fear not, fellow netizens, it’s just people posting trashdoves. let me explain. In what is rapidly becoming one of the…
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Love is in the air today, as couples celebrate the day of love. Twitter marks the special occasion with its new Valentine’s day stickers, enabling people to share the love in a fun way. The social media channel will also release Valentine’s day emojis, each time a user…
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We reckon the recent introduction of search ads might turn the world of pins back into wins. The virtual online inspiration ‘cork’ board, as Pinterest is often referred to as, has 150 million monthly users. These 150 million are making on average of 2 billion…
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If like us you live in a developed country, you’d be forgiven for not knowing what Facebook’s Lite app is, but it’s exactly what it says on the tin – a lightweight version of the well known Facebook app, available in a select group of countries…
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Facebook has begun rolling out its new “Discover People” feature on IOS and Android. The new feature aims to facilitate contact between people that are not already friends on Facebook – basically suggesting you become friends with strangers. As opposed to the “People you may know” section that…
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You already know why your business needs a social media presence, as you’ve already experienced that social media provides a golden opportunity to talk to your existing and prospective customers or engage with those who will shout about your brand.  Its highly likely that a social media presence…
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Are you tired of people getting your name wrong? I can’t begin to tell you how many times people have changed my name to make their lives easier. The Facebook pronunciation tool will now teach people how to say your name right. Gone are the days of fighting…
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“What’s that?” I hear you cry, “Another Snapchat related blog?” well, you’ve got me there but this time is different, this time is really significant. This time there’s llamas. Firstly let’s get the latest ad unit news out of the way so I can get to…
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There’s a lot to be said for trusting your instincts. Often, trusting your gut and taking leaps of faith are how the best decisions are made, how businesses prosper and how civilisation itself advances. But here’s the thing. Leaps of faith are also a major cause of falling…
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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…
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When we’re sold virtual reality, we’re of the impression that our social interactions will become more intimate and life-like, and that we will be treated to a social media experience beyond the realms of possibility. Arguably, the technological development of virtual reality on our social screens…
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So, January is coming to an end and most of the articles I’ve been reading recently have (as one would expect) revolved around wrap ups from 2016, learnings as well as what to look forward to, the trends & upcoming innovations. This read however, will explore a widely…
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Facebook Live is on every lip and every screen. Add to that Periscope and YouTube Live, and there’s no denying that Live is king on social media! Even Snapchat and Instagram stories fall within this trend towards spontaneity. Does this mean Live-tweeting has reached its expiry date? In case…
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I think about the future of social media often. I wonder where it’s all going. The pace of technological change is beginning to outstrip our capacity to make sense of the world around us and it’s only going to accelerate further. Tech begets tech. The devices we create…
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Instagram Stories Ads Good news! Instagram just announced that it will be releasing ads in its Instagram Stories section, which has managed to acquire about 150 million people check out Instagram Stories since it release later last year. And yes, Instagram is copying Snapchat a bit (again)…
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It’s always nice to see your work do well. When you see the results of a campaign and a certain piece of content or chunk of copy performs better than you expected it’s wonderful. But why not expand upon that? In the music industry…
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  We’ve all heard the expression ‘content is king’. It’s Digital Marketing 101. What many forget though is that means quality content – and it’s not just Google that’s cracking down on irrelevant noise. The social platforms, of which Facebook is at the forefront, are constantly improving their…
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As we all know by now, integrating social media engagement into your B2B marketing plan is a smart way to reach your clients and prospects.  That isn’t rocket science, and certainly nothing new for 2017. But it is something that is easily forgotten or lost from our initial…
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Taking a look at your social strategies for summer 2017? Looking even further forward? Well, here are four of the less frequently used options in social media marketing to give you some inspiration. Spice up your content distribution by mixing it up, use different channels, find a unique…
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It’s said if you want to know what technology will be in mainstream cars in future years, you should review what is in a Mercedes S Class, today. The vision of S Class, becomes tomorrow’s reality. Much like the Mercedes S Class, CES has evolved into a beast…
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There’s a big difference between simply using social media platforms, and building a genuine social presence that allows your audience to emotionally connect with your brand. Establishing an honest relationship with consumers via social media is simple. Consumers want to know that your brand has a personality, and…
