Tag Archives: social media

News, PR and SEO, Social Media

Have we seen the death of organic social media marketing?

The number of users viewing organic social media content – the posts that are shared for free to a feed – has dramatically plummeted in recent years. This has led to organic content for business marketing purposes being proclaimed ‘dead’, forcing marketers to abandon organic strategies in favour of paid social media advertising.

However, according to Ben Luff, Social Media Manager at integrated marketing agency PMW, organic social media marketing should still play an important role in any business’s social strategy. Ben explains how and why organic social media has changed in recent years.

“First thing’s first, it’s not all doom and gloom. The good news is organic content isn’t dead – it’s just changed a lot,” said Ben. “It used to be about optimising organic content: researching hashtags and finding the best time in the day to post, based on when audiences were most active. Brands and social media marketers had no problems reaching a high proportion of their followers and getting plenty of engagement on free posts.”

In the past, everyone who followed a brand would receive that company’s posts on their feed. When these users interacted with a post (with likes, comments, and shares) the post would also be seen by their followers, allowing for a ripple effect of new people discovering a brand. These days, according to research carried out by social media management platform Hootsuite, a Facebook post will only reach 5.5% of a company’s followers – even less for brands that have a large number of followers.1 A dramatic decline from the early days of social media marketing.

What’s behind this change?

Ben explains:

“Around 2015, the major social media platforms began using enhanced relevancy algorithms, which prioritise content from a user’s friends and family. This pushed brand content down, meaning companies saw their engagement statistics tank. If you’re not seeing results from your organic content, you can’t just keep posting the same things and hoping it will get better. You need to change your tactics.”

What can brands do to increase their social media reach?

“Two things,” says Ben. “Prioritise authenticity in organic content, and invest in paid advertising – don’t worry, it doesn’t have to break the bank. Although organic content often doesn’t get the reach it used to, it’s still important for businesses to keep their social media feeds up to date.

“An active social media page shows those who have just discovered a brand that the company is in business and cares about connecting with its customers. For small to medium businesses, posting two to three times a week is enough.”

What’s type of content businesses should post?

Ben advises:

“Consumers value authenticity, so leave the sales pitch at the door. Showcase your brand’s personality, get your staff involved and provide value to your customers through informational videos, competitions, and entertaining challenges. When you share a post, platforms like Instagram will show it to a small test audience. The more engagement a post gets from the test audience, the more the algorithm will promote it, both to your brand’s followers, and to new audiences.

“Following the huge popularity of TikTok, the algorithms for other social media platforms have begun to follow suit and prioritise video content. A recent study by social media software company Emplifi found that businesses increased their organic reach on Facebook by an average of 135% just by posting a video instead of a photo.2 Make sure you take advantage of this.”

And, Ben says, businesses shouldn’t be reluctant to build their social media presence and gain momentum using paid social media advertising.

“Most social media marketers now include paid posts in every campaign they run. These ads can be highly targeted to any demographic, and are extremely effective. Advertised posts get pushed out to a wider audience than organic posts, and are great for reaching potential new customers, so they are an excellent tool for quickly building awareness of a brand among its target audience, as well as driving click-throughs to a brand’s website.

“It’s not necessary to spend a fortune. A little can go a long way, and because you can target any audience with laser accuracy, it can yield a very high return on your investment. In the current social media landscape, making this investment really does make sense.

“Ultimately, a great social media marketing strategy is authentic, uses video content to its advantage, and isn’t afraid to enlist the help of paid social media advertising to reach new audiences.”

1 Hootsuite Digital in 2020 study – https://www.hootsuite.com/resources/digital-2020?path=pages%2Fdigital-in-2019#accordion-148291

 

2 Emplifi study Native Facebook Videos Get More Reach Than Any Other Type of Post (emplifi.io)

Appointments, News, North of England, Regional News

Four new arrivals strengthen ranks at creative agency Fluid Ideas

Four new starters have strengthened the ranks of creative agency Fluid Ideas as its expansion continues.

