If you’re creating content sporadically, not only is this taking your time, but you’re probably seeing a few more typos than you’d like and maybe even a change in tone across your platforms which ultimately isn’t the best look for your business. So, planning ahead and creating a social media calendar would be a much better use of your time as well as giving you the opportunity to proof your posts before those blasted keyboard warriors pick up on every typo or inaccuracy in the book.

What the heck is a social media calendar?

By creating a social media calendar, you’ll be able to plan your posts, manage whole campaigns and give yourself some sort of structure for creating content that week, or that month if you’re feeling brave! It’s also a good place to find any gaps in your media library that might need filling.

Depending on what floats your boat you could be setting up your calendar in a spreadsheet or in Google Calendar or some sort of over-expensive social media management tool. But our favourite is the Meta Planner because it gets the job done and even better, it’s free!

So, where to start when creating your social media calendar?

A good place is to take a proper look through your current social media profiles. See what kind of content worked before (and what didn’t) then have a good nosey at some of your competitors to see what they’re up to because odds are, you can use their ideas for some inspiration.

Next, you need to think about what social media platforms you want to focus on, do you have a photogenic, hands-on business that would work perfectly on Instagram and Facebook? Or are you more of a B2B organisation that would have value in Twitter and LinkedIn? Remember, you can start small and build up to more as you learn more about your audience and customers.

What should you be including in your calendar?

Well, this totally depends on what your business needs for example a small business might need a few details and a picture whereas a big organisation may need full tracking links budgets and management approval. but let’s not get ahead of ourselves, it’s likely that you’ll just need the basics like:

·      The platform you’re posting to

·      The date and time you’re posting

·      Your caption

·      Any media – images or videos (or a link to where they’re stored)

·      Or just a link to an already published post or webpage.

If you wanted to go into more detail, you could label what your posts are, remembering the social media rule of thirds:

·      1/3 of your content should be relevant news and tips that are beneficial for your followers.

·      1/3 of your content should be promoting your product or service.

·      1/3 of your content should be interacting with others and be personal.

Now fill that calendar with some crackin’ ideas!

Start with noting your ideas for each day and build those into captions, then plan how you’re going to create the media for your posts.

Take note, it’s always a good idea to proof your calendar with another member of your team too, just remember to schedule your posts in when they’re ready!

And that’s it, we make it sound so simple right? As with everything social media, the more you do, the more you learn about your audience and the easier it will be to get that spot-on content in your calendar!

If you want to know more about how MiHi Digital can help your business grow on social media, then get in touch with the team!

Call us on 01566 232323 or email hello@mihidigital.co.uk.

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But what if we told you that less could actually be more? That you could reach further by posting less? Whilst that’s a slight simplification, the key word we wanted to focus on in this post is ‘momentum’. Without it your social media can struggle; with it, you will undoubtedly thrive. 

Let’s explain…..

The quality vs quantity conundrum

Social media should be about quality and not about quantity. 

Whilst you will ideally be posting on a regular basis (3 – 4 posts per week – if you have enough content – is often considered the sweet spot), you should never *ever* be posting merely for the sake of posting. 

If you’ve sat down and felt like you’re putting something out there just because it’s been a while, or you always do on a Sunday, then step away from the keyboard, plug the mouse in to charge for a moment and have a think….about ‘momentum’.

How do you get momentum?

When it comes to social media, ‘momentum’ is the stringing together of several posts that perform well. Sounds easy, right? In fact, many social accounts struggle to achieve it as they don’t actively monitor, understand, or make the most of what works well for them. 

Two factors largely dictate the performance of a post; content and timing. When the timing is right it puts your post immediately in front of your followers. It’s then down to the content; Is it interesting to them? Does it cause them to engage?

Getting the two right gives you a post that works well…. But then what happens?

Do you keep the momentum up or do you squash it?

The timing was right, the content was right…. Bob’s your uncle, you’ve got a good post and it’s got a lot of engagement. That right there immediately puts you on the front foot for your next post as people that engaged will see the next post earlier in their feeds.

Get the timing and content right again…. Your momentum continues further.

Get either of those wrong, then it squashes that momentum like a brick wall.

So what do you need to do?

Remember when we said at the start that you could post less and reach more? Here’s how you do it… 

Have a review of your previous content – perhaps your last 50 posts.

Make a list of what has worked well – both in terms of content and when it was posted.

Do the same with what didn’t.

The two will usually give you a correlation – the post content and timing that works well, and those that cause the proverbial tumbleweed to make its way silently across the screen. 

From there you’re going to post more of what has worked and less of what hasn’t. The more effective posts that you string together, the better the results you will gain.

So, there you have it – by dropping those posts that aren’t working but are taking time out of your day, you can actually build better momentum and spend less time.

That sounds pretty good to us….

If that sounds like something you need support with, give us a call on 01566 232323 or email Mark at hello@mihidigital.co.uk and we will help build and guide your business through it’s online marketing.

