Search results for "relationship"

How social media can drive brand loyalty

How social media can drive brand loyalty

Ever heard the saying that quality is better than quantity? It hits the nail on the head when it comes to your social media community. There’s currently over 1 billion monthly active Facebook users ready to engage, endorse and buy your product. Leveraging the social media market is no longer…
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Are you social selling yourself short?

Are you social selling yourself short?

There’s a bit of head-scratching going on in marketing around social selling. You know, that way of using social media to leverage your prospects, build relationships (like the real world), improve and discover new sales. The confusion arises from trying to answer a simple question: Does your organisation have an…
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Build a chatbot that counts

Build a chatbot that counts

Chatbots are gradually climbing the ladder of popularity, providing brands with huge potential. Wondering what chatbots can do? Brands have the opportunity to have millions of simultaneous one-on-one conversations with fans without damaging the user experience. The masters of storytelling, Disney, Universal and Lionsgate are all proof that content and…
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Networking? Take it from no signal to five bars. Now we’re talking.

Networking? Take it from no signal to five bars. Now we’re talking.

Networking? Take it from no signal to five bars. Now we’re talking. I’m very new to the networking scene, and it’s very daunting in principle, but like tackling anything new, you can prepare by doing research, research, research. I’ve collated some top tips to use at networking event– impeccable timing…
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Instagram is testing “Favorites”

Instagram is testing “Favorites”

Instagram has noticed a strange phenomenon lately. People have started to create small, private accounts, so that they can share pictures with only a select cluster of friends rather than all their followers. In response, the platform (who’s smashing it lately, right?) has created a solution in the form of…
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00-Instagram is here – have you got the licence to post?

00-Instagram is here – have you got the licence to post?

Nowadays, influencer marketing is playing a major role in brand marketing. It’s not a fad or a passing trend, it’s here to stay. From micro influencers, to stars with millions of followers, brands are investing a lot of money to place their products with the right people, and…
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Dads on social? They’re well connected thanks to the Dad Network

Dads on social? They’re well connected thanks to the Dad Network

Here at IF Towers there are some older dads in the mix. Yep, there’s traditional dad stuff like photos on desks, and dad jokes flying around, but as is our business, we’re living and breathing social. It’s not the sole preserve of the young. We invented it doncha know! So,…
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Tasty takeaways from The Drum Future of Marketing Conference

Tasty takeaways from The Drum Future of Marketing Conference

Last week, I attended The Drum’s Future of Marketing Awards at the America Square Conference Centre in London. In keeping with my social mind-set, I chose to attend the following sessions; ‘The Future of Content’, The Future of Social, and ‘The Future of Personalisation.’ To give you an insight into the day, and a…
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5 simple steps towards influencer marketing success on social media

5 simple steps towards influencer marketing success on social media

You’ve probably heard that word-of-mouth has been identified as one of the most valuable and effective forms of marketing, influencing up to 50 percent of all purchasing decisions. In digital marketing, this goes well beyond recommendations from peers. These days, influencers are the key to word-of-mouth marketing. Research from…
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4 ways to increase your CEO’s social media presence

4 ways to increase your CEO’s social media presence

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 benefits. Can…
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Easy ways to win big with micro-influencers

Easy ways to win big with micro-influencers

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 fortune for…
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Don’t be a robot, humanise your brand on social

Don’t be a robot, humanise your brand on social

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 using your…
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LinkedIn breaks the ice with new personalised conversation starters

LinkedIn breaks the ice with new personalised conversation starters

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, and potential…
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Is this the influencer you are looking for? Maybe.

Is this the influencer you are looking for? Maybe.

