10 Top Social Media Trends for 2021

10 Top Social Media Trends for 2021

by | 8 Dec 2020 | Digital Marketing

Reading Time: 8 minutes

As the exponential growth of social media and its presence in our everyday lives continues on a sky-high trajectory, the question we’ve heard asked many times over the past few months is – how long can it continue?

2020 has been extraordinary in many ways. As our cultures shift to adapt to remote working processes and social distancing, the role of social media has become even more integral to how we interact.

Let’s look at what 2021 holds in store for social media as a communicative and marketing tool; and whether businesses should think about adopting a new strategy as a fresh year brings about different opportunities…?

How Social Media Became Our Digital BFF

So, we all use social media. Or, at least, 3.6 billion of us do, predicted to increase to 4.41 billion in 2025 (that’s 56.5% of the entire world!). There are lots of reasons we download apps like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat – and why those same apps have become more important to us:

  • We can chat, share images, and talk face-to-face via digital apps even when social distancing and COVID-19 movement restrictions mean we can’t meet in person.
  • Social media breaks down borders and barriers, creating an international community where you can talk live with people, watch broadcasts, and share information.
  • Keeping in touch with our nearest and dearest has become highlighted in the international consciousness, as a direct impact of the global pandemic.
  • Shopping is easier, faster, and more convenient – and also essential via online apps where retail sectors have been forced to close.

These are a tiny fraction of the reasons social media has continued to evolve this year, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

As younger generations start using smartphones, app providers derive new social networking platforms to cater to their needs and cultures (TikTok is a great example!). Mainstream sectors such as news, politics and healthcare are all becoming savvy to the vast reach of social media to deliver information and drive engagement.

There is no doubt that all the action is happening online. So, for businesses, the importance now is understanding which social media trends to invest in, and which platforms are the best place to target your ideal customer demographic in a medium they respond to and enjoy.

Our Top Ten Social Media Predictions for 2021

The Woya team has gathered together all the most prominent social media trends predicted for next year – from the likes of HubSpot, Falcon.io and Social Media Today, and coupled these with our own expectations.

We work with clients across the country, and the world, creating digital marketing strategies that deliver; and it’s never been more crucial to stay at the front of the market given the speed at which new trends develop, peak, and then decline. There are opportunities to use that immense audience for instant mass publicity – but in others, it can be a bad waste of a good budget, so it’s essential we know where to focus our energy!

Here are our top ten predictions for 2021 social media trends:

  1. Quality Content Will Remain King.

Valuable content is always number one. On any social media platform, with any digital presence and for any brand or company.

Content that educates, or answers a question, and is genuinely useful will always be better received than even the slickest ad. Sharing knowledge doesn’t ‘give away’ free resources, but positions you as a market leader who has the expertise and authority to answer common questions.

Add a FAQs section to your website, write blogs that are a valuable source of information, share data and statistics, and link info to your social media pages – but always make it useful!

Customers share posts they find funny, useful or interesting. So by taking the time to create a great content strategy, and think about the added value you bring to the customer experience, you can multiply your exposure many times over.

  1. Brand Voice Matters – and Tone of Voice will become more Vital.

Gone are the days of cynical marketing strategies aimed at tapping into vulnerabilities, or using fear tactics to make customers feel that they’ve got to buy something urgently!

People are savvy, they’re used to social media ads, and they know the difference between a paid advert, a targeted post, or something they’ve come across organically. Therefore, your brand tone is crucial. Every brand has a voice, and while we know it can be a challenge to drill down into what you stand for, and what emotions you’d like your customers to feel when they think of you, working on this is essential.

Brands should be real, authentic, and relatable to their key demographic.

Whether you’re authoritative and serious, funny and quirky, cool as a cucumber; you need to know your brand personality inside out, and apply it to the tone of everything you post.

  1. Video and Multimedia will be Key to Engagement.

Do you remember the early Facebook days when most posts were plain text? It started with Emojis and then evolved into posting (enormous!) photo albums.

With digital photography came more social media image sharing, and then as smartphones provided better and better cameras, and then video software, the nature of the content we share on social media has too evolved. These days, video content has far higher engagement statistics than the vast majority of static images; and quality videos are more widely shared, saved and re-watched than any single photo.

