Social media E-book 2021

SOCIAL MEDIA IN

Written by Andrew Thomas & Ravi Vyas

03 10 24

CONTENTS THE BIG PICTURE Social Media Strategy Trends in 2021 Advantages of Social Media Business Growth Recession

SOCIAL MEDIA AS A TOOL Creating Campaigns Lead Generation Community Management Listening, Engaging, and Reporting Advertising Measuring Social Media ROI Influencer Marketing Social Shopping

SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS Facebook Instagram TikTok LinkedIn Clubhouse

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SECTION 1 THE BIG PICTURE

SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY FOR 2021 Social media is a vast aspect of a business’s online marketing. It is continuously evolving, hence your strategy needs to be reviewed to ensure that you are utilising the platforms to the best possible advantage. Here’s the 2020 outlook on strategies and trends, as well as how to implement them for your business.

THE 2021 STRATEGY The truth is, there is no sample template to follow - each business needs to have a tailored plan. Your strategy will include decisions on how your business will manage your social media channels and the kind of online presence you want your business to have. This will include the kind of content you share, the way you manage and communicate with your audience, your plans on advertising and the overall methods you engage with for engagement and sales.

With that in mind, these are the 3 overriding key ideals to note:

• Emphasise your unique selling point (USP): It is as

important as ever to clearly communicate what makes your business distinctive. This is what will make you stand out and build loyalty with your audience. With so many options and algorithms, bringing a sense of creativity to your strategy is key in correctly communicating what makes you special and more importantly, worthy of the time and investment by your audience.

• Be content-wise: consider the kind of content you

supply to a given audience on a platform carefully. This will ensure your business remains relevant in the given context and offers value, rather than being seen as a hindrance. You’ll need to tailor your content to fit the platform and execute it well - consider both the visuals and the wordiness.

• Transparency: Be clear and firm in your business’s

affiliations. This is what builds trust and community.

The key is to have a specific voice and beliefs as an organisation - don’t be afraid to get involved in relevant conversations in a way that will ultimately resonate with your audience. With the worldwide covid-19 pandemic happening in 202, for example, be cognisant of the health precautions your business needs to adhere to and communicate these with your audience.

THE TRENDS TO KEEP IN MIND

• Focus on traffic, not vanity likes by following in the footsteps of Instagram, having rolled out the removal of the importance of the number of likes.

Focus instead on real time engagement by commenting, interacting with and earning testimonials. In line with this, Instagram will be putting more emphasis on ‘call to action’ buttons, challenges and quizzes on stories and an overall focus on stories.

• Build community by finding your audiences.

Facebook Groups is set to be the future of Facebook, so include those in your plans for the platform.

• Augmented reality continues to grow, especially on

TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram. This is a great opportunity for users to ‘test’ products when online shopping, or to join in on events remotely.

• Responsive search ads continue to outperform

standard internet search ads thanks to AI (artificial intelligence). This will change your strategy when it comes to advertising on the likes of Google, Facebook and Amazon. These allow for wordier texts of more in depth descriptions that are optimized and viewed when people do relevant searches.

• Video content continues to dominate and is

predicted to do so. This applies to both live content and pre-filmed and edited content with longer lifespans. This will hold the attention of your audience far better than images do, so 2020 is definitely the year to jump on this bandwagon if you haven’t yet.

HOW TO IMPLEMENT YOUR STRATEGY Your strategy should be able to cover plans on a quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily basis. The strategy needs to include your planning and publishing schedule, as well as the budgets, social media channels and content pillars. Commit to having content has value, aspiration, uniqueness and a living lifecycle. This is what will spark shareable content and conversions.

Ultimately, the strategy explains the frequency (of posting and traffic generation), generating leads (as well as increasing your reach and following), engaging and nurturing those leads and finally the customer (acquisition, retention and support).

With this in mind, ensure you have covered your bases in terms of:

• Setting goals (be clear and measurable) • Establish audiences (both current and aspirational)

• Select platforms (only be present where appropriate)

• Design content (of high quality) • Publishing content (consistently) • Data insights and analytics (measurable

information that you can base future decisions and strategies on, as well as measuring your efforts in terms of your ROI)

In 2021, in order to carry out your social media strategy, you need skilled personnel to implement the necessary tasks. Keep in mind the following roles and responsibilities:

• • • • •

Planner Community Manager Content Creator Ad buyer Analyst

Being at the forefront of the trends for 2021, your social media strategy can be aligned with the best social media practices, resulting in strengthened customer relations. Having a strategy that is specific to your needs paired with proper planning and execution, your social media marketing can be highly beneficial to your business.