Fluid, which is based at Darley Abbey Mills, near Derby, has recruited across four of its six teams in line with further growth in demand for its range of services.

The new arrivals are Nicole Davies, Tom King, Will Davis and Matt Thompson.

Nicole, who has a master’s degree in marketing management, has joined Fluid’s websites and systems team as a project manager. Her role is to ensure digital projects are delivered efficiently, on time and to budget while also helping to support and optimise clients’ websites.

Tom has joined the brand and creative team as a multi-disciplinary designer, working on client campaigns and pitches. He has more than 10 years’ commercial experience of working with national and international brands and he adds to the team’s animation and CGI capabilities. Tom also holds a leadership and management qualification from the Institute of Leadership and Management.

Will, a digital marketing graduate from the University of Derby, has gained experience in the sport and leisure sector and has joined Fluid’s search and social team. His main focus will be search engine optimisation, content writing and social media management.

Matt has joined the design and artwork team and brings with him more than 20 years’ experience of working in local agencies. In joining Fluid, he follows in the footsteps of his brother Ben, who was the agency’s first employee and has helped drive the growth of its brand and creative team for almost two decades.

Ed Bowler, joint managing director of Fluid Ideas, said: “As always, our focus has been on growing with good people. Nicole, Matt, Will and Tom all bring new and exciting talents to the team but, most importantly, they care about the quality of work we produce and they will undoubtedly add to the spirit and culture that has helped make Fluid such a healthy and enjoyable place to be, for our clients and our colleagues.”

Fluid Ideas is a full-service agency whose operations cover branding and campaigns, graphic and website design, computer-generated imagery, 3D animation and video, photography, copywriting, digital marketing, content management, search and social media – all in-house.

Its client base spans sectors including healthcare, retirement living, property, professional services, education, finance, leisure and hospitality.

The agency celebrated its 18th birthday in January and posted record annual revenues of £3.2m in the year to November, boosted by increased business from existing clients and a raft of new wins. Staff numbers have increased to over 50 in recent months in line with Fluid’s growth.

News

Growing skills gap for social media marketers amidst accelerating pace of platform change

The accelerating pace of change in ‘video-first’ social media platforms is leading to a growing crisis for social media professionals. They are struggling with widening skills gaps and unrealistic expectations from businesses that underestimate the challenges of the role. These were some of the key findings of a new study by The Social Club based on interviews with 400 social media professionals.

The report charts a social media landscape vastly different from five years ago, with a shift towards short-form video and the explosion of TikTok. 81% of respondents admitted to struggling to stay on top of the daily changes on the platforms with 74% of professionals believing this is more time-consuming now versus when they entered the industry. Over half of respondents believe their boss/client underestimates the time it takes to market their brand on each platform which rises to 4 in 5 for Instagram, cited as the most time-consuming and challenging platform.

Overall the report highlights three key themes of concern for the industry.

  1. An impending skills crisis
    The report highlights significant gaps in skills, particularly in content creation areas. While 64% identified videography as important in the ‘video-first’ social media ecosystem, less than a third (29%) had this skill. Meanwhile 64% cited photography as being important but only 42% possess this skill. 70% saw graphic design as important, but only half (51%) had this skill. Not being able to offer all the necessary skills required for their role was the most shared concern according to 64% of respondents.

 

  1. Higher expectations in an increasingly competitive and complex marketing space
    Professionals are facing increased expectations from brands to deliver on social while dealing with increased competition, more platforms, more content formats and features. They are also needing to adapt for the trend towards video and the increasingly ‘pay to play’ nature of the algorithms. Both the quantitative and qualitative data showed that respondents find Instagram the most time-consuming and challenging platform. Worryingly the data indicates that professionals are still in the dark about TikTok, don’t understand this platform and don’t possess the knowledge and skills required to see success. When asked how long it takes to market on TikTok 44% of people selected “not sure” far higher than the other platforms.

