We manage social media for restaurants, bars, and retail shops all over the country and as COVID-19 has continued to impact operations, the number one question we receive from owners and managers is: What should we post on our social media pages if we’re temporarily closed?
Answer: Lots of things! As much as you can. DON’T GO DARK!
Right now, as coronavirus is impacting everyone everywhere, we’re getting two questions.
- Should I be posting on social media as my business?
- What should I be posting?
Should you be posting on social media as your business?
The answer to this first question is absolutely YES! You should be posting on social media. If you’ve modified your operations to delivery or take-out only, or changed your hours of operation, you need to be sharing that with your customers. This situation is evolving hour-by-hour and it’s important to keep them constantly updated on what’s happening at your restaurant. Keep posting your sales, specials, and community involvement. There is more traffic on social channels right than ever before. Your customers are starved for interaction and will be more likely to engage with your content.
What should you be posting, especially if you’re temporarily closing your doors?
In that case, really stay connected. Your customers are on social media right now more than ever before. They are at home, they don’t have much to do, and their eyes are on Facebook, Tik Tok, and Instagram. And right now is an opportunity for you to connect with them, show your humanity, offer advice, and offer your expertise in a way that can help them at home:
- Cooking advice
- Shopping deals
- Recipes
- Even just checking in with a casual “hello”
People are thirsty for normalcy right now and they want to feel connected to their community. This is a time for you to really strengthen those relationships, foster loyalty, and get them excited to come blasting through your doors once you open again. Because it is temporary; you will reopen, and people will be wanting to support you.
So definitely stay in touch with your customers regularly, two to three times per week, no matter what right now. If you have questions – even if you’re not one of our clients – but you’re a business owner or manager, and you would like some guidance, reach out to us. Contact us here on our website, reach out on Facebook or Instagram, and we’d love to help you in any way we can.
We’ll get through this together.
As the new coronavirus pandemic sweeps the globe and people take to their homes to avoid getting and spreading the contagion, it makes sense that much of the conversation is taking place online. People are using the internet to share information, air their anxieties, and bide time while in quarantine. With ever-changing news of the Coronavirus pandemic, internet usage is at an all time high. Advertising inventory across our ad exchanges has surged and this provides an opportunity for businesses to stay in front of their consumers at a critical time.
Media companies are experiencing big traffic bumps as people flock to coronavirus coverage.
Up to 15% of daily web traffic is going to content about coronavirus, per traffic analytics firm Parse.ly. That increase is led by stories about travel restrictions, social distancing, and #FlattenTheCurve. And last week, coronavirus coverage beat election coverage by 15x.
Consumers are also spending ~30% more time with that content over last year, per Chartbeat.
Now is a great time to get in front
•Streaming/Video: More eyeballs are on streaming and video because of political coverage, bans on attending sporting events, local shutdowns and more Americans staying home.
•Device ID: No one leaves home without their mobile device. Advertisers can show relevant messages to consumers based on their visits as recent as 5 days ago and as far back as 6 months. Then, we can track foot traffic throughout the campaign, and as long as it runs.
•Search: Anyone searching for your product or service is a highly desirable customer. Make sure that your business shows up in front of those interested in buying or visiting today.
•Social: Social media usage is at an all-time high. From local news updates to memes, it’s important to make yourself relevant during this time. Join the conversation. Post often with branded content. Continue to engage with your customers and potential customers.
With access to a real-time ad exchange with insight into buyer ‘intent,’ we can offer smart ways for ANY advertiser to reach someone who is in the market for their product or service. Below are a few we have seen this week.
•Real estate: Interest rates are at a 7-year low. We’ve seen campaigns coming in from banks, credit unions, mortgage companies and realtors.
•Home Improvement: Spring and summer are coming and with many people avoiding travel, they will invest in their nest. Advertising landscapers, remodeling companies and hardware stores will be key.
•Auto Dealerships: Spring is typically high season for automotive. Auto dealers have an opportunity to find ‘auto intenders’ who are ready to buy now with more road trips expected this spring and summer, and lower rates to borrow for those auto loans.
•Retail: More and more retailers are moving to a delivery or drive-up option to pick up everything from groceries to clothing and shoes. Whether a hardware store or high-end boutique, delivery or drive-up is a great option to advertise.
•Healthcare: More doctor offices, clinics and hospitals are using digital ads to get the word out on how patients can interact with their offices, when to call, when to come in and why they should feel safe about visiting if needed.