The post The importance of building momentum in your social media posting appeared first on MiHiDigital.

One of the most common hijack techniques is to create a fake account using your business branding and details, then going through to comment on your posts to “announce a winner” and asking for your followers’ bank details. The main issue is these people are acting as you, with your business name on their profile, it’s easy for entrants to get confused or worse still, send them their personal information and being de-frauded. Obviously, this is a horrible way for your potential new customers to interact with your brand, 

They might even try sending friend requests and messages to accounts who have entered your competition asking for the same information, pretending to be you! So it’s essential to be aware of these risks and plan how to deal with an attempted hijack. 

What can you do to stop it?

The number one rule… Stay vigilant – keep a keen eye on the comments. If you see anything you know to be a scam account, or people asking the wrong questions, just delete it. That’s the best way to stop your followers from seeing their comments, so be on it! Highlight at the outset and in other posts that you won’t ask for this type of information.

If it does happen, put a clear message out there to say that it’s not you and ask them to report the profile or page to Facebook. Reporting is the ultimate way to stop the spamming of your competition.

So, to protect your competition and its entrants, keep an eye out, be observant and ask people to report as soon as you know there is an issue.

Don’t let these risks put you off running a competition for your followers, the pros far out way the cons, so find a good prize and get it out there! Just be aware and protect your followers! 

The post Social media competitions come with a few risks, make sure you keep your followers safe!  appeared first on MiHiDigital.

Using more than five images on a post:

Adding five or more images to a post automatically turns it into a gallery for them to click on – and as humans we do love clicking on things (research shows the larger a button the more likely it is to be clicked!). Once they’ve clicked on it, they’re going to get a light box – that’s when the image is the only thing that is on their screen! This means there’s no news feed distractions, there’s more engagement… And it lasts longer… Win, win, win!

Getting the timing right:

Posts go further when they gain Facebook engagement (likes, comments and shares) as soon as possible after they’re posted. Just like other things in life…. they need a little momentum to gain that, think about when your target market is going to be online; and also bear in mind that every page is different. If you’ve got a holiday cottage complex that’s perfect for parents, they’re likely to have different lifestyles and timings to others. A general rule of thumb can be early evening or tea time, but do always test and work out what’s best for your own following.

Including a link to click on:

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, we love to click on things! So if you don’t ask them to click, or you don’t give them the opportunity to, then you’re likely, if not certain, to miss out. Don’t let them off the hook (fishing puns rarely work but we’re going with it)…add a link in and give them a good reason to click on it. 

Getting the tone right:

There’s nothing worse than a post that’s written as a post! Write it as yourself and sound like yourself. The best brands on Facebook or Instagram are not only the ones that have great content for their target market, they are also the ones that are the most authentic. That ultimately comes from your personality – so don’t start posting like you’re a robot…. Keep it real, keep it you.

Ask for engagement! 

That could be asking for them to share, to comment, or to like…. No matter what it is, you’re definitely not getting it if you don’t ask for it! Remember when we said that posts travel further when they are engaged with quickly? This also helps with that… it’s a double whammy! 

Competitions…

Competitions are a fantastic way of increasing Facebook engagement and reach, because you know what? We all know we need to be in it to win it! The only thing you need to consider is how much your prize is worth (don’t go too high and don’t go too low) and also watch out for competition spammers… We’ve got a post coming up on those pesky people real soon….  

Have an extra one… Call us! 

We’re going to boost our ego a bit here… But we’ve helped a huge amount of our clients sky-rocket their social media engagement, so why not see how we can help you? 

Give us a call on 01566 232 323 or email hello@mihidigital.co.uk

The post Facebook engagement – 6 easy ways you can give your posts a boost appeared first on MiHiDigital.

The weather is better and the nights are longer.

The majority of people will take holiday and with school also out for summer this is a period during which your customers or clients will be spending more time away from their computers and free from their phones than at any other point of the year.

So what can you do as a business now they’re back?

How do you return to their consciousness?

Social Media – Time to Get Back to Work!

You should be using social media not to endlessly promote yourself but to create contact points with people that may want to use your service or buy your products.

Now, they won’t necessarily have a need to buy at this specific time but they may well do in the future.

What does this mean?

You need a steady flow of contact points between now, when they don’t need you, and then, when they do.

If you can achieve this you’ll be one of a few suppliers in their mind when they come to make their decision to buy what you offer.

So what do you need to do?

Social media rises and falls with the weather.

If it’s sunny people will be out enjoying it.

If it’s raining they’ll be inside tweeting about it.

More and more of your customers are coming back to their Twitter and Facebook accounts after their summer siesta.

Make sure you’re there to greet them, to create contact, to engage and to promote.

If you’ve been neglecting your accounts then now’s the time to get back to your social media best!

PPC Advertising – people are searching and they’re doing it now!

Google searches for the majority of phrases spike in September.

It’s easier for any business to increase market share and enquiries during a period of higher volume than it is during low search; which is exactly what you get during the summer.

