Social Media - Communications Hub

5 Steps to Improve Reach on Social Media

Hello? Hello? Is there anyone out there….

Are you increasingly feeling like you’re talking to your self online? Well, don’t take it too personally – you’re certainly not alone! Let’s look at how we can improve reach on social media…

While social media still remains a vital and effective marketing and communications tool for so many businesses, there’s no denying that it has become an increasingly congested route to the customer.

So how can your business ensure a more seamless journey when trying to connect with your customers through social media?

Here are our top 5 tips for improving your online reach in 2022:

1. GET TO KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Research other social media pages – ideally, find a competitor who is doing it well and watch and learn! Keep an eye on your analytics – what type of content are your followers most engaged with? What time of the day are they most active? Know which platforms your customer likes to hang out on – this is often based on age, gender and interests.

2. TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE ALGORITHMS

Most social media platforms now favor short-form video (any video under 2.5 minutes – think TikTok, Reels, YouTube Shorts). This is directly driven by the fact that most social media users now prefer video content and the algorithms like to deliver! It’s vital that businesses incorporate some form of video content into their social media marketing for 2022 and beyond. Keep an eye on trending songs and hashtags also, especially on TikTok!

3. OPTIMISE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES

Consistent branding is key. Try to use the same name, logo and bio across all social media platforms to ensure brand recognition. While you may seed your content to suit different platforms and audiences, the overall narrative and tone should be the same – have a strong authentic brand voice. Don’t forget to also be mindful of your hashtags and keywords and use these consistently online.

4. ADD VALUE

People follow your business on social media because they are interested in what you do – don’t forget that! Educate them on your product/service, what problem it solves and what makes it different. Tell them your story – who you are, how you got here, and what you love about your business. If appropriate show them your process, behind the scenes, or maybe some short tutorials showcasing your skills. And, most importantly, keep your social media platforms active!

5. RUN PAID ADS

It’s sad, but true – gone are the days of basking in a glorious ray of reach and engagement for free on social media. No need for tears though, it’s not all bad news. Paid ads on Meta are extremely cost effective and can be targeted to reach niche audiences to ensure maximum return. I like to run a mixture of boosted posts (to push individual posts), page promotion (to increase following) and linked posts (promoting website). Running even sporadic paid ads can really help to push a page and grow reach and engagement.

So there you have it, 5 easy steps to help your business to improve your reach on social media. And if I was to add a 6th step, it would be to remember to have some fun with it – it’s social media after all, not serious media!

Karen Twomey MA BSc works as a freelance digital marketing consultant, trainer and mentor. For more information on how Communications Hub can help your business get in touch.

Social Media Use during Covid19

Wow! What a strange few months that has been, right? It would be nice to think we’re on the way back but with so much uncertainty, it’s hard to know. What is certain, however, is that social media use has exploded over the Covid19 Lockdown – a trend that is certain to continue.

Recent data suggests that global social media users grew to 3.96 billion at the start of July 2020, a surge of more than 10% in the past year. This also means that more than half the world’s population now use social media.

Growth trends from the data indicate that an average of more than 1 million people started using social media for the first time every single day over the past 12 months, equating to almost 12 new users every second.

Figures from Hootsuite released in July 2020 show the following growth in social media use:

So, what impact will these figures likely have on digital marketing going forward? According to Econsultancy’s Future of Marketing report, 64% of marketers see social as becoming more important to their organisations’ marketing effectiveness over the next two years. Which, shouldn’t come as a surprise.

The constant updating of the social media scene with new apps like TikTok and updating of other apps – Twitter scheduling, Instagram reels, LinkedIn stories – means that social media platforms are becoming more and more user friendly for businesses and no matter who your audience, you’ll find them somewhere.

For us here at Communications Hub, 2020 has seen an explosion in demand for digital marketing training, mentoring and management. Never has it been more important for businesses to have an online presence and the ability to reach customers virtually.