  2. Professionals aren’t getting the pay or recognition they deserve
    Another big area of concern was the lack of understanding from those working with and managing social media professionals. Over half of respondents felt their boss or client underestimates the time it takes to market a brand successfully on all the platforms. This rises to three quarters for Facebook and 4 in 5 for Instagram. While respondents strongly feel their role requires training, skill and experience (93%) they did not believe their boss/client felt the same, particularly self-employed respondents whose most common answer was (30%).

The reports’ authors have a series of recommendations in a new campaign called Social Media SOS, calling for more understanding of the complexities of social media professionals from those that employ them, as well as focusing on upskilling.

According to Kathryn Tyler, founder of the Social Club and award-winning agency Digital Mums:

“We are concerned about a potential crisis in the industry. The accelerating pace of change and growing need for a wider skillset means social media professionals are struggling to keep up whilst also delivering on increasing expectations in an increasingly competitive and complex social media landscape.”

She continued: “We are urging those working with and managing social media professionals to recognise that social media marketing is a very challenging specialism and to deliver results skilled professionals need to be given the time and focus they need and should be given the recognition they deserve.”

Social media consultant and industry analyst Matt Navarra wasn’t surprised at the findings. “To stay at the cutting edge of social media I spend hours every week reading through hundreds of social media news articles and tweets. Things are being tested and changed daily it’s no surprise professionals are struggling to stay on top of it all. As someone that’s worked in the industry for over a decade I agree that this pace of change is accelerating. This feels like an important conversation for the industry.”

News

Scrolling Gives Your Fingers a Serious Workout: Here’s How Far They Travel

Social media: People can scroll the length of Mount Everest in 20 days!

  • A new report by Fasthosts uncovers the mileage that mobile users travel with their thumbs.
  • On average people can scroll their way around Route 66 in almost 30 years.

Nowadays scrolling feels like second nature to mobile or tablet users. Despite being a user-friendly way to view a page or use an app, scrolling has an important role in web design, improves user experience significantly and it translates best to mobile devices. But have you ever wondered how many miles we scroll in a day?

To estimate how far users scroll with their thumb, Fasthosts has crunched the numbers to reveal just how far the average person travels daily. Based on this Statista study the average person in 2021 spent 108 minutes/6,480 seconds a day scrolling social media. This translates to 0.3888 km per day and 141.912 km per year1.

To put these figures into perspective an average person can climb Mount Everest with just over 20 days of scrolling! Also, in just over 3 years users can drag their fingers a distance equal to that from the Earth to the Moon by scrolling their Instagram feeds or watching TikTok videos!

According to the findings, the distance users scroll per day on social media can be compared to more distances as follows:

Distance/Road trip KM Miles Number of days to be completed by scrolling
Trip around the globe  40,075 24,901  103,073.56
Earth-Moon distance  384,400 238,855 988,683.13
Earth-Mars distance  225,000,000 139,808,866 578,703,703.70
Route 66  3,940 2,448 10,133.74
NC500  830.4 516 2,135.80
Mt. Everest  8.84886 5.49844 22.76
London Marathon  42.20 26.2  108.54
Atlantic Highway  392.00 243.58  1,008.23

So with just one daily quick whizz through a shameful sidebar of celebrity gossip, a scroll through your friends latest Instagram posts or even an hour long worth of TikTok entertainment – you could be scrolling the equivalent of almost 400 metres!

Michelle Stark, Sales and Marketing Director at Fasthosts comments: ‘‘Scrolling is an integral part of website design which helps keep users engaged with the content and less focused on the mechanics of browsing. What’s more, a smartphone’s display can be a window towards human interactions – be it news, sharing life’s moments, communicating or even running a business.

