Nick Baggott's CRM and Digital Marketing Blog

How to choose the right #hashtags

Hashtags are crucial to social media success, whether you are using Twitter, Instagram, Linked In or any other social platform.

So, how do you select a good # and why are they important? Let's start with some basics first (these tips come from Hootsuite):

• They always start with # but they won’t work if you use spaces, punctuation or symbols.
• Make sure your accounts are public. Otherwise the hashtagged content you write won’t be seen by any non-followers.
• Don’t string too many words together. The best hashtags tend to be relatively short and easy to remember.
• Use relevant and specific hashtags. If it is too obscure, it will be hard to find and it won’t likely be used by other social media users.
• Limit the number of hashtags you use. More isn’t always better. It actually looks spammy.

So, why use # at all?

• They increase the reach of your posts, because they are searchable
• They increase engagement with your posts, because they add context
• They allow you to show support for a cause eg #blacklivesmatter
• They add context to your posts eg #socialmediatips

Finally, the all important question. How do you select a good #?

There are some great tools that you can use to help you, such as Hashtagify

Personally, I like Ritetag - this tools allows you to input the copy for your tweet and it will suggest popular # that relate to your post. Here is an example: 

As you can see, the suggestions are not perfect. Including a photo of me presenting, has led to some suggestions about what I am wearing as hashtags, but this at least illustrates that ritetag is interpreting both the picture and the wording of the tweet. 

Of course, you should also monitor # used by other people in your industry and what has worked on your previous posts too. On Twitter I would suggest limiting to no more than 3 hashtags (you have a limited number of characters and you don't want your post to look like spam. Whereas, on Instagram I would suggest using more, say 5-8 hashtags.

Newsjacking:

Newsjacking is where you use a # that is trending at the time, in order to attract people to your post, who are following that news story. An example might be using #Olympics this summer, if you want your post read by followers of the Games. But only use a hashtag in this way if you are adding value to the Olympics debate and your post is relevant. Make sure that you don't breach any copyright laws or restrictions too. The Olympics marketing team are pretty hot on unauthorised people trying to sell their services using their identity. You must not imply that you are a sponsor or involved in the Games if you are not.

Hope that helps you. #goodluck

 

 

 

How has brand content evolved since COVID? Key themes used by brands...

Have you communicated differently since the onset of Corona Virus? Have you become more empathetic? more customer focused? More service focused? More willing to share your brand purpose? If you haven't changed, then why not? The world has changed, customer behaviours have changed, surely your customer insights must have changed too. Branded content must continually adapt to reflect the markets and people that we serve. If you haven't changed, then you are probably in the minority.

But don't just take my word for it (although I feel I am in a good place to comment as a digital marketing consultant and trainer that probably speaks directly to over 50 marketers a week, from different countries, industries and brands). I have worked in over 50 countries and in pretty much every market sector. So, what does the data tell us?

Discover.ai has complied a fascinating report, analysing how the messages and themes communicated by brands have evolved since lockdown. This free report is entitled "100 projects since lockdown". In the report, discover.ai analyse the key messages conveyed across these campaigns and summarise the key themes and approaches taken. I would advise you to take a look for yourself. That link will take you to a page where you can register to request a free copy. As a teaser, here are some of the key findings and a sample of the ideas contained within it. 

This shows the communication themes that have increased and decreased in usage since Lockdown. You can see that brands have been keen to portray themselves as empathetic and reflect how people are feeling. 

We can then see what keywords match to these themes, to help us understand what each theme represents:

Then discover.ai has analysed each of these in more detail and clustered the messaging into 7 key themes. These themes are:

• Wanting more texture from life
• Voicing a renewed purpose
• Gaining in poise
• Peering over into the wild other
• Grasping after possibility
• Finding their spiritual home
• Riding on the waves of solidarity

For each of the themes, they have outlined what the key messages are, with examples of brands articulating them. I recommend you download the report here to understand what each one means in more detail.