•Restaurants: Delivery or delivery services are already available for most restaurants. This should be promoted, along with what steps the restaurant might be taking to ensure the safety of its patrons. Once it warms up, do they have a large open patio to promote, or a private room for business or family gatherings? We can target ‘restaurant goers’ and ‘foodies’ for any restaurant.
SKYROCKET YOUR SALES: 4 WAYS CONNECTED TV ADVERTISING HELPS YOU BEAT YOUR COMPETITORS
Times change, and so do people’s preferences in terms of how they consume information daily. From how to arrange your backpack for the perfect hike to catching up with the latest GOT episode, people are gradually turning to videos for entertainment as opposed to traditional TV. As a result, brilliant marketers have already found ways of capitalizing on Connected TV advertising to reach and engage potential clients and the general audience. So what is this new trend and how can you grow your business with this form of marketing?
What is CTV Advertising?
This refers to any entertainment gadget that can access the internet and stream videos. The devices essentially merge television with computer technology. They include Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick, Roku, and gaming consoles. Other than streaming videos, users can also browse the internet for new updates, check on their social media, listen to music, and pretty much any other thing that you do with your computer.
A survey by Adobe Digital Insights on television-viewing patterns indicates that the TV is gradually becoming the internet portal in many living rooms. For instance, according to ADI, 60 percent of Gen Z prefer to use streaming devices as opposed to ‘watching TV.’ Also, connected TV comes with the highest ad completion rates standing at 90 percent.
With connected TV advertisements, you essentially take advantage of all the distinct services offered by the devices to generate high-quality video commercials visible to consumers. It may look like running ads on normal TV, but there are distinct differences in the way the content is delivered, impact to the masses, and benefits to you as an advertiser.
Benefits of CTV Advertising Method
Here are the reasons why you should not get your eyes off this opportunity as an advertiser.
1. The right audience at the appropriate time
Advertising may be a frustrating battle, and you may end up successful or doomed, considering how millennials tend to stray away from traditional marketing strategies. So by offering a controlled viewing experience alongside a wide range of high-quality content to choose from, the impact will be greater than using traditional television.
2. Real-time metrics
By advertising with connected TV, you can assess the effectiveness of the ad campaign by tracking the number of clicks, direct responses, conversations, and views.
3. Responsive audiences
Connected TV users are free to choose whatever content they feel like watching, the way they interact with it, and consume it. Such control would trigger high user-satisfaction levels, leading to a better perception of your ads. Whether it is that ‘ad-blind’ millennial or the enthusiastic Gen Z, a positive attitude towards the ad means that the impact will be different.
4. Ad quality and format
Connected TV transmits highly personalized, targeted, HD-quality advertisements delivered in full screen with stereo sounds. Since you can experiment with different formats such as static, animated, or interactive videos, most of them end up to be quite entertaining. All these attributes boost brand exposure.
Why you Should Target Millennials with the Right Ad Format
Compared to other generations, millennials seem to be a more distracted audience. This is evident in the shift in their viewing patterns where they are the least likely group to change to a different channel during commercials (only two percent). Therefore, it would be appropriate if you use the right formats when advertising to capture their attention.
This generation has the highest potential to purchase a product they saw on TV. On average, 43 percent indicated that they have done this, beating the total percentage of all adults which stands at 40%. Therefore, you can always get the most out of CTV ads if you use formats that generate a positive attitude.
Connected TV advertising remains to be one of the best ways of exposing your products to the relevant audience. If you need digital advertising and technology tips, then Speaking Socially Media is your ideal company. The agency focuses on ensuring every business can access digital marketing opportunities and get the most out of them.
“These app developers have risen to the top of our research rankings due to their phenomenal dedication to their clients and their mobile app development prowess,” Clutch Business Analyst Sara Philibotte said. “We are excited to give them the recognition they deserve and to see how they continue to flourish on our platform.”
Speaking Socially Media has been proudly recognized by Clutch as one of the top premier App Development companies in the United States. Clutch’s research team review was based on on the quality of their client feedback, service offerings, portfolio of past and current clientele, and market presence. Their research on leading mobile app development companies is ongoing, and rankings are dynamic. To view our Clutch page, make sure to visit: https://clutch.co/profile/speaking-socially-media
Speaking Socially – A Top App Development Firm
Clients have always come first to our team. We knew going into our business that our company’s success would not only land in the people we’d hire, but also in who we’d provide our services to. Not too long ago, we started working with a research company called Clutch that also understood the importance of the client experience.