Our research showed just how much people browse apps nowadays which could even result in them reaching the peak of Mount Everest with their thumbs. When it comes to social media, scrolling can be quite addictive with the likes and comments been seen as rewards. So, whilst most people are scrolling enthusiasts it’s vital to be mindful of the amount of time spent online’

To find more about the distances users travel based on their scrolling habits click here: https://www.fasthosts.co.uk/blog/app-scrolling-distance/

Methodology

Based on a Statista study the average person in 2021 spent 108 minutes/6,480 secs a day scrolling social media.
If we assume that for every 5 seconds of phone usage, the person scrolls 30 cm on average (which is the speed we estimate someone scrolling through Facebook or skimming a web page would have, if you measure the distance the screen scrolls, which is more than the distance the person swipes their finger across it), then in 6,480 seconds they would scroll 38,880 cm/388.8 metres/0.3888 km.

Similarly in a week (7 days) the average person scrolls 272,160 cm/2,721.6 metres/ 2.7216 km.

Similarly in a month (31 days) the average person scrolls 1,205,280 cm/ 12,052.8 metres/ 12.0528 km.

Similarly in a year (365 days) the average person scrolls 14,191,200 cm/141,912 metres/141.912 km

  • There are 60 seconds in a minute, so 108 minutes * 60 = 6,480 seconds.
  • Per Week Calculations: 0.3888 x 7 = 2.7216 km
  • Per Month Calculations: 0.3888 x 31 = 12.0528 km
  • Per Year Calculations: 0.3888 x 365= 141.912 km
Appointments, Marketing, PR and SEO, News

Promotion for Ben as creative agency Fluid Ideas expands leadership team

The head of creative agency Fluid Ideas’ search and social media team has been promoted to associate partner.

Ben Meakin joined the agency in 2018 from the University of Derby Students’ Union, where he was the marketing and engagement manager.

He began at Fluid in a marketing manager role but soon began to focus on search and social media. He currently leads a 10-strong, award-winning team with an expanding client base.

Ben is the fourth member of the Fluid team to be promoted to associate partner, a position created to give its rising stars a more active leadership role across the business.

Fluid Ideas is a full-service agency whose operations cover branding and campaigns, graphic and website design, computer-generated imagery, 3D animation and video, photography, copywriting, digital marketing, content management, search and social media – all in-house.

Its client base spans sectors including healthcare, retirement living, property, professional services, education, finance, leisure and hospitality.

The agency celebrated its 18th birthday in January and posted record annual revenues of £3.2m in the year to November, boosted by increased business from existing clients and a raft of new wins. Staff numbers have reached 50 in line with its growth.

Ben’s achievements at Fluid include devising an award-winning campaign for the National Forest Adventure Farm in Staffordshire, which helped attract a record number of visitors to its Halloween-themed scare attraction Screamfest.

He has also worked closely with East Midlands Railway, which has developed into a full service client, has gained further awards recognition for e-commerce campaigns, and through a number of projects has helped generate record inquiries for Inspired Villages, a retirement villages group which is backed by Legal & General.

Ed Bowler, joint managing director at Fluid, said: “From the outset, it was apparent that Ben had a real hunger for the world of search and social. He won our first significant social media client within a few weeks, has continued to grow our digital offering and now heads a 10-strong team from a standing start.

“He brings sheer passion, energy, creativity and a natural positivity to Fluid. He leads by example in his ambition and in the way he supports the team and encourages them to grow and push the boundaries of what they can achieve.

“We have always prioritised internal growth rather than senior external appointments, and Ben’s fully deserved promotion is another good example of this strategy.”

Ben said: “I’m thrilled to be part of the Fluid team and to have been given the opportunity to create an entirely new team.

“I’m extremely proud and grateful to be promoted to associate partner, and can’t wait to be more involved in the development of Fluid as an agency, continuing to help our clients grow their digital brands.”

Appointments, News

Hootsuite welcomes Natalia Williams as Chief Product Officer

Williams to champion product development and innovation

 Hootsuite is pleased to announce that Natalia Williams joined the  ‘nest’ today as our Chief Product Officer. In her role, Natalia will have responsibility for Hootsuite’s strategic product direction, product management, and product design. She will be part of the Hootsuite executive leadership team.

