Hello June & Welcome to Winter!!

Well Winter is finally here in Melbourne!! The days are getting shorter and the nights colder which offers a great opportunity to cosy up on the couch and really plan your business' Social Media Strategy for the next month!!

The following list should outline most of the key dates for businesses to consider when planning their social media content and strategy. Some dates are specific to Australia whilst other dates are International dates that should be considered as they can offer a fun element to your pages. Remember you can leverage off what is current and trending through using the right hashtags but also make it relevant to your own business wherever possible.

1 - 30 June - Bowel Cancer Awareness Month
1 - 30 June - National Burns Awareness Month - Kidsafe Australia
1 June - First Day of WINTER
1 June - Doughnut Day
1 June - Fish & Chip Day (First Friday in June)
1 June - Leave the Office Earlier Day
3 June - Mabo Day
4 June - Western Australia Day
5 June - World Environment Day
6 June - Queensland Day
8 June - World Oceans Day
8 June - World Best Friends Day
9 June - World Gin Day
11 June - Queen's Birthday Holiday
11 June - Gold Telethon - Sydney Children's Hospital
11 - 17 June - International Men's Health Week
12 June - World Day Against Child Labour
12 June - Superman Day
14 June - International Bath Day
14 June - Healthy Tuckshop Day
14 June - World Blood Donor Day
15 June - Global Wind Day
15 June - National Buddy Day
17 - 23 June - Refugee Week
18 June - International Picnic Day
18 - 24 June - Thinking of You Week
20 June - Red Apple Day (Bowel Cancer Australia)
20 June - World Refugee Day
21 June - June Solstice
21 June - International Day of Yoga
21 June - MND Global Day 0 Motor Neurone Disease
21 June - World Selfie Day
21 June - World Music Day
22 June - Chocolate Eclair Day
24 June - Fairy Day
26 June - Beautician's Day
27 June  - Pineapple Day
30 June - Social Media Day
30 June - Red Nose Day

If I have missed any dates then please let me know and I will update the list ASAP. Until next time, happy planning!!

Amanda x

HELLO AUTUMN

With the year now in full swing, March is often one of the busiest months for Community and Nationally Significant Events. To cover a good range of topics, I have also attempted to include some International Dates that might align with businesses. If there are any dates that I have missed that you would like to see added then please just let me know in the comments below and I will update the list.

1 - 31 March      National Epilepsy Awareness Month
1 - 31 March      The Water Challenge
1 - 31 March      Jump to Cure Diabetes
1 - 31 March      Bandaged Bear Appeal - The Royal Children's Hospital Westmead
1 - 31 March       March into Yellow - Endometriosis Awareness
1 March              World Book Day
2 March              Schools Clean Up Day - Clean Up Australia
3 March              World Wildlife Day
3 - 11 March      Parks Week
4 March             Clean Up Australia Day
5 March             Labour Day (WA)
5 - 11 March      Kidney Health Week
8 March             International Women's Day
10 March           World Kidney Day
11 - 18 March    Multiple Birth Awareness Week
12 March           Labour Day (Vic)
12 March           Eight Hours Day (TAS)
12 March           Canberra Day (ACT)
12 March           Adelaide Cup Day (SA)
12 March           Commonwealth Day
13 - 20 March    Coeliac Awareness Week
14 - 18 March   World's Greatest Shave
16 March           National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence
16 March           Close the Gap Day (Oxfam)
16 March           World Sleep Day
17 March           St Patrick's Day
17 - 25 March    Cultural Diversity Week
18 March           Run for the Kids (Victoria)
19  -23 March   Walk For Water
19 - 29 March   A Taste of Harmony
20 March          International Day of Happiness
20 March          Iranian New Year
20 March          World Oral Health Day
21 March          World Down Syndrome Day
21 March          World Forestry Day
21 March          Harmony Day
21 March          World Poetry Day
21 March          International Day for the Elimination of Racial Descrimination
22 March          World Water Day
23 March          Ride 2 School Day
23 March          Royal Easter Show (NSW)
24 March          Earth Hour 8.30pm
25 March          Neighbour Day
26 March          Purple Day (Epilepsy Australia)
27 March          World Theatre Day
30 March          Good Friday Appeal (Victoria)
30 March          Good Friday
30 March - 7 April Passover

I hope everyone has an amazing month and that this list really encourages you to regularly update your Social Media accounts. Current and relevant posts are the perfect way to leverage and maximise hashtags and content.

Don't forget to Be Social!
Amanda x

How Often Should you Post?

This is a question I am asked regularly and put simply, there is no right answer! There is huge merit in taking time to get to know your "likers" and "followers" so that you will get a gauge for the content that they like to see, comment on and like. There is no point in posting for the sake of posting. If you don't have relevant content to share on a certain day then I suggest leaving it until you do.

The following Infographic gives a considered outline as to how often you should consider posting on the various social media platforms that you use. Not all platforms are right for every business. Some businesses may find real benefit in using just one platform whilst others may find real benefit in using more. Take time to research which customer groups are using which platforms and decide which ones are the best for your business to have an active presence on. 

The key to success on any social media platform is consistency. Post regularly, respond to questions and comments regularly and answer messages regularly and you should see real benefits to your business.

Happy April everyone!
Amanda

The Best Times to Post on Social Media

I get asked this question all the time and if you're reading this, you must be wondering as well!! The truth is, there is no "best time" across the board but there will be a "best time for you". Use your page insights for a snapshot into the activities of your page likers. Try to post at different times across the day and see which posts receive more "likes", more engagement, more reach, more retweets and you will soon work out the ideal times for you and your business.

As a starting point, I found this great info graphic at Social Media Today which I think provides a good guide across each of the platforms. I would be interested to know if you've spent time on working this out for your own business.....what did you decide were your best times?

I hope this helps you achieve better results across your chosen social media platforms.

Amanda

Top 10 Benefits of Social Media

Still trying to convince yourself that you need a well established and active presence on Social Media to market your business well and reach a winder audience? Well Forbes have listed what they think are the Top 10 benefits and we think they're all pretty spot on. Link here: http://onforb.es/1sO73KY If you're looking for support with your Social Media presence and daily management then we'd love to talk to you about how we can assist. Please get in touch today!

Post Engagement - Tip #2

Short and in the point is always the best approach with the majority of posts. The Facebook News Feed is a busy place to be - try to make you message and post stand out from the rest!! Your engagement will improve as a result.

Another Magic Monday

Another busy week ahead of Facebook Competitions, posting to Facebook, Google+, Instagram and Twitter for various businesses and doing some research on LinkedIn so the bigger the coffee the better I think! What are you focusing on this week?