From my own personal experience, working with my client contacts, I have noticed a greater emphasis on two of these in particular. That is "Voicing a renewed purpose" and "waves of solidarity". An example of waves of solidarity, could be a brand like Japanine Games, who have offered to give bricks and mortar retailers 50% of the revenue when someone buys on their brand eCommerce store, even though they are fulfilling the order directly, because they realise how important it is to their customers to have physical stores that they can visit to meet friends and discover new products, once lockdown finishes. To give you a flavour of what is in the report, here is an example:

I have been reassured at how most brands have listened and reacted to the changing needs of their audiences and adapted their messaging. This report is an excellent piece of evidence, which underlines the importance of customer insight and agility in marketing.

I would love to know how your messaging has evolved and the reaction that it has had from your audience. Please share examples in the comments section. 

How has digital channel usage changed during Covid-19?

Every January Hootsuite produces the most comprehensive and reliable study of digital marketing that is available. I use their studies regularly as reference materials for my training and consulting.

In April, Hootsuite published an updated report, looking specifically at uses of digital channels during April of this year as the Pandemic took hold. The report is called "Digital 2020 - April Global Statshot Report"

Here are some highlights: 

• Smart phone usage is up by 76%
• Laptop computer usage is up 45%
• Tablet usage is up 22%
• TV Streaming is up 34%
• Gaming is up 17%

And the amount of time we use each channel is up to, as the image below demonstrates:

We can also see that consumers want new content and ideally they want it to be original, exclusive and live. When asked what type of content they wanted to watch during lockdown, old repeats of TV shows and sporting events are seen as less desirable than films, how to videos and funny memes. We want to be entertained, we are prepared to laugh about the challenges we face and I am guessing we also want to switch off and we want to be bale to help ourselves. I have always been an advocate of brands creating "how to..." videos, and they can be particularly helpful when lockdown means that people have to fix their own issues and find wasy to entertain themselves and their families.

Social media usage is up substantially across the board with females increasing their use of social more than men, across all ages, globally. No surprise that the most downloaded app in the world in April 2020 was TikTok.

The report has lots of great info, so download it yourself Hootsuite April 2020 Update. Here is one last chart, showing social media usage growth by age and gender. 

If you see any more data on Covid-19 behaviours, please share it. I'd love to see it. Stay safe...

 

2 New blog posts for Chartered Institute of Marketing about communicating in the Corona Virus Crisis

I have recently guest written 2 posts for the Chartered Institute of Marketing's blog

They are: Are you striking the right tone on social media

And: Adapting your content marketing in the age of coronavirus

In these articles, I explore how brands should be adapting their communications in these tough times and show case examples of companies that I believe have struck the right tone. I have tried to feature businesses that are not known for their marketing expertise, such as Hotel Football and Blue Orchid Bakery, as I believe many small businesses have shown their bigger, less agile rivals, the way.

I was impressed with Admiral Car Insurance, who have spontaneously contacted their customers to say that they were reducing premiums as less cars on the road has led to fewer claims, but this came out after my articles were submitted. 

Please check out both articles and other excellent pieces, written by other expert CIM Course Directors on the CIM Exchange blog. 

If you are interested in contacting me to discuss either attending a CIM Course, or if you need help with your digital marketing strategy, you can also reach me on all of the usual social media channels:

Twitter - @njbaggott

Linked In - nick-baggott

Web site - Navigate Consulting Ltd

Or if you have any questions or comments about how best to communicate in these challenging times, please comment on this post...

Good luck and stay safe

I am doing a free webinar on Building an Audience Driven Social Media campaign

I shall be delivering a free webinar on behalf of Crowd Control HQ on March 31st

It is entitled "6 Steps to building an audience-driven social media plan". If you'd like to sign up, please do so. It would be great to see you there. Here is the link https://content.crowdcontrolhq.com/6-step-audience-driven-social-media-marketing-plan

Tik Tok - What is it and what is all the fuss about?