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 be impressive,…
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Losing followers on social? The issue is bigger than you think

Losing followers on social? The issue is bigger than you think

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 uncover insight that…
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6 ways YouTube gives video creators more control

6 ways YouTube gives video creators more control

Building a relationship with your viewers is key and what makes YouTube stand out from the social media crowd. YouTube’s recent updates shows their dedication to making conversations within the YouTube community easier and more personal. Here’s a handful of YouTube features giving video creators more control over the comments…
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Why your brand’s ‘personality’ is so important

Why your brand’s ‘personality’ is so important

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 service. Brands…
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Why you need to ‘pay to play’ in social media marketing

Why you need to ‘pay to play’ in social media marketing

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 simpler time,…
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The 4 trends of ‘micro’ in social media

The 4 trends of ‘micro’ in social media

Social media is meant to be all about the one-to-one conversations. Yet the large reach of many social networks often sits counter to this philosophy. The truth is that brands may well want to be part of the conversation, but the temptation to target reach numbers is too overwhelming. After…
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Social media offers important benefits to businesses

Social media offers important benefits to businesses

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 power and…
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5 ways for brands to stop fakers and the fraudsters on social

5 ways for brands to stop fakers and the fraudsters on social

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 making…
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3 Key lessons from my dissertation on social media influencer marketing

3 Key lessons from my dissertation on social media influencer marketing

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 I’ve learned…
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How social is the oil in the B2B demand gen engine

How social is the oil in the B2B demand gen engine

Sigh! My biggest frustration after 12 years in social media marketing is the view that vanity metrics are the only way to place a value social. Only measuring followers, likes, engagement and fans misses the opportunity social presents to deliver into the pipeline – to ultimately drive revenues by being…
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Social media and the landing page – A match made in heaven

Social media and the landing page – A match made in heaven

Rather than leading your social media traffic to the home page, why not take them on a journey via your landing page and turn visitor numbers into conversions. Creating web pages with a specific purpose is a gold mine for gathering new leads, encouraging event registration and guiding visitors to…
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You walk the walk so why not talk the Twitter talk?

You walk the walk so why not talk the Twitter talk?

Sharing your thoughts and expertise can go along way with driving conversation and proving you’re a valuable Twitter contact. Twitter chats may seem like the last thing on your to do list but it’s worth the time and tweets. Answering industry leading conversations and networking with like-minded professionals can set…
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The 6 rules to not screw-up your influencer marketing

The 6 rules to not screw-up your influencer marketing

Influencer marketing is this year’s craze. Not just because marketers are increasingly wanting to use it, but because there is much debate on whether there is any value in doing it at all. Blogs and networks are lit up with the discussion. At immediate future we started out in activating…
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IF event summary: Big brands gathered debating data and personalisation

IF event summary: Big brands gathered debating data and personalisation

At IF, we pride ourselves on evolving. Curiosity is one of our brand values, championed daily by our fabulous staff. Our event format has been well received for many years but it was time to evolve. After a few months of planning and tinkering, all was…
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Is the future of Social happening in private?

Is the future of Social happening in private?

Social media usage is constantly changing. Due to an ever more conscious audience, activity is predominately happening behind closed doors in private groups and over messaging apps. This can already be seen through the huge growth in platforms such as WhatsApp and Snapchat. Change in social behaviour is going fundamentally…
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Twitter DM Update: Join The Dark Side

Twitter DM Update: Join The Dark Side

Private messaging has been on the rise for a while. With the continuous growth and success of apps like Snapchat or WhatsApp (that recently added end-to-end encryption), it’s no surprise others have been trying to play catch-up. One of the platforms that is trying to improve its private…
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Top Visual Trends for 2016 Pt.2

Top Visual Trends for 2016 Pt.2

Welcome to part two of the Getty Images 2016 Visual Trends highlights! We covered the first top three visual trends here, and we have just three more to go! But before we get to it, let’s answer one of the top questions we got on the previous blog: How…
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How will Instagram’s new algorithm affect brands?

How will Instagram’s new algorithm affect brands?

So it’s happening. It was only a matter of time. Instagram is planning on using algorithms to organise content within timelines, as announced on their company blog this week. Following in the footsteps of their owners Facebook, who started to move away from a chronological display way…
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Keeping customers happy when implementing a social media strategy

Keeping customers happy when implementing a social media strategy

The brakes are off, the lights are green and 2016 is well underway. 10 years after Twitter was founded and Facebook became a mainstream platform, another batch of social media strategies are being rolled out by marketers. Objectives will include lead generation, reach and awareness, community growth and improving sentiment.
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How can data interpretation fuel storytelling?

How can data interpretation fuel storytelling?