ADVANTAGES OF SOCIAL MEDIA FOR BUSINESS Social media is an inevitable part of modern day life for people in their daily lives and for businesses too. From socialising on the internet to finding entertainment, consuming news and shopping, it's well integrated into the daily lives of billions of people around the world. Here the facts for 2020 that you need to know, as well as the top 10 advantages of using social media for your business.

SOCIAL MEDIA FACTS These are some of the most pertinent and recent facts about social media according to HubSpot:

• Almost half of the world’s population uses the internet • 73% of marketers say social media has been somewhat to very effective for marketing purposes

• 71% of people who have a good interaction with a brand via social media will recommend it

• Social media is the most relevant place to share

adverts (at 50% for Gen Z and 42% for Millennials)

• 54% of people use social media to research before making a purchase

• 37% of social media users use the platforms as a source of inspiration

• Social media users increased by 9% in the last year (that’s an increase of 321 million people)

• Social media users spend more than 2 hours a day on social media

TOP 10 ADVANTAGES FOR BUSINESS Visibility: It is a no brainer that having a solidified presence on social media will increase your brand’s visibility. In addition to this, you will be able to remain relevant in the online space and increase your reach to new audiences by using tags, hashtags, searches and advertising.

Branding: Through the content you publish on these platforms, you can create your brand image or use this as an extension of your existing one. Based on your aesthetic and online storytelling, people will develop brand recognition. This should be done holistically by your business by sharing things from updates to insight on your company culture.

Direct lines of communication: Social media provides you with direct lines to your customers. This can be helpful in creating connections, sharing testimonials and building loyalty for your brand. To be successful in this regard, you need a well defined brand voice and high quality content that demonstrates value and solutions in the lives of your customers.

Reputation management: Your business can manage its reputation online, from providing customer service to

develiving crisis communication as needed. This is important in regulating the perception of your brand.

Your business should develop a style guide, be consistent and responsive for best practices, as social media is always active.

Networking: Networking within the communities available on social networks will further develop your business relations with customers and suppliers. To do this, you’ll need to encourage engagements and share user generated content, which can increase the chances of a sale by 50%. For people to want to build connections with your brand, make sure you maintain the relations and share relevant content that is of interest.

Marketing: Social media forms a big part of your online marketing. Marketers who use these platforms can benefit from cost effectiveness when compared to traditional marketing, highly precise targeting, partnerships with influencers and the promotion of content in multimodal ways.

Campaigns should be introduced across various relevant networks and tailored to meet the needs of that platform for optimal results.

Conversion rates: Social media can greatly improve your revenue through increasing your conversion rates. You can target potential customers through networks directly, as well as drive more traffic to your website with links and call to action requests.

Part of your strategy should be to generate, nurture and convert leads through the techniques available on social media.

Authority: Having a presence on social media will improve your rankings to search engines. It is therefore a critical part of your search engine marketing and should be optimised with search engine optimisation for the most effective results.

The content you produce can also set you apart based on the knowledge and expertise you share.

Insights: The analytics available on social media can be very telling for your business, presenting you with otherwise undetected and missed opportunities for growth. Utilise these figures to assist you in improving your posts and product offerings.

Monitoring: Through social media, you can monitor your industry and your competition, which can be useful tools for your own strategies. You can also monitor the conversations happening among your audience to see what matters most to them. Finally, experiment with posting styles and techniques so that you can perform A/B testing. You can then monitor the results and find a strategy that works for you.

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Your business is likely to have a presence on social media whether you decided to actively join the networks or not. It is for that reason, along with the many advantages presented by these platforms for your business, it is best to have an active involvement in the perception and messaging that circulates about your brand.