If you are under 24, you are probably already using Tik Tok. If you are older, then you may wonder what all the fuss is about. Last year, a chinese company purchased Musical.ly and rebranded it as Tik Tok. The usage has subsequently grown massively. 

In the first quarter of 2019, the Tik Tok app (iOS and Android) was downloaded twice as many times as YouTube or Instagram globally and there are already over 1 billion active monthly users. The majority are in China but the next biggest market is USA.

Tik Tok allows users to upload 15 second videos and share them (an updated version of what Vine was used for if you like). It is simple to edit and create videos and animations and you can live stream. This YouTube video shows an Australian news programme explaining simply what Tik Tok is and how you can use it. 

And if you want some great, practical advice on how to use Tik Tok for marketing, check out this great article by my good friend, Dan Rowles called "A marketer's guide to Tik Tok"

So why not download it, follow a few people (I started with big media starts like James Corden, Ed Sheeran and Jimmy Fallon) and let me know in the comments what you think.

 

Super Fans v Celebrity Endorsement

A national newspaper contacted me yesterday asking for my opinion on whether using super fans to create and share your content was more effective than traditional celebrity endorsement. So, I wrote a few pointers for them. I suspect they will only use a quote or two from this, so I thought I would share my thoughts in full here. Once they publish the story, I shall also tweet out a link @njbaggott.

Here are my thoughts:

Influencing the influencers has become core to most business’ social media strategy. As Social channels like Facebook and Instagram have reduced the free exposure a brand can achieve with their personalisation algorithms, brands have had to find alternative ways of engaging with their audiences. Typically, we think of influencing influencers as being synonymous with finding celebrities with large reach. However, consumers increasingly want to hear from authentic users of a brand’s product or service, rather than listening to celebrities who they do not believe to be experts or genuine users of that brand. They will trust someone that they believe is genuinely recommending a product because they use it, more than someone who is being paid to endorse a brand. For this reason, I believe brands should focus on giving their best customers a voice.

This is particularly true in the more considered purchases, like in B2B sectors or in consumer markets that consumers want to research before they spend, such as choosing a University course, or a vacation. The rise of review sites like Trip Advisor and the importance of positive reviews in search rankings are examples of this.

One brand who uses fans effectively is Disney Themes Parks in the USA. Their “Disney Moms” membership programme is used to encourage theme park visitors to post positive and authentic imagery on their personal social media channels in return for money can’t buy rewards at the park (such as their children appearing in the Disney Parade or feeding the giraffes in Animal Kingdom. This generates huge reach for believable content that promotes their experiences.

Other examples include brands like Red Bull and Abercrombie & Fitch who use student ambassadors in University Campuses to spread the word and drive traffic to events and in-store activities.

The challenge for brands is how to maintain the feeling of authenticity when reviewers and members are getting rewards in return and also generating the reach that a high profile celebrity could achieve in one post.

My football team, Reading FC have used super fans in a different way to build bridges with their core fan base and to improve their fan experience. Since the appointment of a new Chief Executive in 2018, Reading FC have regularly engaged with a select group of Super Fans to ask for their opinion on generating a more positive atmosphere in the stadium and to bring more of a connection between fans and the club. It is the fans’ responsibility to feedback how the club has co-operated and listened to them with the rest of the fan base, via podcasts and fan forums. This has resulted in the club opening up a new area of the stadium, Club 1871, to fans who want to support the team in a positive way that does not include being abusive to away team fans, which has contributed to a much more positive in-stadium experience.

Do you have any great examples of brands using Super Fans that you can share?

 

How to use WhatsApp for marketing comms

Up until recently, I saw WhatsApp as a very useful personal tool and also a great tool for communicating with groups or friends or colleagues. For example, I know a football team that uses it to share information and news with their scouting network and I know of a marketing consultancy whose employees work mostly from home, uses it to create a sense of "team" by setting up special interest WhatsApp groups (sports fans, grandparents etc) where employees with similar interests can chat and recreate the office water cooler chats.