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Most of you already know Pinterest. But if you can look past the design-ideas-pic sharing platform cliché, it’s more powerful than we often imagine, and can be incredibly useful to develop your brand online. Pinterest has as many monthly users as Snapchat (150 million), and 40% of new…
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The marketing landscape continues to alter at a startling rate and we at Immediate Future are pretty certain you are fed up of being bombarded with fluffy information and figures about this “mammoth” transformation over the years. I can pretty much guarantee you’re thinking, “How great was life…
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In a bid to encourage Facebook’s 1.8 million Facebook Live users to spend longer on the service, the social channel caters to the celebrities, public figures and Mentions app members. The new update gives celebrities and other public influential figures the power to control and edit their live…
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“In 2017 social video is going to be huge” – Captain Obvious, 2016 As everyone and their mum knows, video is massive. It’s so big that every single social network has some kind of video offering. With 300 hours of videos uploaded to YouTube every minute, 4 billion…
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As is traditional following a great year for a new platform everyone is looking for the next rising star, with the intention of getting ahead of the competition and getting in on the ground floor of the next best thing. This year has been great for Snapchat…
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Here’s a simple way to engage prospective customers, business contacts and potential employers on LinkedIn.  So, you’ve built a healthy number of connections on your LinkedIn profile through networking, building connections and your successful career. Asking for advice,…
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Live videos are everywhere. This live trend started with Twitch, went to YouTube, jumped onto Facebook, then Instagram, and now Twitter is coming out with it’s native live streaming too (well done Twitter, you got there eventually). So the tools are there. But how to use…
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Question: should I be using Facebook Instant Articles, and does it replace by blog. Answer: yes and no. Glad we sorted that one out. Merry Christmas and we’ll chat in the New Year. Okay, so I’m guessing you need a little more info than that. Fair point.
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2016 right? It’s been a crazy year. Aside from the politics and the entire world being different now, social has notably evolved – particularly when it comes to video. Here are some of the ways social video has changed: Facebook Live Despite being launched in…
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With the darker nights and Christmas programming on the horizon, TV takes a more central role in our UK media consumption. Last year, research showed that Christmas TV viewing was dominated by the TV set. But TV isn’t a channel alone anymore. Social sits…
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  Is it because the vast majority of Snapchatters are between 18 and 24? Is it because their content creation processes often require going through a lengthy approval path? Or maybe it’s the lack of analytics on the platform and tools to measure a campaign’s ROI? Whatever their reasons,…
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I guess the obvious thing to state is that almost everyone uses social media today, and that includes a huge and ever increasing number of businesses using social media as (in some case, the main element), of their marketing activity.  But for those that haven’t jumped on board…
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Are you finding that your organic reach on Facebook isn’t quite what it used to be? You’d be right. Did you know that only 2% of your page’s fans actually see your content? Facebook’s algorithms and preferential treatments have long been something that social media marketers have…
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From Snapchat’s Spectacles to the Amazon Dash Button, 2016 has seen a heavy focus from brands and advertisers on integrating digital and physical. This was also adopted in the marketing sphere, and several of the most notable campaigns this year came from ideas that found a way to…
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Snap Inc., the maker of Snapchat, has confidentially filed for its IPO, according to a report from Reuters and word on the grape vine is the company could go public as early as March. So what does the future look like for Snapchat once it goes public? Will…
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  Social media has long been credited for finally giving brands a voice. It also means that brands can be totally open and honest with their customers and audiences. Unfortunately, this means that brands are a lot more accessible than previously, leading to social pages often being used…
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Have you noticed how the Internet always agrees with you and seems to know what you like? Eli Pariser was the first to describe the filter bubble phenomena in his book “The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You” (2011). According to him “a filter bubble…
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Live social is an art. For some it comes naturally. Those with a flair for creating content on the fly and sharing their lives moment-by-moment will certainly have an advantage when it comes to live-posting at an event. However, without a deeper understanding of your client’s brand, the…
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Reaching the elusive teen demographic (defined here as those aged 16-19) can be a pretty challenging task – just ask Facebook. After having it’s $3bn bid for Snapchat declined in 2013, Zuckerberg & Co. have had to find new and innovative ways of maintaining the attention of these…
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Influencers are all the rage these days – whether it’s a YouTube star, an Instagram model, or a renowned blogger, majority of brands are or would like to work with one. We have worked with a few of them and while the number on their subscription bar might…