10 SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING TRENDS FOR 2021 With the whirlwind year done and dusted, people are looking ahead to 2021 and wondering what’s in store. As with any ever evolving topic, social media is seeing the introduction and development of various trends. We’re looking at the top 10, all of which represent or respond to the current consumer zeitgeist. If the previous year taught us anything, it's the importance of having your finger on the pulse - here’s how marketers can take advantage of it for their businesses.

SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS Social shopping: Social shopping will become available in more countries around the world, allowing for consumers to shop posts with ease. This is a key development for retail businesses as it presents another avenue for revenue generation.

Businesses will need to master this development quickly and ensure that they are able to meet the demand efficiently.

Storytelling selling will be more important than ever, as this trend does not mean audiences will want hard selling - subtly with ease is key.

Influencer marketing: Influencer marketing continues to be an effective form of social media marketing, albeit a changing one.

There is a rise of influencers on new platforms (most notably on TikTik) and the relationships that businesses have with them is changing. We’ve written about those changes in detail here, though the jist of it is this: niche influencers are ever-important and the relationships themselves are becoming more long term and returns based, with one’s values and affiliations taking precedence over luxury lifestyle content.

Video: Video continues to make its way onto trend forecasts year on year, with 2021 being no different. The success of this medium of content continues to be demonstrated. This is the most effective way to create engagement with audiences, and it is also a great way to rank in terms of SEO. In fact, video is no longer an optional nice-to-have. This content should be high quality and communicate various aspects of your brand and customer journey. It should also be used in different styles, such as lives, stories and clips for social media platforms and your website.

Loyalty: In 2021, people want to collectively carry on with life, supporting each other and the brands who care about them. If your efforts have been successful in keeping your community close, you need to reward them for their loyalty through benefits and membership offers. People respond very positively to this, as we continue to see with appreciative reviews, brand alignments and appreciation for user generated content.

Localisation: The ‘near me’ tag is crucial for 2021. People are looking for convenience and building networks of support within their own communities. This is an effective way to reach niche audiences and appeal to people in a very personalised manner. Furthermore, appealing to locality can be in the best interests of the environment and meeting people's needs who are now staying home far more than they did before.

Education: There is a strong desire for educational, informative content online. This is a drawcard for many, as they want to ‘learn more’ by following links and understanding their worlds better. This is best when provided as additional value for your audience. Providing helpful content and ones that are rooted in

authoritative sources are of great importance. Find interesting ways of communicating such information with people, such as with animated videos and infographics to really capture their attention and communicate simply.

Detox: Since so much of life has moved online, including work for many people, there are a number of people who are seeking digital detoxes where possible. This means they realise their place as ‘users’ of social media and want to avoid fake news, advertising and data sharing. Marketers will have to balance their marketing efforts in order not to push people away and also to cater to those who opt to remain offline. There are also apps emerging which vow not to use algorithms and advertising, which is something to keep an eye on in order to meet needs if your audience is among this group of people.

Messaging: It doesn’t get much more personal than someone’s inbox. This trend continues to grow from the year prior, with more sophisticated technology (chatbots) options being used to communicate with audiences directly. This is a great tool in terms of offering support as it appeals to people's need to have things instantaneously and to have any issues resolved quickly.

Aesthetics: The look, feel and design of your social media channels and the content you post needs to be thematic and reflective of the zeitgeist. Quality is one thing, but having information that fits the moods and sentiments of your audience is another. This means you need to appeal to the senses and consier things like your colour palette very seriously as it displays the psyche of your audience. Fashion weeks for 2021 have shown us that strong colours will be trends, as people strive for happier days with confidence through bold hues.

Interactivity: Content is becoming highly technical, with AR/VR and 360 degree videos becoming more accessible tools for brands to use. These options provide interactivity and entice people to explore your content. This is a great way to give people the best possible virtual experience and can be highly influential when it comes to purchasing decisions.

BUSINESS GROWTH USING SOCIAL MEDIA In a question for the digital age: if your brand isn’t online, does it even exist? Well, sure it can, but it would be missing out on the many advantages and opportunities that social networks provide. We’re breaking down the top 10 ways you can grow your business using social media.

Reach: Social media is a useful tool to increase the exposure of your brand. You will be able to easily and indirect attract new customers - it grows your target audience in a calculated manner. You can manually find people using relevant tags, or expand your base through advertising. Social media’s advantage lies in the ability to share and be ‘sociable’ online, so creating content that people share is another means of increasing your awareness.

