by Francois Muscat | Dec 6, 2018 | Social Media Marketing, Instagram
Instagram has 300 million daily active users and 70% of Instagram users report having looked up a brand on the platform. Instagram, like most popular social media sites, is a great place to gain influence over your consumer base by gathering a loyal following.
What sets Instagram apart from other social media platforms is its visual appeal. Research has shown that the brain conceives visuals faster than any other type of content. Here are a few ways to make Instagram work for your business:
- Switch To A Business Account
If you have not already, we suggest switching your existing profile to a business account. It is simple to do. Just follow these easy steps:
- Go to your settings menu,
- Scroll down, and then
- Select ‘switch to Business Profile’.
Business profiles have a number of handy extras like Instagram ads, analytics tools (Instagram Insights) and a contact button to boost your conversion rates.
- Offer Discounts
On Instagram, discount offers work well when accompanied by sharp imagery. Who does not want 40% off a stunning pair of shoes or a delicious looking smoothie? It is a great place to show off your product and provide an incentive for your customers to purchase it.
- Use Instagram Stories
One of Instagram’s newest and most interesting features is ‘Stories’. With content that lasts only 24 hours, you don’t have to worry about it fitting into your Instagram aesthetic, it can be spontaneous and there is more room for creativity. Live video, boomerangs, GIFS, and face-filters are just a few of the things you can feature in your stories. You can give your followers exclusive behind the scenes insights into your brand during live events or just a regular day at the office (showcasing company culture).
- Partner With Influencers
Leveraging an influencer’s audience-base is an easy way to reach more customers on Instagram. They trust them and so, by association will likely trust you. It is as simple as them giving a shout out to your brand and product on their page, doing a product review or offering discounts using a unique promo code. Influencers are a marketing goldmine on Instagram.
WSI OMS Iff you want to get the best out of your Instagram marketing strategy, contact WSI OMS today and request our social media services.
by Francois Muscat | Dec 3, 2018 | Digital Media Marketing
If you think that digital marketing, influencer marketing and event marketing are all separate strategies, you are not alone. But just think of the power you would hold if you were to merge the three of them into one? Inviting an influencer to promote your event online and to attend it in person could lead to a number of benefits for your brand – and will be well worth the cost in the long run.
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Why Influencers Will Add Value to Your Event
It is all about the power of association. If your brand is associated with an influencer who is respected and who is considered interesting by your target market, then said target market will likely start feeling similarly towards your brand.
If turnout is important to you at your events (of course it is!), then influencers can really help to generate the numbers. Influencers give people another reason to make the effort to attend the event, ultimately increasing your reach.
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How to Pick the Right Influencer
Ideally, you should try to select an influencer that is relevant to your brand and what you do. For example, if you manufacture musical instruments, then it makes sense to choose an influencer from the music industry. If you’re a fashion brand, then a fashion blogger or designer would be a great choice.
It will also definitely work to your advantage if the influencer that you choose is a big personality who won’t be afraid to speak publicly at the event or work to generate engagement amongst followers and attendees.
Are you looking for a company to help you make the most of your influencer, event and digital marketing efforts? Then look no further than WSI OMS. We specialise in all of the above including social media marketing, content marketing, SEO / search engine optimisation, website design and link building. Contact us now to learn more.
by Francois Muscat | Nov 23, 2018 | LinkedIn, Social Media Marketing
LinkedIn is an incredible platform with more than 467 million members worldwide. This provides an excellent opportunity for anyone who wants to do more with their professional life. Here are a few LinkedIn hacks that will make you look like a pro:
If you have a business page on LinkedIn, you can add a Showcase page to promote permanent aspects of your business, such as annual events, news, product lines and more. The Showcase page offers many of the same features as a Company page, but offers a space to link employee profiles, have career pages and even job posting pages. You can also include sponsor updates, page analytics and update notifications. These pages appear in search results for searches and members can follow your Showcase page.
It is hard to judge your own photos. Many times, a photo of yourself that you like may not present you as trustworthy and attractive. One way to make sure you are using your best photos is to use Photofeeler to split test the photos that you are going to use. Photofeeler is a free online tool that lets the public vote on your photos. When you upload your photo, people will vote on the images in terms of likability, competence and influence.
- Use Other Social Platforms To Grow Your LinkedIn Network
If you do not have many connections on LinkedIn, start searching for people on your Facebook, Twitter and Email list. From here, you can move onto your former colleagues, old school friends and people you meet and industry events. Make a point of adding all your connections on LinkedIn.
Need help with your social media marketing? Then contact WSI OMS today.
by Francois Muscat | Nov 20, 2018 | Digital Media Marketing
Connecting with your target audience today is like trying to hit a moving target. According to Oracle, close to 80% of consumers now use at least two communication channels before making a buying decision. In addition, 30% use three or more channels before making a buying decision.
This means that marketing has gotten a lot more complicated:
- You need to SEO your site so that people can find you on Google,
- You need to post to social media so you can engage with your target audience on these platforms,
- You need to create content for your blog,
- You need to send discounts and promotional information via email, and
- You need to distribute timely mobile messages through your app or other mobile marketing strategies.
Surviving and competing in today’s digital landscape can be impossible if you are not using a cross-channel approach. A successful cross-channel marketing campaign lies in having a deep understanding of your target audience:
- Their demographics,
- The challenges they face,
- Where they spend their time online, and
- How they spend their money.
A visual representation of this information will help you identify trigger points where you can engage with the right customer at the right time. If a person has downloaded your mobile app, then triggering a push notification if they haven’t opened the app yet is a good example of a cross-marketing trigger point that can be automated as part of your digital strategy.
After you have created a visual representation of your target audience, you need to map out every possible scenario of consumer engagement with your brand, and then prioritise communication opportunities. Look at pivotal stages in the relationship like becoming a subscriber, reaching a loyalty tier, or becoming inactive for a period of time to trigger a communication. From here, you will need to select the appropriate channels for each communication.
Throughout this process, feedback from analytics as well as your target audience will guide you on how to continue optimizing your cross-channel marketing strategy. For help with your digital marketing campaigns, contact WSI OMS today.
by Francois Muscat | Nov 15, 2018 | Instagram, Social Media Marketing
Are you using Instagram as part of your social media marketing strategy? Here are a few advanced tips to consider when writing your Instagram bio and photo captions:
- Be Smart With The Link In Your Bio
You can include a link in your Instagram bio. Use this link to direct people to more content. You may not necessarily want to send them directly to your e-commerce website, but rather to your blog or YouTube channel instead. Consider where your Instagram followers are in their buyers’ journey to choose the right link to include.
If you are running a promotion, then include information about the promotion in your Instagram bio as well as a link that will send them directly to the page where they can purchase the product. We usually recommend that Instagram marketers use Bitly links or another link that they can track for promotional purposes on Instagram. Remember that you can update your Instagram bio regularly, so you do not have to stick to a static “About Us” description like the one you have on your website.
- Include A Link To Your Bio In Your Captions
Each and every picture that you post on Instagram needs a well thought out caption. A great tip for Instagram marketers is to end the caption with a link to your account. This may seem counterintuitive, but if you consider that many people will be seeing your posts in their Instagram feeds or the Explore tab, then it makes sense to direct them back to your profile.
Need help with your social media marketing? Then contact WSI OMS today.