As a community manager I get to see the back and front end of a lot of audience platforms. Seeing the content that resonates on a community feed and then ‘popping the hood’ to see how the content actually measures up against other posts and types of interactions. Simply gaining…
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Defriending, unfollowing, decluttering your social profiles

Defriending, unfollowing, decluttering your social profiles

I have been on Twitter and Facebook for almost 10 years now. Like most folk in social media; I am a social person. I love my social connections. I want to connect and be connected to (who doesn’t want to be liked?). The trouble is that I am now following…
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Does storytelling have a place in the B2B world?

Does storytelling have a place in the B2B world?

Regardless of the complexity of the sector or product, there is always a human story that can be told. It is this story that allows us to connect with B2B buyers on a personal level. While they may be key decision makers controlling the purse strings of a company,…
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The rewards of blending online and offline personalisation

The rewards of blending online and offline personalisation

When it comes to digital, personalisation is nothing new, and throughout the year we have talked about it extensively in many blogs – whether it’s for your audience or adverts, personalising the way you reach your audience via their platform of choice and so on. The advance in CRM systems…
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Paris on Facebook was just the tip of the iceberg

Paris on Facebook was just the tip of the iceberg

Obviously the wave of attacks in Paris on Friday November 13th shocked and saddened the world, with the ensuing wave of social dedication on Twitter ranging from sympathies for the victims (#PrayForParis and #PortesOuvertes) to support for the actual attackers (#ParisBurns #باريس_تشتعل…
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Should social be owned by PR or marketing (and how important is sponsored content)?

Should social be owned by PR or marketing (and how important is sponsored content)?

IF have been working in social for more than eleven years, and this question has consistently been asked throughout. “PRs will shape your narrative and manage your reputation – as we’ve been doing for years with your media relations”, some might say. Marketers will challenge: “now social is the most…
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The Social Media Makeover of the Wedding Industry

The Social Media Makeover of the Wedding Industry

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 something blue, through…
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6 ways you get dirty, debatable and downright dubious social data

6 ways you get dirty, debatable and downright dubious social data

Social data is powerful. We should know, our performance-driven campaigns are based on extracting the right demographic, geographic and psychographic data from unstructured social conversations. It delivers results. Knowing your social data works. It works because we subscribe to the 10:90 rule by Avinash Kaushik who says…
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Time to re-think: balancing content creation & content distribution

Time to re-think: balancing content creation & content distribution

As serious marketers we are all well versed on the benefits of social media and content marketing. In reality as marketers, we have always produced ‘content’ anyway, albeit now the channels and types of assets have changed. We moved from print to website, brochures to PDFs & micro sites, seminars…
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How sticky are your customers?

How sticky are your customers?

Many marketers focus on customer loyalty. However, they may be chasing an unachievable goal. Loyalty is an emotion, usually referred to in terms of personal relationships, friends and family. It is a human emotion and not something which can be passed on to a brand or product. If we were…
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How To Find Your Customers On Instagram

How To Find Your Customers On Instagram

So, you’re using Instagram to engage with your audience and share valuable content? Whilst this is a great use of the tool, there will be many customers who have not seen your marketing efforts and are not aware of your account. How can they be found amongst the millions of…
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Usefulness is key for brands to really connect at festivals

Usefulness is key for brands to really connect at festivals

The festival season is here and brands globally are cashing in on sponsorship, branding, presence and product demos of all kinds; taking over stalls, stages, arenas, performers and musicians to get in front of the most dynamic audiences, be in the background of their selfies, and inevitably be part…
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It’s not a crisis, it’s an opportunity

It’s not a crisis, it’s an opportunity

More often than not, when customers are frustrated about a bad service or bad product experience, they will take to social to vent their experience. In doing so, this allows others to jump on the bandwagon and start chiming in with their equally awful experience. In many cases a quick,…
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5 steps to extracting content from your business

5 steps to extracting content from your business

One challenge for me day-to-day is helping clients extract the best content possible for their digital activity. When we think about B2B content, we think whitepapers, videos, case studies etc. However, more often than not, the most valuable content is not stored in the form of a document or a…
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How to target B2B clients at events on social