Williams brings over 15 years of product and technology experience, most recently as Chief Product Officer of Mailchimp. Prior to that she held leadership roles in retail technology with Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s.

“It’s important to me to foster a culture that encourages experimentation and creativity while staying focused on the vision,” said Williams. “Hootsuite has immense potential in the product space, and I am excited to work alongside the leadership team to build and develop a robust product that our customers will continue to advocate for.”

“At Hootsuite, we help our 200,000 customers successfully leverage social media to communicate and connect with their prospects and customers. As social media moves more deeply into commerce, our product and product strategies are adjusting to help our customers navigate this giant new opportunity,” said Tom Keiser, CEO, Hootsuite. “Natalia’s expertise in technology, ecommerce, and retail as well as her leadership and product experiences make her the perfect product leader for Hootsuite’s future.”

Williams will be based in Hootsuite’s new Atlanta office, and is a graduate of Georgia State University, a valued Hootsuite customer and partner.

Follow Natalia Williams on LinkedIn.

 

Marketing, PR and SEO, News, North of England, Social Media

Creative agency Fluid Ideas upgrades studio

Fluid Ideas has completed the latest revamp of its studio, adding meeting pods and other new features to suit the changing needs of staff and clients in an era of blended working.

The five-figure upgrade means the full-service creative agency has invested £175,000 over the past three years to transform its headquarters in line with its rapid growth and the evolving working environment.

Fluid is based in a converted cotton mill at Darley Abbey Mills, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the outskirts of Derby. The agency has seen staff numbers surge from seven to 50 since it moved there in 2010.

Three new meeting pods are the centrepiece of the refurbishment. The pods provide sheltered breakout spaces at Fluid’s open-plan studio and are used for meetings, individual quiet working time and video calls.

The upgrade has also involved the introduction of hot-desking to support a more agile and collaborative approach to projects. Improvements to the technological infrastructure have been carried out across the studio and meeting spaces.

In addition, Fluid continues to provide its team with free membership of a gym situated below the studio, along with weekly fitness classes and other health and wellbeing benefits under its Fluid Happiness programme.

The agency celebrated its 18th birthday in January and posted record annual revenues of £3.2m in the year to November, boosted by increased business from existing clients and a raft of new wins.

Joint managing director Ed Bowler said: “The pandemic has proved that the old ways aren’t the only ways of working.

“Our team has expanded both in size and geographically and, in many ways, the studio has become even more important in creating a central hub where people can connect and collaborate.

“We’ve proved that we can be successful working remotely, but we also believe the best work happens together.

“Being in the studio means colleagues can be energised by one another and feel part of something bigger – there’s a chemistry that you just can’t recreate on Teams or Zoom.

“However, this isn’t just about the practicalities of studio working. There’s an emotional side to it too. We want our team to feel proud when they walk through the door, and we want our clients to feel like they belong here just as much as we do.

“That approach seems to be resonating, as more and more of the brands we work with are choosing our studio for their own board meetings or creative sessions.

“It brings us closer together, and it means they benefit from fresh surroundings, which in turn can stimulate new ideas.”

Fluid Ideas is a full-service creative agency whose operations cover branding and campaigns, graphic and website design, computer-generated imagery, 3D animation and video, photography, copywriting, digital marketing, content management and social media – all in-house.

Its client base spans sectors including healthcare, retirement living, property, professional services, education, finance, leisure and hospitality.

News

Owly disappears from the Hootsuite logo to showcase the emptiness of a #WorldWithoutNature

Hootsuite teams up with WWF and global brands to raise awareness6 about dramatic nature loss

Hootsuite, the global leader in social media management, has joined forces with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), NGOs, sports teams, and some of the world’s top brands in removing animal and nature references from its branding for World Wildlife Day.

