BE KIND

In a few of my recent client workshops the subject of manners on social media has come up. This made me think, what is the done thing when it comes to social etiquette on Instagram. After some research I have compiled my top hacks to keep you and your brand the flavour of the month.

1. PINCHING a PHOTO! Always tag the person who you pinched it from when you repost. Or just include them within your copy using wording like “photo courtesy of” or “📸”

2. DON’T FOLLOW THEN UNFOLLOW – it’s just not cool and if the follower has the app downloaded which tells them who has recently unfollowed them, well then that’s err awkward 🙄

3. LIKE OR REPLY to SOMEONE’S COMMENT. You wouldn’t ignore someone who said you looked gorgeous that day in the street would you? So why is that ok to do that on here? We’re not so inundated with comments that we can’t get through them all, come on now.. 

4. GIVE GENEROUSLY. If someone is always liking your posts and watching you stories, give them a like back once in a while, it ain’t gonna kill you and will just keep your brand in their like list!

#bekind #socialmedia #socialmediahacks #instagrametiquette #etiquette #mannersmakethman 

It’s no secret to my clients that my favourite social media channel by far is Instagram. Since its launch in 2010, the channel (owned by Facebook) has monopolised the social sphere. Did you know that the majority of users are women under 34?

So when it came to my next blog post, I thought I would share some well kept secrets to help you grow your followers and likes.

Tip 1: Hashtags. According to Influencer Marketing Hub’s June 2019 report, these are the most popularly searched hashtags. Now, I’m not saying use all of these in every post, but you can certainly test the theory and use a select few on your posts to see if they get more traction than usual. To see the difference, do one post with your usual hashtags and one with a selection of the below. Don’t go over board, more than around 15 can rank you down on Instagram’s algorhythms. Also, there have been some studies that found posting hashtags in comments is a way of getting more visibility for your post. This was shunned a few years ago, but rumour has it Instagram aren’t shunning accounts any longer for this.

1. #love
2. #instagood
3. #photooftheday
4. #fashion
5. #beautiful
6. #happy
7. #cute
8. #tbt
9. #like4like
10. #followme
11. #picoftheday
12. #follow
13. #me
14. #selfie
15. #summer
16. #art
17. #instadaily
18. #friends
19. #repost
20. #nature
21. #girl
22. #fun
23. #style
24. #smile
25. #food

Tip 2: Try not to edit your post. Again, could be a dirty rumour, but try not to keep going back in to your post and editing. Create a draft to check spelling thoroughly then post so you don’t have to keep editing it.

Tip 3: Day and time. It is important to consider the time of day and which day you post your content. If  you are a retailer, Sunday afternoons can be a good time to post as people are active on social media between 4 and 7pm on Sundays – it is also one of the biggest online shopping days of the week.

Tip 4: Keep it real. This is one you will probably have noticed already. People love real content, as it means they can start to relate to you (creating bonds). Therefore if it’s ever a choice between a stock image or a real one… it’s a no brainer for Insta!

Happy gramming 🙂

Storyteller x

The phrase ‘Time waits for no one’ could not be more apt these days; where has this first half of this year gone?

While being lead architect on your brand, have you ever considered whether it will stand the test of time? 

What I mean by this is, there are some brands which come and go, fads if you like! They are the flash in the pans which we all recollect but treat with a certain affectionate, yet disdainful attitude. For example, a couple of Christmas’s ago, Facebook was riddled with an edgy young sunglasses brand called Mellor… remember? My Facebook friends were all inviting me to like their page, share their content and buy their gigs. It was an intense few weeks, but then… poof… nada! Since then I haven’t seen or heard of their brand.

Like I said, the definition of a flash in the pan brand! Could this be you if you’re not careful?

Follow my top tips to becoming a brand with longevity which will go on and on and on (you get he picture!)

Tip 1: Design. Don’t just follow the trends! While wedding dress shopping last week, I realised this. The shops were bursting at the seams with the latest looks.. I was no fool, oh no! This is the same for your brand, you may be tempted to go for the ‘in’ colours but always have in the back of your head you want your brand to go through the ages. Yes you can always rebrand, but this shouldn’t be done willynilly.

Tip 2: Dollars. Be careful not to through your whole budget on one campaign or activity, leaving the brand with nothing to help showcase it later on! You wouldn’t put all your cucumber, strawberries and mint in the pimms for the first serving would you? So why would you do this in business? Keep those marketing funds evenly distributed!

Tip 3: Diverse. This is a difficult one, but one which you will notice all of the big brands tend to do. Don’t just rely on one service or product within your brand. Keep the offering diverse, so for example let’s say you have a bakery, also offer event food, and look at selling wares at local markets.

A lot of this needs to be set out at business plan point, but if you are suddenly thinking you haven’t really looked too far ahead, then book a strategising meeting with me!

Storyteller x

Hello and welcome to my storytelling class.

Are you sitting comfortably? Good.

We’re told that Content is King; but did you also know that if you can position your content in a way which tells your audience a story, you have a better chance of engaging with your buyers?

With the average reader spending around 15 seconds on a web page, you don’t have much time to capture their imagination… so how do you?

1. Keep it relative. As individuals, we like to be able to relate to people. Key details like places, people, emotions, times and facts will also act as a hook for your reader. For example you could do away with your homepage and make that ‘The Story So Far’ where you then tell your audience how your business idea came about. By diving straight in and not wasting time they’ll know more about you and your brand within that 15 seconds and at that point will decide whether to click away or read more!
2. We all know how frustrating it is when a friend tells you the same story, again! It works the same with your followers, don’t bore them with tales they’ve heard before. Keep your stories fresh and remember those all-important details!
3. Remember what your audience are following you for. Do you provide a beauty and fashion blog? Don’t then talk about you and your boyfriends recent house purchase, unless it’s about dressing with a limited wardrobe for example!
4. Be entertaining! Your followers are following you. So be you. Be your unique self and tell your story in your own special way, promoting your idiosyncrasies.

For more information on how you can tell your brand story contact me today!

The Storyteller x

The time when… everyone became a brand…. 🤳🏼🤳🏼🤳🏼
My mum came to stay with me last week, and while pushing my baby Jack up Harlow hill she exclaimed “Have you noticed that everyone is a brand these days…?!”
😂 I answered in my most professional marketer voice “Hmm yes mum that’s very topical and factually correct.”
The woman’s got a point…
If you hark back even five years ago, the only people who could market themselves as a brand were the likes of Oprah and Ellen De Generes, so how is it that Larissa at the end of the street who is no older than 16 but bloody good at putting her eye brows on just hit 5,000 followers on @instagram I hear you scream? Well, its a bit more long winded than this, but in simple terms it’s down to being in 2019, where a cleverly used hashtag and a certain amount of followers attracts brands who then approach them. They are only approached if they are “on brand”. This then becomes “An influencer”.
It’s refreshing that we can all become a brand for sure, but also slightly bizarre! Keen to give it a try?
1. Decide what you are good at / what gets you excited?
3. Create an Instagram account
4. Adopt a hashtag which you use on every post
5. Identify values behind everything you post. Or. Creativity, honesty, humour.
6.Believe in what your account stands for.
Reading list- Lindsey Kelk’s One In A Million.

Where have the last few months gone?
I am finishing this week as I start a new exciting slash scary chapter of my life… motherhood.
So if it goes a little quiet around here, that’s why!
I intend to come back to my Storytelling on w/c 17th June 2019 (unless you hear before!)
Just a little footnote too to say thanks. I love that some of you have followed me from day dot and your “liking” and commenting is so appreciated.
See you on the flip side listeners…
The Storyteller x