Awareness: Simply put, the more people who know about your business, the better. Once people come into contact with your business, the information regarding what you do needs to be clearly understood. Your business will resonate with people who identify with your brand, so at this stage, you want to garner the interest of social media users. Once awareness of your business is made, the next step is interest, so you need to ensure your profile is capable of holding it.

Leads: Leads are a key component of business growth. Social media presents several ways for you to generate, nurture and convert leads. This trio should form the basis of your social strategy. There are several techniques you can use across various platforms to achieve this, from polls to gated content, webinars and advertising. It is also important to note that these leads rank as higher quality when compared to other forms of online marketing.

Perception: Your online perception needs to be an extension of your brand. The key to this is building a unique aesthetic and brand voice that leads to brand recognition. This is created by having a strong strategy and image. This is built over a period of time and requires the social media manager to have an excellent understanding of the business in order to represent it accurately. This is not, however, solely in their hands, but also built upon the reviews and testimonials of your audience.

easy to reach. Have specific calls to action that are appropriate and lead to your primary, owned site.

You can also generate more traffic by encouraging people to share your content. Another great way to do this is to become involved in trending topics as a point of discussion or way to inform your content accordingly.

Service: Do not underestimate the power of customer service on social media. You can grow your business by demonstrating that your business cares and is responsive to users, as this will increase trust in your brand. Interactions are arguably the most important part of your social media strategy, so you need to ensure that these remain positive and are ongoing exchanges.

Cost effectiveness: Advertising on social media is far less expensive than traditional marketing.

Determine your ad spend according to your budget and increase where necessary, although you need to keep in mind that quality content trumps higher quantities of content - meaning spending on content creation will be beneficial to you. You can also collaborate with influencers as a cost effective way of soft selling. You can also instill the mindset of cost effectiveness for the customer too by sharing exclusive offers with them through social media.

Analysis: With digital media and mediums, there is the advantage of rigorous analytics. With thorough analysis, you can grow your business by knowing exactly where and how to improve. This can be based on the feedback you get from your own content, or by conducting competitor analysis, as this is a simple yet insightful means of tracking the industry and ensuring that you remain ahead of the game.

Authority: You can grow your business by having solidified and active social media channels. By building your presence online, you’re creating more links to your website and publishing more content associated with your brand. This will improve your ratings when it comes to search engine marketing. This means your brand footprint needs to be well considered and executed in order for you to grow optimally. Another way to increase your authority is by consistently publishing content that showcases your business as a thought leader in your industry.

Trust: When people are doing research about a product or service you offer, or are keen to find more information on your business, a starting - and defining - point is through social media. This is used to assess trustworthiness as your online presence speaks volumes about your visibility, the kind of content you share and the voice you use when speaking with your audience. Build trust by developing solid relationships through these social platforms and utilise scheduling for consistent posting to maintain your brand’s flow of content.

Traffic: Since your social media is an extension of your business, you need to include a link to your business that is

By employing the tips listed above, you can better equip your business’s social media strategy and expect to see it grow. This growth will extend beyond your online influence to increasing your profit margins too.

SOCIAL MEDIA HELPS BUSINESSES DURING RECESSION The covid-19 pandemic has resulted in many countries entering into periods of lockdown. This has stifled economies and caused unemployment rates to rise as many businesses have been unable to bear the brunt. It is no question that the world is heading into a recession, the ‘Great Lockdown’ recession. Social media platforms provide one of the most pivotal tools for a business. Here’s how it can help yours…

THE IMPACT OF A RECESSION The recession that looms over the world is predicted to be one of the worst seen in almost a century. The IMF expected a 3% contraction in 2020, but has since increased the global output to shrink by 4.9%. These are alarming figures, especially with the covid-19 pandemic being unprecedented. There is no certainty as to how long it will affect society for and to what extent economically.

As people have limited their exposure to the virus by staying indoors, there has been a complete change in societal behaviour. What people have been increasingly exposed to is the internet, with screen times increasing. Recessions themselves also alter consumer behaviour and perceptions, both of which are crucial for the success of a business. This is where digital marketing can be highly effective, both during and after a recession to ensure responsiveness and a positive outlook.