If you’re advertising on Google then reducing spend during the summer months can free up budget in September and early October.

Either way you should be looking at the search volume and crunching the numbers to see if the return is there for you and how much more you could potentially gain.

Now is very much the time to reap the rewards of PPC advertising.

Not sure how to do that? We’re here to help.

Starting a web project – Start now: Launch at the best time of the year!

Now is actually a very good time to begin a website project. Not because we build websites and have an incentive here, but because the majority or projects started now will be completed in November and December (if they’re larger sites).

This is a very good time to launch a site, unless you’re trading in online retail, when we suggest that you look at a project in January, so it’s launched before the Easter boom.

Why is December a good time to launch a site?

When you launch a site there is an element of search engine disruption to your current presence.

What do I mean by this?

Put very simply, it take Google a while to understand your new website, and how it corresponds to what used to be there.

December is the lowest traffic volume month for any site that isn’t directly selling products online. It’s therefore sensible to hide these search engine fluctuations within a period that will have the least amount of impact on your online performance.

Want to know more about when you should be timing a website project?

We’re experts in doing that.

Time to rise up the search engines

If you have someone telling you they can get you on Page 1 of Google with immediate effect, we want you to do just a few things.

Take your wallet from your pocket.

Place it safely and securely in the palm of your hand, gripping it as tightly as you can.

Proceed to run for the hills!

SEO takes time, purely because the changes you make do not result in snap ranking decisions by Google.

They don’t see a small change to your site and say that you need to skyrocket for that key phrase. They take a measured stance; they decide over time the impact that that change makes, otherwise we’d have a very erratic ranking system on our hands.

It does take time.

How much time?

For the full force of SEO actions to have come to full impact fruition you’re looking at one to three months.

So lets go back to our summer timing again; three months from now is December.

What follows December?

January – one of the busiest online months across all sectors online.

Time to get going!

[feather_share]

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Make sure you know who it is you’re targeting

Your Customer; they’re at the heart of everything your company does and they should also be at the centre of your online presence.
Everything should be about them and how you answer what it is they’re looking for.
You’ll have no doubt heard of content marketing by now and that to a large extent is about adding value to those visiting your website.  In order to do that you’ll need to know what it is they value and what drives them to make the decisions that they do.
Build a picture of who it is you’re targeting and what motivates them to behave that way.

Don’t try to be everything to everybody

You can’t be absolutely everything to everybody and if you’re trying to be then you’ll inevitably be losing out by diluting your message.  It can sometimes be tempting if one person asks you for something specific to think that that request represents the needs and desires of the masses.
By working out exactly who it is you’re targeting you should be avoiding the trap of trying to attract everybody and connecting with nobody.

Make sure you know how to reach them

So you know who they are, with that you should also know what channels are best to reach them.
Is it Facebook? Twitter? Email marketing? Regular blogging?
The answer will be unique to each business and whom it is they’re targeting but make sure you prioritise this list.  Quite often smaller businesses won’t be able to do them all so make sure you’re focussing on the tools at your disposal that will give you the best possible chance of reaching your target market.

Make sure you have a plan

A marketing plan doesn’t have to be a sophisticated document written from a groovy design studio by some trendy young guy in a waistcoat and thick rimmed glasses.
It’s a document that gives you a sense of purpose, a drive towards what it is you’re working toward.  It can be as long or as short and concise as you want it to be.  One suggestion we’d give is don’t try to get too clever, get too intricate and overcomplicate.  There’s room for that once you have all the basics in place.
It’s a bit like building a house; make sure you have the foundations in place then add all the fancy bits later.
No foundation; no house.

Make sure you have the resources

This is a massive one for businesses in Devon and Cornwall.
There are not enough hours in the day! So do you have the resources to carry out the plan? If not, do you need to get some help in and if you do can you afford that help?
Your plan should give you an idea of where external help would be best deployed.  If it’s something you don’t think you can yet afford then concentrate your efforts on those channels and areas that are going to give you the most benefit.
By prioritising and focussing you’ll get the benefits of revenue and you can build and grow with that extra profit.

Make sure you report and monitor your efforts

For the moment forget that the word ‘intangible’ ever existed.  You need to know what’s working and build on it.  If it isn’t working then ditch it (after a period of time; sometimes things do take time to come to fruition!).
By having reporting in place you’ll be making business decisions backed up with business information; always a better place to be than throwing everything against the wall and seeing what sticks.
That’s definitely not what you want to be doing!

Don’t become despondent

Don’t let yourself get down! Once you have your plan the chances are it won’t be driving huge amounts of revenue within 24 hours!
If someone isn’t yet ready to buy from you or doesn’t yet know that they need to then it will take time.
Remember that nobody ever buys from a business they don’t know exists.  By identifying your customers, where they are, what they want and when they want it they’ll know all about you by the time comes to make a decision.
You’ll find that brings success.
For more information on how we can help you gain more success from your online marketing please give us a call on 01566 784860 or email hello@mihidigital.co.uk

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