With what appears to be another few uncertain months ahead, now is the time to get your business online and open for business come what may.

For more information on Communications Hub and what we can do for your business, see www.communicationshub.ie or email karen@communicationshub.ie

How’s Your Digital Footprint?

Ever stop and think about where all that stuff you posted back in your Bebo days went? Me neither.

Did you know that the World Wide Web was invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989? Initially it was very much a one-way communication method, with a high level of coding expertise required to create and upload content. Fast forward to the noughties and it had evolved into a two-way free for all. The age of citizen journalism was born!

The introduction of the current heavyweight platforms of social media – Facebook in 2004, Twitter in 2006 and Instagram in 2010 – saw the world (and its mother) publishing pictures of their lattes, checking in for pre-holiday airport pints and, of course, sharing their opinions.

So so many opinions. Good ones. Bad ones. Helpful ones. Hateful ones. Not to mention those that come back and bite you in the ass…

Case in point this week in Irish politics when Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee, a Fianna Fáil politician, found her digital footprint hadn’t only caught up with her, but pretty much squashed her underneath.

The Senator had a number of historic tweets raked up and leaked to the press…an unfortunate coincidence perhaps with the fact she is currently contenting a by-election in Dublin Fingal for a Dáil seat.

Senator Clifford-Lee made the unfortunate decision to publish a number of tweets in 2011 and 2012 using derogatory terms like ‘Pikey’, ‘Knacker’ and ‘sluts’ to describe things she disapproved of, like Cheryl Cole’s hair extensions…

The tweets were wrong then, they’re wrong now, and there’s no condoning it. Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee is not the first person in the public eye to suffer because of her digital footprint, and she certainly won’t be the last.

As a world we are constantly being educated and, subsequently, developing. What may have been acceptable language and behaviour in by-gone years, is often not acceptable now. As we understand the offence that certain words or actions may bestow on our fellow peoplekind, there is an expectation that we no longer adopt such traits. This is particularly true of the young and educated.

That’s what makes Senator Clifford-Lee’s tweets so newsworthy. She should have known better.

That said, the internet has changed dramatically over the last ten years, as has our understanding of how it works. Think back to 2010 when Simon Coveney tweeted on the then Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, who was giving a Morning Ireland interview, saying he sounded “somewhere between drunk and hungover” on the program….

The now infamous tweet led to ‘Garglegate’ and the eventual demise of Cowen’s career. Would Simon really have made that comment if there was a microphone in front of him? If he was speaking to a journalist or on the Six O’Clock News? I think not.

I think Simon Coveney, like so many other people back in the ‘early days’ of social media, simply forgot he was publishing his opinion to the world. Just like Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee forgot.

It is a fact that publishing online carries the same legal responsibility as publishing on any other platform. The informal nature of social media can often distract us from this reality and lull us into a false sense of security.

Content we publish online is accountable by the same laws of libel, defamation, slander, copyright, etc., as any other publisher. It doesn’t matter if it’s published on a private or business page, it’s still liable. The increasing number of legal cases originating from social media platforms is testament to this new digital age reality.

So how many of us really stop to think about that?

When you’re sitting at home on the couch, phone in hand, publishing your opinions to the world. If someone took a fancy to forensically examine your digital footprint would you be confident that you would emerge unblemished?

If not, it may be a good time to start hitting the delete button.

COMMUNICATIONS HUB specialise in Digital Marketing Training, Social Media Training and Online Management for Business. For more information please contact us.

Why Social Media Scheduling Works

When I do social media training with businesses I never leave without having set them up on an online scheduler and, without fail, it positively affects their ability to produce good quality online content.

The benefits of using a scheduler include saving time, enabling better targeting and making it easier to implement a well-planned content calendar. An online scheduler will also allow you to view all of your online profiles on one dashboard, which makes for easier measurement of analytics.

And they’re not the only reasons why you should be using one…

LISTEN TO YOUR AUDIENCE

Monitor your brand, your competition, and what your customers are saying about you on social media.