How to target B2B clients at events on social

With all kinds of summer events on the agenda and the corporate convention season already rumbling away, marketers are increasingly looking for reliable ways to bide the attention of attendees, eager to solidify connection with their target prospects and make sure they stay on their radar to develop a promising brand relationship.
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Social Media Automation Pros and Cons

Social Media Automation Pros and Cons

For small business owners, automation tools can be incredibly useful things. But, like all tools, relying too heavily on social media automation will end in tears. Maintaining a brand identity and personality on social media is an important part of the relationship you want to have with your customers,…
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Why personalisation could be turning off your customers

Why personalisation could be turning off your customers

We are all aware of the latest marketing buzzword – personalisation – and the notion that brands now have the ability to follow users every “internet” step to ensure they get a 360 degree understanding of their customers. This, in theory, allows brands to personalise messaging, offers, new product announcements,…
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Writing “opinions are my own” won’t save your job: 2 social regulations you must know

Writing “opinions are my own” won’t save your job: 2 social regulations you must know

Yesterday I spent the day with one of our global clients getting into the nitty-gritty of social compliance. As a business operating globally, they sensibly wanted to understand the latest social regulations, ensuring their social media policy was updated – sage advice indeed, I would urge any business to…
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Let your interests speak for yourself

Let your interests speak for yourself

When it comes to customer segmentation, customers tend to be pushed into pre-fabricated segments driven by criteria such as demographic, age, and income. And as we become more sophisticated, transaction details, online usage and CRMs have allowed for more specific segments. Focus groups and surveys provide even more data. However,…
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How to reach the 90% of CEOs who never respond to cold emails or calls

How to reach the 90% of CEOs who never respond to cold emails or calls

According to InsideView, the majority (90%) of CEOs will not respond to cold calls or emails. This is of course a hard segment to reach as they deal with high-level challenges on a day-to-day basis leaving them little time to take…
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Influence is not equal – there are three types for starters

Influence is not equal – there are three types for starters

So Facebook has at last, after 4 years, got its patent to identify influencers and experts in a social network. And so influencer marketing comes back centre stage. I say it comes back, because when immediate future started 11 years ago, influencer marketing was a hot tactic.
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4 ways to make your brand’s social voice sing

4 ways to make your brand’s social voice sing

Voice is a big thing for me this week, partly because I have a cold and appear to be losing mine, but mostly because so many brands on social, need one. There is just no excuse for posts and tweets that are vanilla, samey and predictable? After all, most brands…
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5 (of many) reasons that social should be the heart of your digital transformation initiatives

5 (of many) reasons that social should be the heart of your digital transformation initiatives

It is very exciting to be at immediate future at the moment! Everyday we are having conversations with intelligent people at brands who are embarking on a digital transformation journey. Within the first few slides in our presentation documents we share a common immediate future belief “social is not the…
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How will you say ‘I love you’ this year?

How will you say ‘I love you’ this year?

They say technology is ruining personal relationships, with a study recently published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture reporting that 70 percent of its participants, “all of whom were married or cohabiting heterosexual women, said that smartphones were interfering with their relationships” (Tech Times 2014) …
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Now we’ve entered the 100-day countdown – how much will digital influence the general election?

Now we’ve entered the 100-day countdown – how much will digital influence the general election?

A lot we think. I saw a quote last week in an article that was shared by @SaraFdezM that got me thinking – if social helped get Barack into the white house – when will it catch up in the UK elections?   As…
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Are All of Your Ads Being Blocked?  The Rise of the Adblock

Are All of Your Ads Being Blocked? The Rise of the Adblock

It’s been a tough time for advertising execs as the industry fights on several fronts; with first the news that half of media spends on display ads via Google may have been wasted on “non-viewable” impressions, to…
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Are Any of Your Ads Being Viewed At All?

Are Any of Your Ads Being Viewed At All?

An eye opening study this week released by Google on the state of the ad viewablity has startled advertisers. According to new research, the 5 Factors of Viewability, an estimated 56.1% of ads are not seen by human eyes. If you’re an advertising exec with a media…
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Nod to Doug Kessler – Insane Honesty in Content Marketing

Nod to Doug Kessler – Insane Honesty in Content Marketing

I was tracking the conversation yesterday at the Content Marketing Summit on the #content2014. With the knowledge it was my blog the next day I thought I would perhaps cover the key topics and themes from the event in this post. I took to Crimson Hexagon to help me quickly…
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What can Snapchat offer brands?