Hootsuite will remove its mascot, Owly, from all Hootsuite social channels globally for the day to highlight the catastrophic loss of biodiversity and the social and economic risks it poses. Over 100 brands and sports teams around the globe have agreed to take part in the initiative and support the activation, including: Timberland, Gorilla Glue, Dove, Gymshark, On The Beach, Airwick, Duolingo, Carlsberg and numerous football teams such as Wolves, Sunderland, Aston Villa, Hull City, West Brom and more.

“We are incredibly proud at Hootsuite to once again show our support for the #WorldWithoutNature campaign as part of World Wildlife Day,” said Iain Beable, Social Marketing Strategist, Hootsuite. “The continued threat to our planet has never been as obvious as it is now— small steps from us all can make a difference to ensure we create a healthier planet for generations to come.”

According to WWF’s Living Planet Report 2020, global populations of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish have declined by an average of 68% in recent decades. The report also reveals that if the world continues on with “business as usual”, rates of biodiversity loss seen since 1970 will steadily continue between now and 2050. These losses will likely result in a planet that will not be able to support current and future generations of people.

“The continued loss of biodiversity cannot be ignored. We know that it will have a catastrophic impact on our planet and it’s in our DNA at Hootsuite to step up and take action,” said Eva Taylor, CSR Director, Hootsuite.  “This year, we are including a donation matching campaign using our partner, Benevity, to offer our employees a way to double their impact on March 3rd.”

#WorldWithoutNature comes as governments from around the world gear up to negotiate the details of a new global agreement for nature at the COP15 global biodiversity summit due to be held in Kunming, China, later this year.

“Ahead of crucial negotiations taking place at COP15, which will set global goals on biodiversity for years to come, we’re calling on governments to agree on an ambitious nature-positive goal and a concrete set of targets to reverse nature loss and wildlife decline by the end of the decade,” said Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International. “It is time for a strong commitment followed by urgent action.”

WWF’s #WorldWithoutNature activation was originally the brainchild of One Minute Briefs, having first been created on World Wildlife Day in 2020.

The campaign also includes a branded hashtag on Twitter for #WorldWithoutNature.

For more information, please visit: https://explore.panda.org/wwn

 

Marketing, PR and SEO, News

Tangerine Bolsters Senior Team with Two Strategic Hires

Following a phenomenal 2021, employee-owned creative communications agency, Tangerine, has added two new senior team members to its ranks. Rebekah Van Oldenbeek and Alison Parker join the award-winning agency as Head of People & Performance and Operations Manager respectively.

The new appointments come following a record-breaking 2021 for the Manchester-based agency, with the business surpassing £5m in revenue.

New Head of People & Performance, Rebekah Van Oldenbeek, joins Tangerine from restaurant and bar group, The Alchemist, where she was HR Business Partner. Rebekah heads up the newly formed People and Performance department, which will be responsible for developing Tangerine’s Employee Value Proposition, and ensuring it maintains its position as a leading destination for the best talent in the communications industry.

Meanwhile Alison Parker, who was previously Studio Manager at Equator Design, is tasked with supporting the continued development of Tangerine’s award-winning creative offering. With the creative team doubling in size over the last year and winning a number of awards, including several for the ‘It’s Coming Home’ Euros campaign with Specsavers, Tangerine’s creative offering remains central to continued growth plans.

Sam Gregory, Joint CEO of Tangerine, said: “As we celebrate a record-breaking turnover, it’s important that our structure reflects and supports the size and complexity of business we have become. Rebekah and Alison have fantastic credentials and are exactly the type of top talent we want to bring into our team to support our ambitious growth plans.”

Rebekah Van Oldenbeek, Head of People & Performance, added: “At Tangerine, the main focus is always the people behind the innovative and creative work. The agency landscape is fast changing and what industry professionals want and look for in their career is evolving. It’s exciting to join an organisation like Tangerine, that is dedicated to being a great place to work. The low staff turnover and track-record of progression from within speaks for themselves. I’m looking forward to working closely with the senior team to ensure we maintain that position as we grow, while also negotiating a time of significant change within the industry.”