Tag: social media services sydney

What the media needs from you now!

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The last few weeks I’ve been reaching out to a variety of media contacts across a variety of platforms.

Aside from checking-in with these very valuable associates, I’ve been asking what stories they’re currently working on and will be looking to create in the immediate future.

So, why am I sharing this with you?

Because NOW, more than ever is the time to have your story shared with the media.

Media exposure for your business builds credibility, brand awareness and can assist with sales.

So, to find out what the media are looking for now, I’ve created a free downloadable document.

To download your copy click here. 

Have a read, then get in touch and let us know how we can help your business communicate its message to our media contacts, who are waiting to help your business secure the coverage it deserves.

 

Instagram Shopping – A new feature

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We know you’ve been able to “shop” via Instagram for a while now, but the ability to set up a shop via Instagram is now available (for those that sell physical goods at least!)

There are several boxes you need to tick before you can set up shop, so to speak, including having a linked Facebook page and ensuring your Instagram account is a business account and not a personal account. To read the other requirements click here. 

So, what does this mean for the marketplace?

Well, Facebook /Instagram Shops will also allow small businesses to sell products through Instagram Direct, WhatsApp, and Messenger, and tag products during live broadcasts! Talk about engaging directly with your customers!

Shops are free and easy to create and, most importantly, they’re integrated across Facebook’s many apps, meaning once you’ve set up your shop, it’s going to be available on your Facebook Page and your Instagram profile (and accessible from stories and ads).

It’s the perfect tool for businesses to pivot online, and during a time when that’s needed more than ever, Facebook /Instagram have delivered a solution that helps.

The good news? It’s available in Australia right now, to see where else the service is available, click here.

If you’d like assistance setting up your shop, content for your social media or any other PR or social media service, please get in touch.

 

 

Instagram Fact V Fiction

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One of our offerings at Pursuit is social media management.

We pride ourselves on creating great content, that will engage and drive results for your business.

We also make sure we’re all over what’s fact and fiction when it comes to social media.

Below you’ll find some clarification about some of the myths that have been circulating about Instagram.

  1. Shadowbanning is a real thing…

Nope. FALSE. Instagram has stated, “it doesn’t hide people’s content for posting too many hashtags or taking other actions”. **

 

2. Instagram will “punish” your account if you don’t post at least once a day

What? I’m sorry, how does this even make sense? In Australia alone Instagram has 9,000,000 Monthly Active Australian Users (FB/ Instagram data)*. Trying to monitor all that data alone is a mammoth task.

Instagram is (and always has been) about quality over quantity.  

So think about your style and what your customers will want to engage with, remember you’re posting for THEM, not for yourself.

Suffice to say this one is also FALSE.

 

3. The old “Only 5%, 7%, 10% of my audience will see this post, please comment to ensure more people see this post” post!

Instagram reached out to users via Twitter to clear this one up. They said; “What shows up first in your feed is determined by what posts and accounts you engage with the most, as well as other contributing factors such as the timeliness of posts, how often you use Instagram, how many people you follow, etc.”**

So drops in engagement are due to content not anything behind the scenes.

 

There are dozens if not hundreds more that we could clarify – and new myths popping up every day.

If you’d like some advice regarding social media, give us a call. We’d love to have a chat and share some ideas on how we think this medium could work wonders for your business.

 

Photo by Katka Pavlickova on Unsplash
*= Source
**= Source

Liking the new Instagram changes…

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We’ve all had some time to digest the fact that Instagram has removed likes in what is being called a “test” across seven countries. 

In case you missed it, no longer will you be able to see how many times an image (that isn’t yours) has been liked or viewed that has been posted by someone else – unless you’re looking at Instagram on a desktop computer!

You’ll be able to see WHO has liked the post in some circumstances when people you follow like an image from an account you follow. 

The

I think this is a fabulous step from Instagram /Facebook. 

Why?