Clutch runs a data-driven, ratings and reviews platform solely focused on the B2B market. Its overarching goal is to provide detailed insight into a company’s performance from the client perspective, all to help new business buyers find their perfect vendor. Their team of business analysts evaluate the thousands of vendors on their site, taking elements such portfolio of work, presence in the industry, and most importantly, client satisfaction into account. To gather their data, analysts conduct one-on-one interviews with clients, asking questions about the challenge each business was facing, the services that were provided, the impact our services had on their company, and how we performed as a team overall.
Through this thorough analysis of our company, Clutch identified us not only as a 5 out of 5-star company, but as one of the best-performing mobile app development companies on their platform. Below you’ll see us specifically representing Montana as the #1 app development firm.
And here are just a few of the remarkable comments our clients gave about our work:
“There has definitely been an increase in member usage and engagement. We’ve seen a nice impact from both the website and the push notifications on the app. Our Facebook page has experienced growth as well.” – General Manager, Meadow Lark Country Club
“From personal experience, I can say more people are learning about us and we’re making great process in getting the message out. The app they created is gorgeous. It’s easy to navigate and has a great look and feel.” – Program Manager, Alliance for Youth
“Their creativity is impressive. I’ve worked with a lot of vendors, but Speaking Socially has a real ability to think outside the box, suggesting solutions we would never have considered.” – Executive Director, Great Falls Montana Tourism
“They are always very understanding, and their work ethic is excellent. I’ve seen applications they’ve created for other companies in our area, and they’re beautiful.” – AVP, Financial Institution
With our great success on Clutch, we’re equally as thrilled to have been one of the first app developers featured on their new affiliate website, Visual Objects. This portfolio-based platform will further showcase our team’s products, set of skills, and high quality of work. The recognition our team has earned continues to motivate us into the new year, where we fully expect to prosper in new projects. If there’s an idea you have in mind, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d love to hear it.
If you have any questions regarding mobile application development, make sure to call or email our team today!
Want to know what Facebook has on you? Download the data. Just go to the Settings section of Facebook (the arrow next to the question mark, top right) and click on “download my data” at the bottom of the page called “General Account Settings.” Then you’ll make your request and await Facebook’s compiling of your data, which is delivered via an email link. If you’ve been on Facebook for many years, expect the link to take a while.
It does not matter how modern and stylish your company website is if no one ever sees it. It can have all sorts of bells and whistles but if it does not receive visitors, then it is nothing more than a darkened storefront. Without traffic it is essentially useless.
So how do you get your website seen? You can print its web address on business cards and promotional materials. You can mention it in print advertisements and place it on company vehicles. Or you can invest in search engine marketing.
What is search engine marketing? It is a strategy that increases a website’s visibility in search engine results pages. In other words, people searching on Google will see your website. What are the benefits of this kind of marketing?
More Traffic
If you want website traffic, then getting your site a good ranking in the search results is the way to do it. The first few search listings get the most clicks, so it is important to optimize your site so that it appears near the top of the page. Google alone receives 3.5 billion searches a day. A good ranking can send huge amounts of traffic.
Return on Investment
Search engine website traffic is cost-effective because users see your business at the exact moment that they are looking for what your business has to offer. They are already interested in your products and services when they arrive at your website. This kind of highly targeted traffic converts well and lowers costs.
Brand Awareness
Search engine marketing makes your website visible in the search engines. Your listing will most likely include your URL as well as some brief information about your business. Even users who do not click on your link will see your brand and associate it with the keywords they are using. This increased brand awareness can lead to future sales.
Few marketing strategies bring the same benefits as search engine marketing. If you are ready to get your website seen, then please contact us. Our team is standing by and looks forward to working with you.
There’s a nice honeymoon period of social media advertising where the clicks are many and the costs are low. But every campaign is bound to fatigue, and in this blog, we’ll explain how you can rise above the adversity.
When fatigue sets in, costs rise
The more users see your social ads, the less effective they become. Even if they do click them, you’ll have to pay more in the end. A tell-tale sign of social media advertising fatigue is a sharp rise in the cost-per-click metric.
Change your creative once a month
There’s no real way to avoid social media advertising fatigue altogether. If you run ads, users will eventually see them more than once before you change your creative.
The real question is how often you should change your creative to keep the fatigue to a minimum. This Marketing Land article suggests sticking to a one month schedule:
“So how often should creative be changed? The marketing analytics department at Merkle carried out some analysis on ad fatigue for one of our large clients. The graph below shows the performance of each creative over time, compared to its respective performance in its first week of running. They found that after 35 days, CPC (cost per click) began to be seriously negatively impacted by ad fatigue.”