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Social media agencies who promise viral success are not being very honest with you. And indeed, investing large sums of money in a project that you’re confident will ‘go viral’ is wishful thinking at best. Don’t get me wrong, success as a result of a viral hit is…
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First things first: content creation for the sake of content creation is a waste of everyone’s time. Yours. Your audience’s. Even Google’s. Don’t do it. That being said, there are times when the content deserves to be written but the inspiration isn’t there – particularly when it…
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Chasing vanity metrics such as likes and followers is pointless (given most of the algorithms on social don’t favour organic posts). But losing followers is still bad. It’s a sign that maybe you’re turning people off your brand. Take a deep dive into your losses and you’ll…
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  2016 has been dramatic for a lot of reasons. However, in the social media industry we’ve had our own upheavals. This year has seen unprecedented change in the top social networking sites, something that a few people could have predicted. Having previously been on the consumer side…
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Everyone knows that marketing planning for the holidays should be finished long before October rolls around and be ready to roll out as soon as the Halloween decorations come down. However, for those who didn’t plan their Christmas campaigns in July as they should have here are…
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1. Mindset: How You Can Fulfil Your Potential This book is one of ma favourites and I cannot recommend it enough. Whether you are just starting your career or you manage a team of 50 people, this book will make your rethink how you think…
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Today many companies are using social media tactically by posting updates to Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ or Twitter, but few have a social media strategy which helps them use social media to support their business goals. Social media works best when it’s part of an integrated E-communications strategy…
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As marketers, there is nothing we like more than to sink our teeth into some meaty stats in an effort to satiate our appetite for evaluation, understanding and improvement. Also, they make us sound smart. And like we know what we are talking about which, in an…
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Storytelling has been a hot topic for some time now, and rightly so. The brands (and their channels) that have the best storytelling content enjoy greater reach, engagement and conversion to spend. At IF, we’ve championed our audience-first approach for more than two years now; and…
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There seems to be a new form of digital marketing dying every week, according to the internet – the latest victim apparently being influencer marketing. It’s not, of course (sorry, spoilers), it’s simply running into the issue that all organic-feeling mediums face when crossing into the mainstream…
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It’s a standout content, right?! Video that auto-plays in a customers’ social feed will draw their attention. Well, yes and yes. It goes much further than this though. Regular readers of our blog will know we advocate the ‘half scientist and half artist’ approach to marketing. Some will say:…
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It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and a video is basically lots of pictures, right? Every social platform has it’s own video content processes and rules, many of which are prone to change at the drop of a hat, effecting metrics and stats…
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Facebook is testing removing “Page Likes” but before you start panicking, let’s look at the pros and cons of this possible reality. PROS: Page Likes are slightly different from what they used to be in the good old days when Facebook’s organic reach was considerably higher than current…
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As a business, have you ever asked the question “Why are we struggling to make social media work for us?” or “Do we have the right social media strategy for our business?”  If the answer to both questions is No, then you’re not alone as the real challenge…
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For a lot of brands, having a YouTube channel as part of a social media strategy may seem as if it’s not worth the hassle. For one thing, making good quality long-form videos is certainly on the expensive side of the content creation spectrum. Also, there are 300…
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Whether you’re an X Factor fan or one of their many haters, there is a lot learn from the social media published by prime time television shows. For disclosure, I should say we’re working across X Factor this year, through one of their sponsors; but this is not…
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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…
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We have been banging the audience-first drum relentlessly for the last few years. Why? Because it is the best way to deliver results in social. More recently I discussed the merits of micro-targeting in social media: finely slicing your customer segments to ensure you can deliver relevancy…
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Every social platform supports and encourages the use of emojis, but how and when should they be used in social marketing? The entire purpose and origin of emojis was to replace words, convey an emotion and shorten a message at the same time, a relic of the SMS…
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Social media has been revolutionary in not only brands giving brands a direct relationship with their current and potential customers, but for providing brands with a personality. In previous years, social media was used as simply another platform for advertising the benefits and uses of a product or…
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Planning events? Opening a pub? Going for a charity run?  Then Facebook might have made your life easier with its new release: a standalone app for Facebook Events! And you are not alone. Facebook claims that over 100 million people use Facebook events every day, which is a…