Because for many of us, (including yours truly) we’re guilty of focusing on the number of likes our content receives rather than the content itself.

Speaking of content – it’s all well and good to post the things we love but business accounts are about the customers and what *they* want. In short, post the aesthetically pleasing pictures on your personal accounts. 

I’m not saying that your business account should be a “hodge-podge” of images, but it should serve your followers well. 

Employ a local photographer for a day, have a plan of what sort of shots you want to get and then you’ll have social media content for at least a couple of months.

So, now that the number of likes has been removed, what will this mean for metrics? 

In short, nothing. 

Some influencers may argue with that point, but you’ll still have the data in the back-end, so in my opinion, it’s a moot point. 

While it’s been called a “test”, I don’t think we’ll see likes come back in the way they were.

My thoughts? In the future, I think Instagram will allow business accounts to see the numbers, perhaps not directly under the image but perhaps somewhere on the home screen.

Perhaps the whole issue is best summed up by this quote;

“Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” – Dyer.

 

Insta tips from our Intern

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Our Intern Jordyn has created a list of the ways to make your Instagram profile stand out. 

Image quality is my number one tip. Make sure the image is high quality (not blurry) and it looks good on your grid (ask yourself does it flow with the image before it?) and matches with the overall aesthetic.
Hashtags are a great way to reach a niche audience. Use a few of the most important hashtags where appropriate within the caption and then paste up to 30 hashtags in the first comment of your post.
Stories are a fun way to engage your audience in recent activity. Share ‘behind the scenes’ content or get creative with campaigns and videos i.e. share a sneak peak of your ‘new post’ on your grid to redirect your followers to your insta page.
These Insta tips are important in boosting engagement of your targeted audience and current followers. Ensure you use the best quality camera that is available to you, a professional camera would be the ideal option for maximum aesthetics of your grid.
Instead of using ‘general‘ hashtags, use hashtags that are directed more toward the audience you want to reach i.e. hairdresser and add the location on the end and this way it is easier to reach your niche audience.
Make sure to utilize all the options that stories provide you i.e. the hands-free option is a great way to make short videos of recent activity or a way to discuss your latest project with your followers and overall making your stories look more professional.
Finally, have fun with it, you don’t want to get too bogged down in the specifics!

Three things I love about Twitter

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I thought it was about time we looked at a social media channel that isn’t Instagram!

I thought I’d share three reasons why I love Twitter. I know, for some, Twitter doesn’t get the best “wrap” but in my opinion and in my industry, it really is a go-to source.

  1. Relationships formed with people – I’ve made some great friends in RL via Twitter and some people I’m yet to meet. Twitter allows you (like other channels) to connect and voice an opinion. (I’ll come to this later). What I like about it is being able to find people who share a common interest and connect with them. Sure you can do this on other channels too, but for me, Twitter is one of the better places to do this.
  2. Following breaking news & trends – After switching on the radio when there’s a major breaking story, I’ll jump on Twitter straight away, enter a relevant hashtag and monitor the news. When searching for trends for our clients, I can see what their competitors are tweeting (if indeed they are on Twitter) and see how the conversation is tracking in any particular space.
  3. The opinions – Okay, so this has its good and bad aspects to it. Again, just like on any social media channel, you’ll have your “negative nellie” and unfortunately you’ll have trolls too. BUT this aside, being able to converse in a space with opinions  from right across the globe, really can open your eyes.

So, is Twitter for you? Well it all depends, what industry you’re in and ultimately what you’re hoping to achieve by joining Twitter.

If you’d like to see if Twitter is for you – select our WHICH SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNEL IS FOR ME package and we’ll provide insights as to where we believe you should focus your attention.

Instagram Apps we’ve recently discovered

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I’ve been searching for apps to up our Instagram game.

 

Here’s a list of a few that we thought might help YOU.

Hype Type

They Say: “Hype your Stories with automatically styled and designed motion typography.