Look at the growth of apps such as TikTok and Instagram as a simple example; what were once single images are now highlight reels, 24-hour stories and live feeds.

It’s a trend that is still growing, so if you can replace static content with live videos, funny captures or engaging content that backs up your brand voice, it’s a great way to connect.

  1. Digital E-Commerce will continue to Grow Through Socials.

The way of the high street looks as dire as ever, and while lots of people lament the closure of shops and department stores that have been the backbone of the British high-street for generations – sadly, bricks and mortar are a declining trend.

Much of this is to do with convenience. People can purchase something instantly on their phone, and get it delivered to their door in a day or two. There’s no need to draw out cash, no safety concerns, and with mobile payment apps with inbuilt security, it’s just an easy way to buy the stuff you want.

Digital e-commerce is also now moving on from just websites and turning to social shopping.

Influencers tag the brands or products they’re wearing, you can link to a checkout box in one click, and showcasing your products on social media platforms with seamless user experience is now the fastest-growing way to boost online sales figures.

  1. Social Media will Focus More on Collectives and Communities.

Building a community around a brand is an excellent way to engage. For people who have been living with intense movement restrictions, and survived a global pandemic, community means a lot more than it perhaps did a year ago.

Communities don’t just have to be about focus groups and feedback; it means using your position as a brand on social media to connect like-minded people, as another value-added service that brings a fresh perspective to what it means to do business with you.

Create private groups, chat groups, open forums, anything where people can come together to share their experience, discuss thoughts, and be a part of something more than the sum of its parts.

  1. Platforms will Improve Inclusivity by Highlighting Causes and Movements.

As well as many other changes, 2020 has brought about a considerable change in social consciousness, how we share causes and campaigns, and how social media plays a pivotal role in those movements.

Think about all the events of this year, protests, demonstrations, social media campaigns, and you can see how platforms don’t just allow people to talk about causes, or share information. They can also be a key element in coming together as a collective to show your support or lobby for change.

Social media has become a powerful resource for people with a message, and as we have seen, is a forum where a movement can reach millions of people in seconds – with profound impacts.

  1. Content Creation will be Around Positivity, Togetherness and Support.

What do you hope to see when you log in to a social media account or open an app on your phone?

You want to smile; you want to feel happy or excited or enthusiastic! The days of practised cynicism, too cool for school brands and digital bullying are way, way gone – customers want to engage with brands that promote the values they care about.

Positivity looks set to be a big buzzword for 2021 social media – as we all reflect on the year just gone, and look for ways to build on the sense of community and collective strength that has defined much of the response to the challenges of 2020.

Supporting each other, showing solidarity, and creating a sense of togetherness and unanimity will continue to be vital in 2021, and brands that can deliver that climate of positive thinking will go a long way.

  1. User-Generated Content will increase in Volume and Value.

Let’s be honest – even the most reputable of brands is still a business. People trust other people, and if you embrace the potential of user-generated content, you’re establishing your position as an open, transparent, and even vulnerable brand.

There are lots of ways to do this:

  • Ask customers to share videos or photos of your products.
  • Reward loyal customers who tag you, or hashtag you in their posts.
  • Welcome reviews and customer feedback, and make it public.
  • Provide free brand decks, or create an Instagram GIF, so customers have easy access to add your branding to their posts.
  • Recruit ambassadors, send out free trial products or run competitions where customers share your posts or feature your content in their social media accounts.

User-generated content is a great way to expand your reach, and achieve better brand exposure without having to lift a finger – so the easier you make it, the better!

  1. Marketing will Lean Towards Nostalgia and Feel-Good Vibes.

Well, this feels like a no-brainer; if we had to think of one phrase that has been uttered more often this year than ‘unprecedented’, we’d be hard-pressed!

What that means in action is that 2020 has been seriously tough for a lot of people, and in a lot of ways. When things get tough, we respond to positive marketing that makes us think of better times.

And thus, 2021 is set not just to be the year of upbeat social media, but also of nostalgia. When you link into a feel-good emotion, you communicate with your customer in a way that makes them feel safe – the gold standard of excellent customer engagement.

This phenomenon isn’t unique to 2021 but is a tactic that works whenever there has been a difficult time. It means that you do your bit to lighten the load and reflect on happy memories that evoke warmth and comfort.