However, I have just read an excellent article from Hootsuite, which explains what WhatsApp is (in simple terms) and then showcases 3 great examples of brands using it to engage with their customers. The best examples are Hellman's mayonnaise, who invited customers to take photos of the food in their fridge and Hellman's responded by having live chats with a chef that they employed, who talked them through a personalised recipe based on what was in their fridge. Check out the video on YouTube to see more about the Hellman's WhatsApp case study

The other great example in the Hootsuite WhatsApp article  is from Absolut vodka. They wanted to build their brand in Argentina, so first set up an exclusive party. They then set up a WhatsApp account for the event's bouncer. Customers who wanted to attend the event had to contact the bouncer via WhatsApp and persuade him to get them onto the guest list. Customers attempted to do this by all manner of means including sending in songs that they had written and videos that they had made. It is a fun, news worthy and viral campaign. Watch the YouTube case study here - Absolut Vodka WhatsApp case study  

I'd love to hear of any other great WhatsApp cases if you know of any....

Content Marketing Institute advice on influencing influencers

I have just read an excellent article from the Content Marketing Institute entitled "No celebrities allowed".

The article outlines their advice on how to build an influencer marketing programme and is full of good tips.

Here are some highlights: (I have paraphrased their excellent article)

1. Do the preliminary work - make sure you have clear objectives and how will they be measured
2. Build a timeline - treat the activity like any strategic plan that you build, set deadlines, assign ownership etc
3. Select your influencers - more on this later....
4. Invite influencers - think about what is in it for them before you contact them eg association or exposure
5. Provide assets to make amplification easier - make it as simple as possible for the influencers to share your content by providing creative assets that they can use e.g. videos, case studies or an infographic
6. Measure your results

What interested me most is their advice on selecting influencers. Their excellent check list was:

• Are they known in the industry? You need some big hitters to gain reach and credibility
• Do they have a network outside of yours? Do they reach people that you don't e.g. in another country or industry?
• Will they share your excitement? Will they be thrilled to be part of the programme and therefore more likely to share your content?
• Do they represent your audience? Will your customers respect them?
• Have you had success with that influencer? Have they participated in a positive way with your brand in the past?

I would add to that:

• Do they share your brand values? Are they a good fit with your image?
• Are they associated with your competitors? Can you build an exclusive partnership with them?
• Are they trusted? Do they do what they say they will do and not get involved in anything that may cause issues for your brand? Do they declare when a post is sponsored or in partnership with a brand?
• Do they influence other influencers? Could their involvement start a viral reaction?

Influencer marketing is crucial to social media success. Influencers can massively increase reach and credibility. You need to be sure what you want from them and what you can offer in return. If you want to know where to find influencers, a good tool to help you is followerwonk. This tool allows you to see who the most influential people are that are following your twitter account. You can actually use it for any Twitter account, so why not see who the influencer influences before you start by putting potential influencers into the tool too?

I am always open to suggestions to partnerships, so if you would like to be an influencer for me, or if you would like me to be an influencer for you, please get in touch. You can reply to this post or check me out and look up my contact details at my Navigate Consulting web site. 

Latest Social Media UK Stats from Meltwater

I have just found this excellent article from Meltwater with lots of UK social media usage stats and a great infographic

Here is the headline stat:

Social media usage in the UK: 

Facebook – 79%

Instagram 41%

Twitter – 47%

LinkedIn- 33%

Pinterest – 36%

I have pasted their infographic below. You can view the full article at https://www.meltwater.com/uk/blog/social-media-stats-infographic/#

In my opinion, it shows that despite the rise of Instagram, Twitter is still really important in the UK, particularly in business to business to link to thought leadership content and also for customer service. Pinterest is also really important if marketing to females in particular (due to the usage profile), who are interested in creative things like interior design, fashion, food and wedding planning, but don't just think of it for those things as the usage is clearly high in the UK