Changing your creative quicker than this will likely be too expensive. Waiting any longer will make your campaign more susceptible to fatigue.
Change the format
In addition to changing your creative, you can also change the format of the ad. Platforms like Facebook give you multiple options in this regard so you’ll never really run out of ideas.
Changing a few elements of your ads can help you squeeze a little more value out of your creative. This should help you save money in the long-run since you won’t need to create as much new creative.
To talk more about social media advertising, or anything else, contact us today.
There’s nothing that sends a spike of oxytocin through your bloodstream like getting likes on your latest social media post. And if your goal is to go viral (and really, who doesn’t have that goal?), then there’s no such thing as too many likes and shares. However, if you’re really concerned about your post’s reach, then it’s important for you to get the right kind of likes and shares, too.
Not All Likes Are Created Equal
So, your latest post got 100 likes in the first day! You also got 50 shares! While those numbers sound impressive, it’s important to stop, and examine where those likes and shares are coming from. Because not all likes are created equal.
Let’s say you wrote a new horror novel, and you were posting about it. You want to get the message to as many people as possible that your content is out there, and they should check it out. The problem is that of those 100 likes, 75 of them are from friends or family members. People who want to support you, but who aren’t really part of the niche you’re aiming for. And 40 of your shares are also from personal acquaintances who just want to do their part to help spread the word.
Now, that isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination. However, if your friends and family don’t have people on their lists who are horror fans, then your message can be falling on deaf ears. Your post is getting seen, but it isn’t being interacted with.
What about the rest of the numbers? Well, the other 25 likes and 10 shares on your post came from book critics, other writers, and reviewers; people who have audiences of their own who are actively interested in the sort of content you’re promoting. While only a small fraction of the total numbers you achieved, those likes and shares are worth more in terms of reach, because they’re introducing your post to just the right audience. People who will see your post, click-through, and who are more likely to tell their friends about this great new horror novel they just found out about.
So, there’s no such thing as bad likes… but while some of them might have the impact of spitballs, others can go off like a grenade.
For more information on spreading your message through social media, simply contact us today!
Why is it so important to get more likes and shares on social media? Of course, the more likes and followers you have, the greater your reach is (which is why it’s important that your followers are targeted and relevant). However, it’s much more than that. It’s where the law of social proof, commonly used in marketing, comes into play.
You’ll Get Even More Likes
The more followers you have, the easier it will be to get even more followers. It’s also known as the snowball effect – the larger the snowball gets, the quicker it rolls down the hill and attracts even more snow. People will be more likely to follow you or like your page and posts when they already has thousands of likes. The more shares a post has, the more likely people will be to share it themselves.
Increase Your Clout
People will look at you differently when you have a large social media following. They’ll view you with more respect and will consider you more of an authority. They’ll be more likely to pay attention to what you have to say on your blog posts, subscribe to your mailing list, and even purchase your product.
The Law of Social Proof and Google
The law of social proof even works with Google. Websites that have many social signals usually see a boost in their organic search engine rankings. Social signals include followers, shares of blog posts and social media posts, social media comments, and likes. They serve to tell Google that your content is popular.
For help with boosting your social media campaigns, contact us today!
Video marketing is an essential element for businesses of any size. It is a way to communicate directly with your customers, and potential customers, in a very immediate way. With video, you can show your audience, instead of just “telling” them, what you are all about. It lets you reach a lot of people in an engaging, meaningful way. A television spot to market your company is a huge step forward in spreading the word about your business.
Since video marketing is such an important element of any business plan you have to make sure you are putting forward the best video possible. Quality video production is key to television marketing because the better production quality you have the more serious your audience will take you. If a video has poor production quality it will give off a negative, cheap impression to your audience. People want to know that you take your company as seriously as you expect them to, and having excellent video production quality will help build your brand, and show them your level of commitment.
Whether you are creating the video yourself, or you are using a production company to help you, make sure that the equipment being used is top quality, and high-definition. With all the HD devices in circulation, a standard-definition video will stand out a lot, and most likely turn people away from your business. You don’t want a grainy picture, or a darkly lit image. You want your video to look crisp and professional because it is representing your company and your product. These video spots are usually the first interaction a potential customer will have with your business, and you want a good first impression.
Make sure the video quality is lit well, the audio is crisp and clear, and the editing is smooth. These elements, along with your creative spin and engaging information, will make your television spot one to remember, and will drive customers to your business. Quality production is key for success.
If you are looking for a little more out of your video production, please contact us today! We work with some of the best producers in the state to make you look awesome!