What’s important here is to consider your key customer. Nostalgic content that reaches back to, say, the ’80s will resonate perfectly with customer bases in their 30s and above, who would have been kids at the time. Videocassettes, tape recorders and Fisher-Price phones will always generate a smile!

However, if you’re targeting teens and audiences in their 20s, you’re going to need to look a little closer to home for that hit of happy nostalgia.

  1. Online Experiences will Become More Personal, Driven by Conversational Marketing.

If you’re unfamiliar with the phrase ‘conversational marketing’ – you will almost certainly have experienced it! Marketing in the digital age isn’t just about putting together an advert or selecting some fancy graphics. Engagement is the key, and conversational marketing is all about creating a personality for your brand, listening to what your customers think, and building a relationship with them that they relate to, and enjoy.

This year, with the world thrown into panic and chaos, conversational marketing has stood out as vital to brand awareness. Brands who are human, authentic, and own up when they get stuff wrong are simply more relatable, and trustworthy than corporate machines which operate without any mindful acknowledgement of their customers.

How do you do it?

  • Listen to feedback, and take the time to respond.
  • Care what your customers think, and welcome their suggestions.
  • Focus on your customer support and how it links in with your brand voice and marketing strategies.
  • Use outreach to ask questions, seek feedback, and engage your customers in the way you develop your brand.
  • Highlight your values, who you are, what you stand for, and what value you add to the customer experience, the wider world, and the communities around you.

We hope these insights give you a bit of direction whilst crafting your social media strategy for the New Year – and also get you excited to experience what 2021 has in store for us!

For further support with your new year digital marketing strategy, content creation, or with establishing a brand voice to make you stand out from the crowd, get in touch with Woya Digital today.

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How to Respond to a Negative Google Review

How to Respond to a Negative Google Review

by | 18 Nov 2020 | Digital Marketing, SEO

Reading Time: 5 minutes

For modern businesses, a negative Google review can feel like its make or break – but how you respond and manage bad reviews, determines the potential impact.

It is vital to have a review strategy in place, so let’s look at what marketing tactics you can use to manage any negativity that comes your way, and how to handle reviews without the stress factor.

The Power of the Google Review

Customer feedback is massively valuable and can help us improve our businesses, products, services, and client experience across the board.

Managing reviews, being proactive about requesting feedback, and taking the time to address any adverse ratings is crucial! Taking the initiative is all about reputation management, so ignoring bad feedback can only stand to make things worse, or reinforce the validity of the review for prospective new clients. If you assume your customers are happy – and they aren’t – it is impossible to know what changes you might make that would instantly improve your Google ratings.

Likewise, if you want to road-test something new, your customers are your first stop in evaluating what works well, and what needs a tweak! However, negative Google reviews can be a huge challenge: 88% of customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

Creating a Culture of Growth

OK, so we know the value of reviews and allowing your customers an independent forum to air their experiences. However, negative reviews are not to be feared!

  • Positive reviews provide that feel-good factor, and attract new customers – but don’t give any scope for improvement.
  • Negative reviews are an opportunity to showcase how much you value your clients, with a public medium to deal with the issue.
  • Learning and growth are integral to the success of any organisation, and having the humility to accept when things haven’t gone well adds that personal, human touch.
  • Some businesses can also see a conversely positive effect, when having dealt with bad reviews professionally, thoroughly, and with the dedication to putting things right.

One of the most disastrous things you can do, if you’ve got a negative Google review, is to ignore it. The second most disastrous thing you can do? Be defensive! And the icing on the cake? Assigning an untrained member of staff to ‘make the problem go away’.

Here at Woya Digital, we have dealt with countless crisis response issues and damage control initiatives, and they almost always have a common thread. Companies might see social media or their digital presence as solely a marketing ‘technique’ – and devaluing the critical importance of these public spaces can be damaging.

If you appreciate the importance of your online presence, and how this touchpoint marks the first impression almost every client will have of your business, that sets the tone for handling negativity with a constructive attitude.

Here are a few things to think about, before firing off an angry reply:

  • Is the review accurate?
  • Can you correct the situation?
  • What has this taught you?
  • How can you make sure the same thing doesn’t happen again?

Great responses always work to provide a solution, where possible, and work with the customer to give the business a chance to understand what’s gone wrong. And EVERY review should be responded to, whether positive or negative.