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Once upon a time, when social was still in its infancy, advertisers who were innovative enough to take the risk of plunging into the social media ‘trend’ were rewarded by establishing themselves as the first brands to truly embrace direct online relationships with their customers. Back in a…
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  It’s no secret that Mark Zuckerberg is trying his hardest to tap into developing world markets. In 2015 Mark hosted a town hall, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to talk about Facebook’s ‘Internet.org’ program now named Free Basics. A year on from that meeting and India regulators…
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Facebook says that there are already 450 million people visiting ‘buy and sell’ groups on Facebook each month. So it’s no wonder that they’ve just launched a new feature called Facebook Marketplace. Facebook Marketplace allows people nearby to view what others are buying and selling. This new feature…
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For years, LinkedIn stood alone as the prime channel for B2B businesses pushing Paid models to drive attributed leads in funnel. The ability to serve targeted content to specific industry, company and job function has been appealing. Understandably so. The landscape has changed and I believe it will…
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While it is traditionally used in the office as a way to avoid work, Facebook might be about to change all that. Many companies use an internal communication tool such as Slack, Yammer, HipChat or Asana to assist in project management and team collaboration and…
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It is quite hard to find an individual who has not heard of or does not use any of the popular social media platforms of the day, and the same thing can be said about most businesses.  No matter what your company sells it needs to harness the…
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It wasn’t too long ago that TV advertising was blasted as a dying marketing tool (tell that to the media organisers of the US Super Bowl who charged up to $5 million for a 30 second ad this year!). There are just under 700 channels on an average cable…
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Instagram ads made an appearance in 2015, the update enabled advertisers to post ads with the aim of driving clicks, mobile app installs and website conversions. Instagram’s latest update will help us advertisers turn intent into action by increasing the number of ways users can interact with ad…
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Back in 2006, the quickest way to grow your audience on YouTube was to have your video make it on the home page of the site. In those early days of YouTube, an actual human was curating the content that made it on to the home…
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Following the recent trend of all social messaging apps becoming clones of Snapchat, Whatsapp appear to have jumped on the band wagon. When Instagram launched “Stories” at the beginning of August it didn’t go unnoticed that emulating Snapchat was becoming very fashionable amongst social messaging apps, mimicking…
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  The Science Of Social Media A brand new podcast by the lovely people at Buffer. The first few episodes are packed with amazing interviews, advice, and fun content that will make your morning commute or afternoon walk a lot more enjoyable and…
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Shouldn’t we be innovating? Shouldn’t we explore the next big thing for our industry? Shouldn’t we consider how to be first-movers in new areas? Shouldn’t we determine if new tech can help us to acquire market share? Yes. Yes. Yes, and yes. Few businesses actually have the required…
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    Many would argue that YouTube has been a social network of sorts from the get-go. Users have the ability to subscribe to certain channels (ie. follow), like, unlike or comment on certain videos (ie. engage) and share those videos with a wider audience.
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Since Snapchat’s conception in 2011, we’ve seen its meteoric rise to become one of the most used social networks in the world. The network currently boasts over 100 million daily active users along with 400 million snaps per day being sent all over the globe. For an app that only…
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According to Campaign Live, a fifth of top brands’ social media accounts are ‘fraudulent’. It seems many household brands are plagued with promotion spams, impersonators, phishing profiles, trademark violations, hacked accounts and counterfeit profiles. Ouch! And this number is on the rise. Sadly, the fakers are…
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My post-graduate degree comes to a close with a 15,000 word dissertation on influencer marketing. With the pressure of getting that word count in, I was at risk of losing sight of what I was actually trying to find out. But upon reflecting on all of the things…
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Gone are the days of shaky videos that make you feel queasy. Facebook saves the day with its new algorithm designed to stabilise 360-degree shots. The smart technology will combine 2D motion with 3D reconstruction to fill in the gaps and reduce the unwanted effects caused…
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Recently I had a baby – well not personally, but my partner did. I also had, probably, the longest period of time off in one go I have ever had since working – 17 days! It was a magical time, filled with ‘firsts’ and all kinds of wonderful,…
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The trouble with paid social is tracking the customer journey from click to brick. Facebook thinks it has the answer to this problem and is in the process of revamping its offers program. Core updates include: Bookmark: People can easily claim an offer on mobile or on desktop and…
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Shortly after Facebook announced a range of changes to its Trending Topics section things started to go wrong. As this blog post describes the update – “Today, we’re making some changes to the Trending feature on Facebook that will make the product more automated and…
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