What can Snapchat offer brands?

Over the weekend The Sunday Times reported on yet another big social media valuation, this time it was Snapchat’s turn to grab the headlines with a $12bn valuation. It follows the highly anticipated first ad running across the messaging platform last month – a 20 second trailer for horror film…
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Social Listening is Dead | Long Live Social Intelligence

Social Listening is Dead | Long Live Social Intelligence

The next generation of social listening is fast coming. Whilst social media offers a vast wealth of consumer data in response to brands and initiatives, solely monitoring the social sentiment will not provide the complete, deep nuances of consumer social interaction. Listen up; your social listening needs to be more…
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Are all social marketers at risk of developing a split personality disorder?

Are all social marketers at risk of developing a split personality disorder?

Despite the ubiquitous nature of social media and its increasing impact in digital marketing, the majority of marketers fail to maximise the channel’s full potential. We are seeing it time and time again. What many seem to have forgotten is that social is sold on relationships. In an earlier blog…
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3 reasons why Tesco’s CEO needs a social presence

3 reasons why Tesco’s CEO needs a social presence

Since yesterday, Dave Lewis, Chief Executive at Tesco, has been in the firing line. He is new to the role and battling against a crisis that, whilst not of his making, puts him centre stage. Yet a search on the networks shows that Mr Lewis has no…
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Should B2B marketers be emotional?

Should B2B marketers be emotional?

News flash! B2B marketing is emotional. More and more marketers are recognising the importance of psychology behind purchases, and the emotional state that customers are in when they connect with a brand. Not dissimilar to the concept of H2H (human 2 human). Brands need to lose the unnatural techie jargon…
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How can updating social media policy add value to UK Police forces?

How can updating social media policy add value to UK Police forces?

As a new report is published uncovering Police social media behaviour over the last 5 years we discover hundreds of cases of alleged Police misuse or misconduct of ‘social media’. Several cases of officers blurring the boundaries between personal and professional activity often confusing personal authority, professional responsibility…
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Are prenups set to become social?

Are prenups set to become social?

We’ve all been there, a relationship breaks down and you have to think about petty things such as how to share out your joint furniture, how you’ll split the DVD collection and who’ll get ownership of the cat. But in the age of social are there now…
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Work BFF equals happy, motivated employees according to new LinkedIn study

Work BFF equals happy, motivated employees according to new LinkedIn study

A recent survey by LinkedIn has revealed co-worker friendships are key to employee happiness and a thriving workplace – having worked in previous jobs where the office banter was very much lacking, I can definitely vouch for these results! The study of over 11,500 professionals around the globe aimed to…
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Has Facebook app advertising met its match?

Has Facebook app advertising met its match?

Facebook App install advertisements are slowly becoming an old familiar in your app based news feed, carefully honed by Facebook’s famous targeting tools. Personally I can vouch for their effectiveness of targeting (unlike the time I got an email from Pinterest…
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Tinder gets more social with the ‘moments’ feature

Tinder gets more social with the ‘moments’ feature

It was high time that tinder broke the mould and gave the app an update. However, I am not sure this is what people had in mind. The use of online dating sites and apps for meeting new people has become increasingly popular. The stigma that was attached to meeting…
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Facebook wants your data!

Facebook wants your data!

Want to learn more about your customers? You can with Facebook’s new ‘Audience Insights’ tool! Whilst the feature is currently only available in the US, UK marketers can expect to see a wider expansion in a few short months…  And we can’t wait to get our hands on it!…
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Managing the real-time challenge: where are brands struggling?

Managing the real-time challenge: where are brands struggling?

What is real-time marketing about? Responding to customers, following trends and ultimately creating a strong, relevant relationship with your audience. It doesn’t sound so bad when you sum it up like that. But real-time marketing is easier said than done. Our research report ‘In the Social…
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Are brands ready for Jelly?

Are brands ready for Jelly?