A customer who takes the time to write down how they feel is your secret weapon in organic marketing, so always take the time to reply thoughtfully, promptly, and with thanks for the effort taken to provide constructive feedback about your service.

The Negative Google Review Tool Kit

OK, so you’ve had a terrible review, it’s splashed all over Google, and your five-star rating has just dropped down a notch.

It’s not a great feeling, but it’s how you deal with it that matters now.

  1. Take your time to read the review, understand the problem, and investigate the facts. Replying without knowing what’s happened internally can make things much worse, so make sure you have all the information you need before entering into a discussion.
  2. Always respond – even if to acknowledge the feedback, and advise that you are investigating. Yes, sometimes customers see this as a ‘cop-out’ – but only if you never do get back to them!
  3. Discuss the situation with your staff, and ask for honest appraisals about the situation. There are two sides to every story so, while the customer is king, don’t be quick to place blame or fault without everybody having the opportunity to have their input.
  4. Respond publicly. It’s always tempting to send off an email or have a private call. These are great to follow up with, and demonstrate how seriously you are taking the situation! However, a lousy public Google review with zero response is not a good look.
  5. Acknowledge what went wrong. We’re all human, mistakes do happen, and there’s nothing negative about owning up to your shortcomings.
  6. For whatever reason, someone who spends money with you feels unhappy. Always be apologetic for the inconvenience or the upset – because drilling down into the cause can be a powerful way to prevent any recurrences.
  7. Ask questions! If you need to know more, or you would like to understand why your customer is upset, ask them for the information you need.
  8. Provide a solution. In some cases, a disgruntled customer might not want a replacement product, a refund, or some other compensation, but you should always offer.
  9. If your customer is satisfied with your response and the way their concern was handled, you can request they update their review; with no pressure!

If you’ve responded, offered your appreciation for the feedback, given a solution, provided context where appropriate, and apologised – you’ve done everything possible.

Keep your cool, be calm and respectful, and NEVER resort to bad language! Customers will see this just as clearly as the poor review itself, and so your response shows how your marketing team deals with problems – which can be a big fat positive.

Ever seen a review where a customer claims they haven’t had delivery, or that nobody has responded to a customer services enquiry? If the reply below is polite, adds a little context, or offers an apology and a fast resolution, you would be far more likely to trust the business to have your back if something does go wrong, and deal with them in future.

Dealing with Fake on Malicious Google Reviews

Now, there is another potential scenario and one that can feel a lot more complex to unpick. What do you do when you’ve had a negative Google review, and you believe it to be inaccurate or malicious?

Fake reviews are infuriating, however again, keep your cool. Fake reviews do happen, and it is a by-product of the digital era that sometimes, people will post malicious content for no reason other than to cause disruption.

  • Problem: You’ve received a negative Google review, and believe it to be untrue.

Solution: Respond explaining your perspective, and ask for clarity if the customer believes your information to be inaccurate. Always be respectful, even if you suspect the reviewer is just after a freebie!

  • Problem: A bad Google review is fake.

Solution: If you’re certain a negative review is fake, you should still respond. The best solution is to present the facts explaining why you believe the review isn’t legitimate.

  • Problem: Your business is the target of malicious fake reviews.

Solution: We’ve all heard of competitors using this marketing tactic to discredit rivals – and if you are sure a review is fake, you can submit a request to Google to remove it.

Negative Google reviews can feel like a marketing disaster – but by following a clear strategy, and knowing the best techniques to manage your response process means they don’t have to be. Remember that reviews mean you get to understand what you’re getting right, and what you’re getting wrong.

By placing equal importance at both ends of the spectrum, you can improve your business visibility on Google, and present your business in the best possible light, in any scenario!

For more support with growing your digital presence, leveraging online marketing tools for business growth, or help with optimising your online activity through the intricate art of SEO, get in touch with the Woya Digital team.

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Google Reviews And Your Local Business

Google Reviews And Your Local Business

by | 5 Nov 2020 | Digital Marketing, SEO

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Google is a big beast – the most visited search engine in the world, it processes 3.5 billion searches every day and is increasing by about 10% year-on-year. You may think your small, locally-focused business can’t really benefit from Google, but the truth is, it really can: Google’s facilities for local businesses are some of the most important online marketing tools you could ever hope to utilise, and best of all – they’re free!

