Pin of the Week....

Writing the PERFECT Instagram Caption is something we all try to do on a daily basis isn't it? Too long, too short, not engaging enough, does it need tweaking, and at the best, is it share worthy?! We all want to write a great Instagram post so when I came across this article on Pinterest from the Team at Who What Wear that I thought was worth saving. It's a great read with several good tips that are worth trying in an effort to mix up your posts and start to build your engagement and following.

Not surprisingly, "How to Write the Perfect Instagram Caption", was the most PINNED post on the Little Bird Social Media "Instagram" Board last week. It's well worth the read and if you have any great tips that you'd like to share on writing the perfect caption then please feel free to share in the comments below - we'd love to know!

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

Hello February

Well 2016 is off and racing for us! I thought we might be able to ease into the busyness of another year a little more slowly but that wasn't to be!!

We enjoyed a two week break away in early January and I had big plans for some planning, reading and goal setting during that time away but surprise, surprise, reading my stock pile of fiction novels won over each time! I also battled a poor Wifi connection for part of our holiday which slowed things down but that probably wasn't such a bad thing!

So February is a ahead of us now....we've hit the ground running with lots of equiries coming in and quotes being finalised. If you're looking for a lift with your social media or need to free up some much needed time spent at the computer screen then please contact us for some more information regarding our services and the support we can offer your business - we'd love to hear from you!

Using Photos in your Marketing

I posted to my Facebook page recently regarding the use of photos in the marketing of your business. You can find the relevant post here. With photo sharing and the use of images playing such an important role in social media, I am aware that people often search Google Images for photos that can be used on websites, Instagram, Facebook and even Twitter and Google+ as we all know that the reach of posts can be so much more successful when an image or images are added.

What some people don't realise is that many of the photos that are made public on Google Images are actually copy righted images that can't be used without a license or having been purchase to use to promote your own business activities. Getty Images own the rights to many of these and they will fine businesses for the incorrect use of these.

If you are searching for images the make sure you add the word "FREE" to your image search and confirm that the images your are downloading are Free for commercial use with No attribution required.

There are several sites that you can join that allow you to purchase images if yours is a businesses that needs a good range of images to use regularly but if you are just looking to use free images once every so often then there are some great free sites to use as well. I've added a few links to my Facebook post to get you started! I hope it helps.

Amanda

Micro-moments

I had the pleasure of attending a Digital Masterclass just over a week ago. It was inspiring, informative and thought provoking....everything you want a training session to be. The focus of the session was on how we use Google and how strong our online presence was. Customers are turning to their smart phones and tablet devices more and more frequently during any given day/hour/minute/moment to find the information or product they need - MICRO-MOMENTS....

 

Some of the key points that came out of the session that I think all businesses need to consider were: 

• Micro-moments and how critical these are for businesses in terms of being found and easily contacted 
• consumers check their smartphones up to 150 x per day 
• 95% of users will turn to their smart phone for immediate information, ideas or advice. 
• businesses need to be able to get "In Front" of people in that micro-moment in time to be in the consumers consideration set 
• how strong is your online presence 
• is your business website mobile responsive
• how well are you advertising your business 
• is your business well represented and active on chosen social media platforms 
• are your advertising your business online through Google Ad Words or Facebook Ads 

Some further statistics to consider:

• there has been a 34% increase in mobile's sharing of online sessions 
• there has been a 7% decrease in time spent on a page 
• there has been a 58% increase of sales conversions 

In short.....consumers are spending less time searching in shorter bursts but more frequently and if they can find the "right"information then the conversion to a sale has increased. I have so much more information to share....please stay tuned for upcoming blog posts and if you have any questions at all just let me know!

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!