Before Destiny’s Child ‘Bootylicious’ starts playing in your head… stop! I’m referring to a different sort of Jelly – the question-and-answer app launched in 2014 by Twitter co-founder Biz Stone which has already become the 76th most downloaded app in the UK. What is Jelly? Jelly is a…
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6 social media 2014 predictions from some of the most influential industry authorities

6 social media 2014 predictions from some of the most influential industry authorities

As usual predictions for 2014 abound. Rather than add to the melee with only our voice, we asked some of the most influential movers and shakers in digital to tell us what they thought would be big this year. Interestingly, even though we asked for opinions individually, the feedback revealed…
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Underneath the mistletoe

Underneath the mistletoe

Whilst many of us are counting down the time until we can spend a much needed respite with family and friends, overeating and overspending, there is also a significant amount of us who worry about something much more pressing. Dating. The annual onslaught of advertising and happy couples leave many…
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Examining the impact of the new LinkedIn Showcase Pages

Examining the impact of the new LinkedIn Showcase Pages

With every company, there are always multiple areas to focus on and different products to promote. But how do you ensure that when promoting online on sites such as LinkedIn, your focus is evident and not just a jumbled-up mess of completely different areas? If this is a…
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Twitter ads: Now open to everyone

Twitter ads: Now open to everyone

Facebook has them, LinkedIn has them, but when it comes to advertising on the platform, Twitter was lagging behind. Until now. That has all changed this week with the introduction of Twitter’s self-serve advertising platform for the UK, Ireland and Canada. Previously companies outside the US had to contact Twitter…
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Social media from a sociological perspective

Social media from a sociological perspective

Sociology is the study of social change, how we live our everyday lives and how we interact with other human beings. The evolution of the internet has erupted a social shift in how we interact and communicate, with offline human behaviour being replicated through popular platforms such…
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Battling with Facebook reach: How to get more eyeballs on your posts

Battling with Facebook reach: How to get more eyeballs on your posts

It is reported that on average only 16% of Facebook page posts reach fans – a somewhat disheartening statistic when community managers spend  a great deal of time and creativity nurturing and managing their business’ Facebook page. It’s frustrating when they take stock and realise that such…
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Social selling and the B2B decision maker

Social selling and the B2B decision maker

If you are familiar with Google ZMOT or just generally observant, you will know that the path to purchase for a consumer has dramatically changed with the influence of social and mobile technology.  However, consumers are people, people work in businesses, so of course there is a…
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More about Google+, Authorship and SEO

More about Google+, Authorship and SEO

Any business, alert and looking to drive natural search is already running Google+ and Facebook accounts at the moment. Facebook because people are using it and Google+ because it is this persistent beast, which is ignoring popularity and instead providing fantastic ingredients for functionality and the ability to…
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How do you Develop the Quality and Value of your Business Communities?

How do you Develop the Quality and Value of your Business Communities?

Your business is full of experts. And people who know a lot about what they do is extremely interesting to others. Some businesses are starting to move towards being an authority in what they do, to get people to buy into their expertise, rather than just telling people they are…
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Your customer service is outdated; it’s about combining social media with customer engagement

Your customer service is outdated; it’s about combining social media with customer engagement

Social media monitoring is essential for business. When “81% of Twitter users expect a same day response to questions and complaints” you can’t afford not to pay attention. Customers are certainly leading the way and it’s our job to keep up. Our very own Katy Howell [follow her @katyhowell] points…
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Benefits of Social Media Usage in Schools [infographic]

Benefits of Social Media Usage in Schools [infographic]

Despite the negative opinions held by some with regards to the so-called detrimental effects social media is having on humanity (my grandma for one!), I view it as an enabler, which can be harnessed to add further depth and to better human interactions and relationships. With that in mind, I…
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Graph Search for all: Facebook starts its search engine roll out!

Graph Search for all: Facebook starts its search engine roll out!