One of the greatest tools available for local businesses online is Google Reviews; yet these are often feared by small enterprises. We’ve all read news articles of small businesses going ‘rogue’ on Google Reviews and writing witty, harsh or firm responses, but this aside, there’s real business benefit to be gained from using the service correctly.

Here, we uncover the ins, outs and optimisation potential of Google Reviews to identify how best they can contribute to your online marketing efforts.

What Are Google Reviews?

Google Reviews form part of  Google My Business functionality online. Alongside the business information lodged with Google for search users to find, (such as your name, address, business information, opening hours, directions and website details) users can leave a review on how they found their experience with your company.

All of this information combined reassures Google that your business is real, does what it says, and that it is in fact located where you say it is. Google will feature your local business alongside others on Google Maps, and rank businesses in order of what the algorithm determines to be most relevant to each users search criteria.

Google Reviews are (should be!) honest and unbiased customer experiences documented as part of your Google My Business online presence. They’re similar to TripAdvisor type reviews; written by individuals, but within Google and not hosted on a third-party website.

How Do Google Reviews Work?

Google Reviews are written by customers who choose to take the time to write them. When a Google user is on a Google My Business listed, they’ll see the option to ‘Write A Review’. They can then go on to complete a form with a 1 to 5 star rating, and share their thoughts, feelings and experiences on their interactions with your company. This review will then be posted alongside any others on your Google My Business listing.

Local businesses aren’t able to write reviews on themselves, but they do have the option to respond. Businesses should (must!) respond to all reviews – positive, neutral or negative! In some cases, if you suspect a Google Review to be unfair or fake, a request can be submitted for it to be removed.

How Do Google Reviews Impact Search Rankings?

Google Reviews may seem like just another part of the many online marketing priorities small businesses have to juggle, but in fact, they’re very important!

Google Reviews add a great degree of authenticity to your Google My Business listing and increase the algorithm’s judgement of ‘trustworthiness’ from your brand. Local businesses with reviews will rank higher in the SERP (Search Engine Page Results) than those without reviews, and will feature a snippet of a positive review (if there is one) in the shortened version of the listing. Googles search algorithm changes all the time, but at present, Google Reviews are only second behind otherwise organic search ranking in their SEO priorities. This means that a local business’ first priority should be basic SEO; and their second, Google Reviews.

Google likes reviews because they confirm the credibility of your business as well as provide a good indication of how well you’re thought of in the local area, and the quality of your products or services.

Why Do Google Reviews Matter?

When customers (both potential and existing) search for local products or services, they know that what they’re seeing is primarily a marketing presence – after all, we all understand that it’s 2020 and we need to present ourselves well online when we’re talking business.

This means that more than ever, people value genuine, personal experiences shared; it’s the digital version of the typical word-of-mouth recommendations that business have thrived on for years! Google’s algorithm agrees and embraces third-party independent news and views on your company and its products and services. Without Google Reviews, everything on your Google My Business is technically just marketing.

How Can I Encourage Customers To Leave Google Reviews?

Of course, the success of your Google Reviews is dependent on actually having them, and it’s an important for you to make it as easy as possible for your customers to leave you a review. There are lots of ways to encourage your customers to leave you one, and these include (but are not limited to):

  • Set up a bespoke link for your business’ Google Reviews so that it’s as easy as possible for Google users to access the ‘write a review’ page (this is easily done through your Google My Business suite)
  • Email customers after their purchase/visit, share with them the link to leave a review, and ask if they would’t mind
  • Include a link to leave a Google Review on your regular email newsletters
  • Post a link to leave a Google Review on your social media channels
  • Showcase the best reviews and share them to social media channels – people are often more likely to leave one if they think you may share their words onwards
  • Take onboard any constructive feedback given in reviews and respond to them stating how you intend to enact any changes. People love to feel as though they’ve contributed positively!

How Else Can I Utilise Google Reviews Of My Business?

Shout about your reviews! Your website designer will be able to channel recent reviews directly from Google to your website so that any visitors will be able to view them. Also share your 5 star rated reviews on your social media channels to increase their visibility.