ENGAGE WITH CUSTOMERS

Never miss an opportunity to connect with your audience or join conversations that are important to your brand.

MEASURE YOUR SOCIAL ROI

Make smarter, data-driven social media marketing decisions with confidence, so you can grow your business and your revenue.

My favourite scheduler is Hootsuite which supports social network integrations for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, Blogger, and much more. It also has some great downloads such as:

Hootlet – ‘Find & Share Anywhere’. Quickly and easily share content to your social networks from anywhere on the web
Hootsuite App – Free mobile app to schedule, publish, and monitor conversations
Hootsuite App Directory – Collection of extensions and applications business professionals can add to their Hootsuite dashboard to create a customised experience eg. Dropbox, Gmail, Google Drive, Mailchimp, Review Tracker, Survey Monkey, Vimeo.

While Hootsuite works for me, there are other options out there too such as Everypost, Buffer and Social Oomph. Several custom pricing plans are available, and each can be tested out through a free trial period.

Conclusion

Each social media scheduler has advantages and special features, but it all comes down to what you personally prefer. Whichever one you choose, just make sure your business is using one. You’ll reap the benefits, I promise!

Karen Twomey is a freelance PR & Social Media Consultant who specialises in online campaigns and social media training. For further details check out her website www.communicationshub.ie

Social Media Training Cork

Due to the success of our last Social Media for Business Course in Fermoy, I’m delighted to be running a further course on Wednesday 7th December from 7 p.m. – 9.00 p.m. in Fermoy Community Youth Centre.

As a business, social media is one of the easiest and cost-effective ways to reach your customers and create awareness around your products and services. To ensure you are using the right platforms and the right content social media training is essential – your business will thank you!

This 2 hour social media training course will teach you:

The best online platforms to use for your business
How to create engaging content
How to save time by using content calendars and online scheduling
An introduction to blogging, email marketing and SEO
How to manage your business’s online reputation.

Places are limited and cost €25.00 per person.

Communications Hub will be running further social media training courses, as well as blogging, online reputation management, content marketing and content scheduling courses in the New Year.

For further details or to book your place call Karen Twomey on 0877642575 or email: karen@communicationshub.ie

Online Addiction, Me? Surely not…

A few months back, I wrote a blog about the importance of ‘switching off’ from work in this 24/7 online environment that we now live in.

Online addiction is an issue which I feel strongly about, and one which has become a real contributor towards mental health issues in our society and workplaces.

On a recent (much-needed) holiday, I found myself reflecting on my ability to take an online hiatus (also much-needed). It occurred to me that it was reasonably easy to make the decision to ‘switch off’ from work. If we’re lucky enough to have a separate work mobile, we can switch it off. We can choose not to log into our work emails, or to check our Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts. It’s not an impossible feat.

What is becoming increasing impossible, is the ability to ‘switch off’ from an everyday perspective. There is little doubt, no matter what our age, most of us are becoming increasingly dependent on the online world in our day to day lives – be it death notices, current affairs, or match fixtures – it’s all there at the click of a button.

Take my father, who is in his sixties (early sixties – important to distinguish or I may risk losing the coveted ‘favourite off-spring’ title). He was the generation who lived by the daily newspaper, maybe even two or three different titles on a Sunday. Like most of us, he has abandoned his beloved newspaper and now gets his news online.

Some statistics would indicate this online reliance is not an unusual trend for those his age with the fastest growing Twitter demographic in Ireland the over 55s. It represents an interesting shift. Traditionally, those with online addictions were often portrayed as sulky teenagers glued to the couch taking copious pouting selfies. Not anymore.

Social media addicts are now as likely to be those of us in our late 30s, and upwards. We may not be snap chatting our buys from Pennys, or Instagramming with the latest hashtags (I said MAY not – ahem), but we are using social media, for all types of reasons, all the time.