Stand out.
Don’t use those tired tools that everyone else uses and expect your content to shine bright, like a diamond.

Short of words? We got you.
With the tap of a magical little button automatically pull random, meaningful quotes to give context to your story that may have not been there to start. ”

We Say: An awesome app to take your Instagram stories to the next level.

Adobe Spark

They Say: “Adobe Spark is a free online and mobile graphic design app. Easily create beautiful images, videos, and web pages that make you stand out on social”

We Say: This is our GO-TO app for all things social. Trust us on this one and download the app immediately, if not sooner!

Cut Stories

They Say: “Just import a long video, and CutStory will cut it up and save it in your smartphone’s camera roll as fragments of 15 seconds or any other length”

We Say:  Genious! Who hasn’t wanted their video to stop cutting out on Insta Stories, right at a critical moment?

Also, take a look at Continual which does the same thing!

 

Tell me, what apps are you loving at the moment? I’d be interested to discover more!

 

 

Not a cookie cutter approach

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I was talking to a potential client recently and mentioned that Pursuit’s core value is that Pursuit doesn’t offer a “cookie cutter approach” service agency. (I have noticed the irony that every time I mention this to a potential client, it’s the only element that is a “cookie cutter” approach!)

This value was the very reason why I started Pursuit. It’s my belief and experience that if you work with a business to deliver a service they need, the relationship will stand the test of time.

What works for one company, won’t work for another.

It’s that simple.

Budgets are different, values are different, goals are different, therefore the service I’m offering should be different and ultimately, the cost for our services will be different.

That’s why I’ve created a few offerings that will help guide businesses into making the right decision.

“What is Public Relations? How will it benefit me?” is a one-on-one consultation with me (Pursuit Founder, Brooke Simmons). I will ask you key questions to help you decide if indeed it is Public Relations that you need, and if it is, how it can help your business.

You’ll walk away with three Public Relations tactics that will help your business and a summary of consultation notes.  45-minute session.

The next offering “Which Social Media Channel is for me?” We understand that with so many options available for businesses, it can be a daunting decision.

I will help YOU select the social media channel that will deliver maximum results for your business.

I will also provide tips on how to integrate social media into your current marketing plan.

PLUS I will make recommendations for next best steps and materials you’ll need to get up and running. 60-minute session.

I created these services, with our core value in mind and to guide businesses of all sizes through the minefield that can be Public Relations and Social Media.

Tell me – what do you like about personalised service?

I’d love to hear in the comments below.

Video marketing in 2017

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Recently I contributed my thoughts to a piece on Video Marketing and Social Media in 2017.

As I see it, video MUST be a part of your social media and general marketing activities. If only for the higher levels of engagement it offers.

As the article points out “A study of Australian users revealed that social media users watch 51 minutes of video content every day.”

If you’d like to read more about my thoughts CLICK HERE. 

To discuss how video marketing can help you business, contact Pursuit Communications today, for an obligation free consultation.

Three tips to take your Instagram account to the next level

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If you’ve joined me over on Instagram you would have seen my three tips for taking your Instagram account to the next level. 

Here’s a wrap-up of what I covered.

  1. ROCK your biography. This is your chance to highlight what it is you do. Use strong words and make sure the link drives traffic to your product or service AND you’ve referred to it in your most recent post.
  2. Style your posts. Check out our feed as an example.  Keep it consistent, don’t make it too hard to replicate (remember you’re going to be using this style day-in and day-out!) and make sure it’s easy on the eye. No harsh colours or hard to read fonts. 
  3. Use other apps to UP your game. There are so many apps out there to make the most of your images. My current favourite app? Adobe Spark. It takes your images to the next level! 

 

If you like these tips and you’re trying to decide which channel best suits you sign up to the “Which Social Media Channel is for Me” service. Alternatively, if you’re looking for more direction on Instagram or Facebook why not sign up to our Social Media Audit.