Woya Digital is making business growth through digital marketing affordable for any business through our pay monthly marketing packages, with no upfront investment! If you’re a local business owner looking to increase your business visibility, check us out and get in touch!

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The Importance Of Google Business Profile For Local Business Marketing

The Importance Of Google Business Profile For Local Business Marketing

by | 18 Aug 2020 | Digital Marketing

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Small, local business marketing can be challenging – it can so often feel like your message is lost, in the ether of big-budget firms investing heavily in ad campaigns and influencer sponsorship.

Interestingly, the biggest of the big corporations has designed it’s own features to encourage small and local business marketing growth online without having to heavily invest in social media marketing – introducing Google Business Profile.

What Is Google Business Profile?

Google Business Profile (GBP) is the all-encompassing Google facility for small and local businesses, allowing them to carve out their niche in both their local area and with a wider audience online. GBP gives a local business marketing opportunity in the midst of its huge global presence.

When you google a business, if it has an office, shop or location, you’ll find a listing to the right-hand side of the top search engine results with its basic details: name, photo, address, phone number, other contact details, opening hours, link to website. This information is all populated from a GBP account and gives a premium overview of small business information.

Google Business Profile also increases your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). This helps to boost your web presence, ensures your name and address appear on Google Maps when users search online locally, and gives the ability for those searching on Google to access reviews on your business. All of these features help drastically with online business growth.

How Much Does Google Business Profile Cost?

Unlike most local business marketing, GBP is completely free to use! Businesses are free to invest into paid search and other advertising practices on Google if they so choose to, but to claim and maintain a Google Business Profile listing, is free.

How To Claim Your Local Business Listing

Claiming your GBP listing couldn’t be easier. Simply go to www.google.com/business and sign up to a new account if you don’t already have one. Follow the instructions and fill out the relevant online form to start the process.

For security purposes, and in order to fully verify that you are the owner of the business you’re trying to claim on GBP, a postcard will be sent in the post to your primary business address. Once received, follow the instructions on the card to unlock and activate your listing.

Why Is GBP Important for Local Business Marketing?

Google is the search engine master, with over 63,000 searches completed per second every day of the week. The word ‘Google’ has become a verb, and it is now by default the easiest and quickest research option for people all over the globe – no matter their query.

To put it simply: where you don’t appear, your competitors will. With Google being the default search engine for most people, it makes sense for your small business to be front and centre of their related queries… and if you’re not, they’ll end up going to your nearest competitor.

Posting on Google Business Profile

Businesses don’t need to make much extra effort to post to their GBP. It is important to post regularly, but posts can be re-purposed from other social media channels. Just amend post text wording so the content isn’t entirely identical, and you’re good to go!

Google loves varied content, so when posting to GBP, be sure to mix it up. A good variety of updates and text, photos and offers will keep the algorithm happy and ensure your small business shines.

Local business marketing has come a long way since it relied on notices in parish newsletters, signs by the sides of roads and leaflets posted through doors. Now, business of every shape, size and type need to have an online presence and Google Business Profile is the ideal way to manage just that. A call to action can still encourage both potential and existing customers to contact you in the manner of your preference, but positions you as experts in your field and as ‘top of the listings’ when anyone searches for anything related nearby.

You may only serve and sell locally – but your customers may now come from all over!

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5 Tips To Grow Your Instagram Followers

5 Tips To Grow Your Instagram Followers

by | 5 Aug 2020 | Social media, Digital Marketing

Reading Time: 4 minutes

As of August 2022, Instagram was the second most used and most downloaded app in the world, a position its held since its introduction of extra features back in 2010.

For businesses looking for growth on social media through exposure to both existing and potential customers, an active and engaged Instagram account is a must!  When it comes to techniques and advice to grow your Instagram followers, you’ll find thousands of internet pages dedicated to loops and paid-for services, but many of these solutions could do more harm than good.

The real key to growing your following? Nail the basics.

Why Should You Look To Grow Your Instagram Followers?

Put simply, the more people that follow you, the more people are exposed to your content, and therefore your products and services.

While both Instagram followers and business growth aren’t linear, you should look to grow your Instagram followers to both assert authority and increase marketing exposure. The more engaged an account’s following is, the more likely the Instagram algorithm is to present and feature its content elsewhere to other targeted parties.

