content

Are You Making These Social Media Mistakes?

a hand holding an iphone with an open lockscreen displaying social media apps

In the last decade the numbers of social media profiles have skyrocketed beyond all expectations. Users of all ages and backgrounds are connecting across the world, as ‘liking’, ‘sharing’, and ‘tweeting’ has rapidly become everyone’s go to downtime. And so, it’s no wonder that social media is the place to be for every business. However, social media never came with a handbook. Sure, most of us know the basics but many users are continuing to make common mistakes that are affecting their reach, engagement, and branding. Join us, as we explore common social media mistakes your business should avoid!

Quantity over Quality – While you may think posting as much as possible is the way to go, it is the quality that makes the difference. If your profile is over encumbered with meaningless posts, it becomes harder for your audience to find the content that actually matters. Not only does it dominate people’s newsfeeds, but it also comes across as spammy which can lead to a loss of followers. Work to achieve a higher standard, choose regular but effective content that brings interactions and growth. This could be things like blogs, tips, polls, and testimonials – which are all popular choices among established business owners.

Lacking in video content – Video marketing has become widely used among successful brands, but many of us are still intimidated by the video format. While it requires extra time and attention it is by far the most effective when it comes to audience reach and platform algorithms. Top social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram are making calculated choices regarding the content shown to their platform users. They often prioritise video content and grant it a noticeably longer shelf life – giving it an edge over competing posts. Finally, video content is much more likely to be shared and to go ‘viral’ – it has higher audience retention and is often more accessible.

Not using a scheduling tool – Social media scheduling tools allow businesses to plan, visualise and keep their content consistent. Online schedule users can benefit from analytic technologies and helpful tools such as recommended posting times and engagement reports. They’re a fantastic way of staying consistent during busier periods and seeing the impact of your content.

Not targeting your audience – While Social media platforms have millions of users across the world, it’s important to cater towards your target audience first! This allows you to concentrate on the most suitable prospects and strategize your marketing. Businesses that don’t target their high-value audiences, tend to have much lower website traffic, a weaker referral base and fewer returning customers.

Not engaging with your audience – No one likes a one end conversation, which is exactly what a lack of customer engagement looks like! While you may have an established following and regular content, you need to utilise your business profile to its full potential. Get involved with your audience, comment, and reply to their queries. Engaging with your audience provides authenticity and validation – it shows that you’re listening to their needs. It can do a lot for a business, building lasting relationships and credibility. The most effective profiles are often the ones with an organic conversation between the business and its audience, eliminating that superficial feel.

We know most businesses don’t have a surplus of time to dedicate to social media, which is why MOMENTUM offers a wide range of services designed to suit you and your business needs. Focus on the development and growth of your business and let us do the rest! If you’d like to discuss our extremely cost-effective Social Media Management services or require any additional business support – please get in touch:

E: makeithappen@mbsmih.com   T: 01903 688789

4 Things We’ve Learnt About Creating Graphics

Woman in a white shirt creating a typography graphic using a tablet and apple pencil

Want to listen instead? Click Here

Whether they’re for presentations, blog posts or your social media feeds – graphics can take your content to the next level. It’s something we’ve been experimenting with a lot more recently, and along the way we’ve learnt a few things…

1. Take advantage of ready-made templates and use them as a base starting point for your graphic. We use Canva to create our graphics and would highly recommend it. Similar to other platforms, Canva comes with a selection of free ready-made graphic templates that you can customise and make your own to reflect your branding and message. Rather than feeling overwhelmed and not knowing where to start, pick a template that takes your fancy and you’re already halfway there!

2. Keep it simple and don’t over complicate your design by sticking to a minimal number of colours, font styles and shapes. It can be tempting to go overboard and get carried away when your creative juices are flowing, but keep your audience in mind throughout – you don’t want to confuse them with too much going on in the design.

3. It’s all about trial and error! Have a good play around with different ideas and styles so you can identify what is working best with the message that you are trying to communicate. Quite often your first design won’t be your best, but that’s okay! If you don’t like what you see, learn from it and start again.

4. If you’re struggling to nail down your graphic (it happens!), you need to stop and take a break so you can recharge your brain. Whether that’s switching to a different task for a while or stepping away from your desk completely for a lunch break, you’ll come back feeling more productive with fresh eyes – ready to make that design happen!

Need some help or advice when it comes to creating graphics? We’d love to help. Get in touch and make it happen.. E: makeithappen@mbsmih.com  T: 01903 688789.

How Can I Market My Small Business?

A woman concentrating while writting in a notebook

Want to listen instead? Click Here

Create Meaningful and Engaging Content

The foundation for everything is creating your own meaningful and engaging content that you’ll be able to share in multiple ways and places. Answer a question, talk about the latest trends, make a podcast, create a regular feature… the list goes on. Create content that speaks to your ideal customer. Content they can connect and engage with.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is a must for any business. It is an important tool that you can use to build and maintain relationships with clients, prospects and leads. You can use Email Marketing to showcase your products, services, promotions and valuable content directly into inboxes through regular e-newsletters.

Social Media Marketing

If your business isn’t active on Social Media, you are seriously missing out. Having a presence on social media is vital for your brand awareness and is a great way to engage with potential clients. We recommend starting off with the big 3 – Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn, as these are the accounts your ideal customers / clients are likely to be present on. Ensure that when you have created your social channels, you are posting content and interacting on a regular basis. Talk about what you offer, how you can and share useful content with your audience too (blogs, tips, advice, opinions, etc.). This sort of content will encourage your audience to engage with you.

Blog

Running a business blog and updating it regularly is an amazing way to share your advice and knowledge with your audience. What’s even better is that posting blogs to your website will help your SEO. This means your website will be more highly recognised in search results.

Networking & Building Relationships

“Your network is the people who want to help you, and you want to help them, and that’s really powerful” – Reid Hoffman

Starting out as a new small business can be very lonely. Attending networking events will not only make you feel reassured by others in the same boat as you, but also help you to build relationships, find clients and gain referrals. It’s all about who you know – making connections is a great way to gain awareness of your business and what it can offer for others.

Starting out with marketing your business can be an overwhelming thought. Where do I start? How do I know if I’m doing it right? We know exactly how you feel – we’ve been there ourselves.

We are truly passionate about supporting the growth of small businesses (we do after all make up approximately 95% of the WORLDS businesses!) So if you’d like some support with starting out with your marketing, get in touch, we’d be happy to talk through the options with you. makeithappen@mbsmih.com | 01903 688789.