As I work in social media, I made a very conscientious decision to try to switch off my Wi-Fi as much as possible during this year’s holiday. I’ll put my hands up and admit – I failed miserably. Why? I’m just too reliant on the web. I logged on every day. I checked the weather in France (mostly raining), weather at home (mostly sunny), I googled tourist attractions in our area, I logged onto the wine depot website to see what treats I’d stock up on to bring home (well worth a visit if you find yourself touring Brittany). I googled, and then I googled some more.

It wasn’t all holiday and cheap wine related, of course. Even though we were cocooned in our holiday hideaway, the world was still turning, and tragedies still happening. While we were away the terrible and senseless shooting took place of 49 innocent souls at an Orlando nightclub. It was shocking and unbelievable, and we wanted to know Why? How? Who? So, we logged online to help us understand. What else could we do?

On reflection, I feel disappointed in myself that I couldn’t ‘switch off’ for two short weeks. I wonder what it says about me and my dependency on the online world. I wonder if I’m becoming (or perhaps already am) an addict. With 46% of the world’s population now logging onto the World Wide Web every day, it would seem I may not be alone.

Karen Twomey is a freelance PR and Online Communications Consultant with Communications Hub Tel: 0877642576

Why Your Business Needs to be on LinkedIn

When it comes to LinkedIn, I’ll admit I’m a relative newcomer…but like most people who discover things later in life that they enjoy, I’ve taken to it with gusto.

In fact, it’s swiftly becoming one of my favorite social media platforms. And, I’m not alone. According to IPSOS MRBI Social Networking Quarterly, LinkedIn registered a 5% increase in Irish users from September 2015 to January 2016.

With almost 30% of Irish professionals now having accounts, LinkedIn is becoming the social network of choice for those looking to build professional connections and showcase their skills. And where the online masses venture…businesses quickly follow.

The benefits of LinkedIn in business are multi-faceted. Not only is it the natural place to attract and headhunt for top class staff, but it also provides invaluable opportunities for B2C and B2B networking. Best of all, it offers companies an opportunity to grow their brands in an affordable, flexible and interesting way.

Still not convinced?

Here are even more benefits of having a company profile on LinkedIn:

Makes a brand more credible.
Improves SEO.
Helps personalise a brand.
Showcases products and services.
Targets specific audiences.
Allows for customer interaction.

While Facebook and Twitter may still be the more popular social media platforms in Ireland, those on LinkedIn (over 300 million worldwide) are there for a completely different reason – to grow and promote themselves and their business.

To really impact online, LinkedIn must form part of a social media strategy for Irish companies. Regardless to the size of your business, maintaining a well-managed LinkedIn page will boost your company’s profile and ultimately, your business will reap the benefits.

For more information on social media strategies for your business, contact Communications Hub today.

Why Video is now King

Move over Content, there’s a new King in town….

With video content now receiving up to 60% more online interaction than photos, it’s becoming a key part of content marketing strategies.

According to Cisco video will account for 69% of all consumer internet traffic by 2017 and video-on-demand traffic alone will have almost trebled.

In the U.S. mobile video ad spend is growing faster than all other digital advertising tactics. EMarketer states that $7.46 billion was spent by companies on digital ads, an increase of 42% from 2014.

Social media platforms are reaping the benefits of this shift to video, with Facebook reporting 8 billion video views daily, while Snapchat delivers over 7 billion videos to users each day. This represents an unbelievable growth of almost 50% in video usage on Snapchat in just 4 months.

In this era of information overload, video is naturally engaging and easy to digest. It also delivers a message in a more personal way, evoking more passion and emotion, and creating better community engagement.

Here are some useful tips when creating video content:

Be Passionate, not attention grabbing -your audience will know the difference.
Be engagement-driven, not hit driven – communities are built on interaction, not selling.
Think small to achieve big – creativity wins over cost of production.
One size does not fit all – have a multi-platform video strategy.