  1. Optimise Your Instagram Bio

There isn’t much room in an Instagram biography, but it needs three basic things to inform your audience from the ‘off’: who you are, who you’re for, and where to get more info (key-worded accordingly).

The latter can be covered with a link to your main website or online presence, and the rest bullet-pointed for convenience. A common error made is for businesses to link to a third-party website optimised for smaller devices: but if you have an existing web presence, instead this should be replaced with an optimised page on your own website to increase your traffic.

An Instagram bio. is short, sharp marketing, with no room for ambiguity.

  1. Increase Share Quality

The content your business shares on all social media platforms should be of a decent quality, but should also be tailored for the social media channel that it’s being shared on.

A key way to grow your Instagram followers is to ensure that your content is shareable and saveable – it must be perceived as valuable enough for others to want to highlight and pass on. If your business can position itself as an expert in its niche, those interested in that area will want to follow you for exactly that reason.

A mix of content is key here. Despite widespread criticism of the app’s direction in promoting video content, Instagram exec Adam Mosseri has insisted that Reels will continue to grow in their promotion and will be favoured by the algorithm’s programming. This means that businesses need to produce a good balance of photo, video and graphical content: to both please the behind-the-scenes programming of the app, and to present the desired audience with a variety of solutions.

  1. Use Hashtags – Wisely

Each feed post on Instagram can have up to 30 hashtags, and each story 10. It’s always worth having a hashtag that is specific to your small business or product, but then research into hashtags relevant to each post to include them.

The Instagram app allows for hashtags to be utilised whether they’re shared on the initial post or in the first comment below; but realistically the standard caption works just fine unless it’s combined with long-form comment.

Ideally, choose a variety of tags with between >100k and >500k uses. Check each tag before you use it: not all acronyms may mean what you think they do! Where possible, include hashtags as niched as possible and any that may be topical to current affairs (but still relevant to the business).

  1. Utilise Instagram Stories And Reels

Where your feed may seem branded and beautiful, Instagram Stories and Reels presents the opportunity for much more on-the-move and off-the-cuff personal social media marketing.

Use these to connect more personally with others, share customer content and to give an insight into behind-the-scenes activity that customers (both potential and existing) otherwise wouldn’t see.

Stories can be further optimised by the curation of a selected ‘Close Friends’ list. If there are particular accounts you wish to see your content, adding them to such a list makes the more likely to click through to it (the Stories will be featured in a different colour and placed higher up the exposure rankings) and allows for more tailored content to be used strategically. Don’t forget to keep your DMs open for customer contact!

  1. Connect With Other Businesses

It may seem counter-intuitive to connect with your competitors, but actually, there’s business growth benefits to be gained from doing so. Follow them to keep an eye on their activity and followers, and to ensure you’re meeting your client’s needs just as they do (or better!).

Tagging other businesses and products in your posts will increase your visibility, and following other businesses will allow you to see what they are up to, and keep an eye on trends. Competition can stay healthy without being toxic.

What Not To Do To Grow Your Instagram Followers

The internet is stuffed full of offers for brands and influencers alike to buy followers, boasting that they’re real and ‘high quality’. In truth – they’re not.

These services are simply reams of bots, ready to clog up your follower count with accounts that are blatantly obviously false, will only skew your social media insights, and will result in the Instagram algorithm penalising you as a result.

Many businesses also use social media ‘loops’ to grow their Instagram followers, but this too simply falsely inflates the numbers. Loops are follow-for-follow groups whereby everyone involved agrees to follow everyone else. Realistically this only clogs your feed with content from accounts unrelated to your business, and gives you followers who, although real, will never engage with your content because it isn’t relevant to them.

The true measure of success on Instagram is engagement, and if you’re able to attract followers who actually really care and are interested in and value what you are posting, they will engage with your content. So continue to find this real, interested audience, and post for them.

 

 

 

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Why SEO is Critical for Your Online Business Growth

Why SEO is Critical for Your Online Business Growth

by | 18 Jul 2020 | SEO, Digital Marketing

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Small business marketing is often a case of having to pick and choose which strategies to implement and campaigns to operate within a tight budget and without a great deal of resource. Yet the real investment to be made in online marketing and business development is often a technical one – and that is, SEO (or Search Engine Optimisation to refer to it by its full name).