Back in  January this year, Facebook launched a new search engine feature called ‘Graph Search’,  the tool allowed users to  let you search your Facebook network  for people, places, photos and interests. Graph Search was only accessible to a selected few, in a very limited beta program.
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Live Brand Social: Facebook wants your branded content to do well

Live Brand Social: Facebook wants your branded content to do well

In the sixth post of this Live Brand Social blog series we discovered that Facebook is the preferred network for sharing content, by 61% of consumers surveyed. There is more to be learned from this fact, however. The raw data also showed that 31% want…
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Live Brand Social: fill the funnel by planning for it

Live Brand Social: fill the funnel by planning for it

Although creating a tweet or a Facebook status update is quick and easy, brands need to realise that social can offer a lot more in the long-term. The effort that you put into managing your social presence is meant for a lot more than one sale; you are building an…
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Live Brand Social: Focus on a few platforms to deliver the best return

Live Brand Social: Focus on a few platforms to deliver the best return

Already we have discovered that consumers are most likely to share on social media if the experience was unusual (71%), entertaining (69%) and relevant (65%). However, knowing which specific social platforms they are using tells you where you need to focus your attention. It can…
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Live Brand Social: Spotting social content they’ll go crazy for

Live Brand Social: Spotting social content they’ll go crazy for

Already we’ve explored the recent research on Live Brand Social to look at how people’s behaviours can inform your planning. You’ve seen the best ways you can use a combination of live events and social media; how you can target your audience and interact with…
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Live Brand Social: strength in numbers

Live Brand Social: strength in numbers

There is strength in numbers, and integrating live brand experiences with your social media activities is a prime example of this. Together they become Live Brand Social, and together they generate amazing figures. 53% of consumers said they will purchase a branded product as a result of this…
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Live brand social: get on the right wavelength

Live brand social: get on the right wavelength

Did you skim stones at the beach when you were younger? It’s a favourite summer pastime for plenty of kids but it isn’t so far from the marketing mix that many adults find themselves swimming through these days. How so? Skimming stones has a short lifespan when it comes…
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Is Facebook Home a welcome future?

Is Facebook Home a welcome future?

Since the creation of the smartphone and the advent applications, social media has been an integral part of the mobile phone experience. With that in mind talks of a Facebook mobile phone seemed to be a natural progress. Instead, Facebook made the bold decision to create Facebook Home; an innovative…
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Using Snapchat in your marketing strategy

Using Snapchat in your marketing strategy

Since its launch back in 2011 Snapchat has been particularly popular with the younger demographic, but is it now possible to integrate Snapchat into a brand’s marketing strategy? For those who are not familiar with the app, it allows users to take pictures or short videos and…
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Integrating social elements into brand website

Integrating social elements into brand website

We’re living in times of integrated marketing. The distinction between social, e-mail, SEO and PPC does still exist, but it has become essential that different channels work in conjunction, not competition, towards the same goal. As a consequence, brand websites should reflect this integrated approach. There is a great opportunity…
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Facebook advertising – is it all it’s cracked up to be?

Facebook advertising – is it all it’s cracked up to be?

It seems like everyone is at it nowadays – Facebook advertising is more or less a standard element of many brands’ social media activity. But how often are marketers taking a step back to ponder WHY exactly they are running advertising campaigns? What do they hope to achieve? Over the…
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30 examples of UK social media policies and guidance

30 examples of UK social media policies and guidance

I was quite surprised by our recent social media and the law report that showed 19% of companies didn’t have a social media policy. I did think that wasn’t too bad. But last week, we conducted a Mock…
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The John F Kennedy approach to content strategy

The John F Kennedy approach to content strategy

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” Kennedy’s inauguration speech was as relevant to the American people in 1961 as it is to the content marketer in 2013. Why? Substitute the word ‘country’ with ‘audience’…
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Three things you need to know about Facebook’s graph search

Three things you need to know about Facebook’s graph search

The big announcement from Facebook has dropped and it is all about DISCOVERY. The new graph search tool enables users to discover people and content based on their association with others in their ‘social graph’.  This latest development is undoubtedly a play to steal some of Google’s search thunder and create…
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Social attribution: If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.

Social attribution: If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.

Social media is helping drive renewed interest in marketing attribution. A recent survey from Adobe shows that 43% of marketers say social is a driver for marketing attribution. This is welcome news. The benefits of attribution are clear: It helps demonstrate the value of marketing, allowing for more informed decisions…
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