Online video is set to continue its rise and will remain an important element in marketing and communications strategies going forward.

Ignore it at your peril!

For further information on communications and marketing strategies for your business, contact us today.

Online Crisis Management – Be Prepared!

In this era of social media and mobile devices, news spreads faster than ever before. The web has removed control from those who create content and a crisis can develop in seconds.

This is why it is vital that companies have an on-line crisis management strategy in place – long before it is ever needed.

When developing an online strategy, we must understand the ethics and rules of digital media and how crisis management on-line may differ from that off-line.

According to Chris Norton online crisis management can be separated into three stages – pre-crisis, crisis response and post-crisis evaluation. An online crisis typically creates a spike in comments, shares and engagement, the conversations around which are generally negative. During this crisis, it is essential to monitor and track what is being said and respond immediately.

An online crisis typically creates a spike in comments, shares and engagement, the conversations around which are generally negative. During this crisis, it is essential to monitor and track what is being said and respond immediately.

When putting together a strategy to deal with on-line crisis, the following should be included:

Those who will form part of the crisis management team.
Pre-draft templates for on-line content – these can be pre-approved by legal teams to speed up their delivery.
The communication channels to be used.
An outline of how people can and can’t behave across on-line communication channels.

Finally, a crisis management strategy should have a strong focus on internal communications. Those associated with the party will need to know what happened, what they should do and how the crisis will affect them.

All information regarding the crisis should be shared and updated regularly with all those who communication on behalf of the company to ensure all outward communication is consistent.

It may be impossible to pre-empt every online crisis, but we can certainly make sure we’re prepared for when one does occur and that the right procedure is followed.

Contact Communications Hub now and let us help you put together an effective crisis management strategy.

New Year, New Marketing Tools?

Happy New Year to all! I hope everyone is refreshed after a break and ready to take 2016 by storm!

I may be the exception here, but I love January. It’s a great month to take stock and plan the year ahead. It’s also a time to try something new. To think outside the box.

It’s so important in business to ‘step outside the building’ every now and again, and a new year is a great time to do this. We’re all guilty of complacency, especially when things are going well. But to continue to be successful in business, we must always look ahead and stay ahead.

This is especially true when putting together a marketing strategy for your brand and your product. How will 2016’s strategy differ from that of 2015? How will you ensure that you continue to reach your customer? And most importantly, that they connect with your message?

The best way to do this is to make sure your marketing strategy is current and relevant. Of course, creative content will alway be the best way to do this – freshen up your website, start blogging and use social media content to connect all your platforms together.

It’s also important to research what industry influencers are saying about future trends. According to the Huffington Post the following five trends will drive social media marketing in 2016:

Micro-Targeting Audience Segments – When consumers are faced with significant lifestyle events, like having a baby, moving house, or getting married, they are more open to changing their purchasing habits. This means if you can send the right message at the right time, you have a higher chance of gaining their loyalty.

Importance of In-The-Moment Content – The popularity of streaming apps, such as Snapchat and Periscope, is continuing to grow. A recent Comscore Report found that Snapchat is the 3rd most important social app among 18 – 34 year olds.

Consumer is now the Influencer – Thanks to social media, everyday consumers have built a follower base, giving them stronger voices and the ability to influence public opinion.

Micro-Video and Gifs – Young consumers are obsessed with immersive video and gifs as a means of expression. Cinemagraphs alone get 60% more engagement than static images.

Messaging Apps and Emojis – These are providing quicker, simpler and more engaging opportunities for social media users to connect and look set to grow in influence in 2016.

All in all, it looks like 2016 will see the continued growth of ‘less is more’ with regard to content, as well as a strong reliance on video and live streaming to connect with consumers. Snapchat looks set to capture even more of the commercial market, with more and more companies using the platform to advertise. There’s little doubt that Facebook and Twitter will continue to be valuable tools for business, but companies will need to be clever and fresh in their use of content.