SEO can make or break a website, but what is it, how does it work, who ‘does’ it and how can you manage it? Read on for the full lowdown and to answer the most common questions that we get asked regarding online business growth.

What is Search Engine Optimisation?

Search Engine Optimisation is the intensification of a website’s content for it to become as noticeable as possible to the automated algorithms of search engines – preferably boosting its profile to the top of search engine results pages (or SERPs, for short). With search engines bringing up hundreds of thousands of results for most words and phrases searched, identifying relevant information for users is key.

SEO is a marketing practice in its own right and should absolutely form part of any company’s digital marketing strategy for online business growth.

Why is SEO SO Important for Online Business Growth?

The world ‘google’ is as much a verb now as it is a name, and society is increasingly dependent on the search engines they can access through their smartphones and other tech devices to find information quickly and efficiently.

Businesses should view search engines as a marketing channel. Any person looking for a product, service or industry relevant to them should be able to easily access information on their brand; so that they can gain awareness of the brand and its products/services, and ideally, eventually, make a purchase.

SEO is important for businesses because as society moves more and more online, so do their buying habits. There are very few industries not yet with any online presence at all; and for those that do have some, businesses without any SEO will find that their brand is ranked below the search engine results displaying information on their competitors.

SEO is imperative amongst small business marketing and online business growth as it is something that can deliver an inordinate amount of results for a relatively small outlay of finance and resource.

How Does SEO Work?

SEO works by tapping into the automated programming within search engines that determines where to rank what in terms of the results individuals using the search see. This is achieved by ensuring that the algorithm recognises a website as relevant, appropriate, genuine and an expert in a specific niche. It should be able to judge the who, what, where, when, how and why about a brand… just from a millisecond automated scan of the content on its website!

Put simply: search engines are library catalogues. The programs that manage them are the librarians.

The exact ways SEO works change all the time as algorithms and programming develop and grow. The technology involved in search engine operation is always improving and so SEO is never just a job to be done once and never again – businesses serious about it should aim to continuously advance and enhance their efforts toward it.

What Benefit Does Good SEO Give a Business Over Poor SEO?

Good SEO increases a brand’s visibility in search rankings, so when done better than a competitor, gives competitive advantage.

Being top of the search rankings for a relevant search to your business isn’t just important – it’s damn near imperative!

Think of your own search engine behaviours. Do you scroll through pages and pages of results to find the info you want or do you just click through to the first few? Your business needs to be where people will see it, otherwise it will lose out to those who are.

What Do SEO Services Include?

Some marketers have training in SEO and can implement it and optimise a website and its content, however this training needs to be taken in a continuous cycle and the content updated with it. If you are going to invest in SEO services, we highly recommend working with an SEO expert.

SEO experts are consultants who stay up to date with the near daily changes and are able to use this knowledge to implement SEO into a site on an ongoing basis, for best results and online business growth.

Being an SEO specialist is a full-time job. SEO consultants have to ensure every part of a website fits with the current search engine algorithms. That includes, but is by no means limited to: ensuring all written content is optimised, ensuring the website page layouts are optimised and work across different devices, building backlinks to and from other websites to build authority, ensuring every page on a website is tagged and categorised correctly, ensuring every image on a website is tagged and categories correctly, and ensuring that all the ‘backend’ data of a website is optimised.

How Long Does SEO Implementation Take?

The development of good SEO isn’t just a job that can be done once and then not re-visited. The nature of the internet and search engine technology is that it changes all of the time, so it needs to be a continual focus for businesses who want to remain at the top of their game online (and at the top of the search engines!).

It’s impossible to say how long an initial review and ‘go over’ of a brand’s website would take, as it depends on two factors: how bad the website’s SEO currently is, and how much content is on the site. However, an SEO specialist will be able to advise on the initial work required and then recommend an ongoing plan to keep on top of the situation.

SEO specialists are worth their weight in gold, and seeking one out is one of the most effective marketing strategies a small business can invest in. Ranking ahead of the competition in a marketing method where people are already seeking out relevant information? It’s a win-win!

Woya Digital is a digital marketing agency focussed on your business growth! Our SEO packages are paid monthly with no upfront investment making our service affordable for any size business! Get your FREE SEO Website Audit Report NOW!

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