A recession also naturally impacts businesses too, from the operations to the strategies.

During these times, digital marketing and your business’s online presence is more pertinent than ever. This is where marketers can step in and capitalise to ensure that your business makes it through a recession and remains profitable.

SOCIAL MEDIA DURING A RECESSION As the world takes a dip and consumers have less disposable income to spend, their confidence takes a knock. Rather than favouring convenience, consumers will put in the time and effort to shop around for deals. This is why your business needs to be available or at least accessible online. You can increase your chances of discovery this way, as well as invite an increase in traffic to your digital platforms.

Since social media is ‘social,’ it is where people can share and engage in dialogue with one another. In cases of lockdown, this has been the only means of communication and connection for many. Word of mouth is still a key element of the success of a business and the effectiveness of that concept is tenfold on social media with mentions and shares, reaching many more people.

For your business to succeed during these times, you also need to get involved in the dialogue taking place. Be present, be visible and be in the thick of it with people. People want businesses to be transparent, sharing their stories of how

they’re affected, for example, or how they are doing all that they can to give back to the community. This increases trust and allows your business to be part of the conversation by disseminating important information. This can be viewed as the crux of both your public relations and crisis communication.

Your social media accounts are always visible, so these need to be maintained and well looked after through strategy and community management.

During hard times is when opportunity arises, and that is certainly the case on social media. The kind of content you post during times of difficulty can leave lasting impressions with your customers. It is because of this that your ability to tell stories digitally is of the utmost importance, as well as your ability to be consistent in order to show the reliability of your business.

PLATFORM PLANS AND PROTOCOLS First things first, you’re going to need to do a full evaluation of your current social media. With a recession happening, your strategy will need to adapt. This could be your opportunity to breathe new life and direction into your accounts, so don’t skim over this step. You need to ensure you’re present on the correct platforms and creating content that is suited to them. If you have not yet explored the depths of digital multimedia, this is the perfect opportunity to experiment and see what works best from webinars to video’s and podcasts.

With a newly devised strategy in place, you can focus on growing on social media, which can easily be measured in various ways. In order to do this, ensure that your content is optimised. Another key aspect for growth is your advertising spend. If possible, do not cut back on these costs during a recession. Social media is still a highly cost effective method of advertising and will boost your social media activity.

Finally, once the recession nears its end, you will have worked your way back up through a growth plan and can focus on improving upon these efforts even more, utilising engagements and a bonafide strategy to help you continue to catch up on what the recessional dip made you lose out on. This is what will take your business from strength to strength, with a new strategy likely needed as consumer behaviour and business operations begin to change once more.

Times of recession are tough for businesses and society in general. It is clear to see that having an effective social media strategy can carry your business through the tough times with several opportunities available to you via these platforms.

SECTION 2 SOCIAL MEDIA AS A TOOL

SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS HOW TO GET STARTED To drive marketing across social media channels, you need to strategize and implement campaigns. With the right techniques and tools you can successfully promote your product or service as a significant part of your online marketing. If there’s a campaign you’ve got in mind, these are the steps you need to take...

DEFINE THE OBJECTIVES Before you begin, it is important to set your objectives. While you’re likely to have a few, narrow it down to a couple so that you can deliver on these aspects fully. This may include:

• Driving brand awareness • Educating your audience about a product or service • Promote a new product or service • Generate leads • Promote a new promotion or offer to customers • Launching of a new business, product or service When determining the objectives, keep in mind social media KPIs: Engagement, likes, and comments. The following steps in starting your social media campaign will be centered on delivering these.

PICK YOUR PERSONAS Who is your target audience? You need to develop your target audience based on research and split these people into groups of personas. These personas include details about them. These are the kinds of questions you should be asking:

• Where do they live?

• Is it gender specific?

• What is the age range?

• What is this person interested in?

• What are the values?

• How do they spend their time?

• How much disposable income do they have?

There is no detail which should be left to question. While there will be variables and potentially several personas, truly understanding the groups of targeted individuals will help you to identify pertinent patterns that can aid in your campaign and improve your business by catering to their needs and desires. Once you can clearly define who you are talking to, you can develop your business’s own voice and tone in a way that resonates well with the various personas.

PLATFORM SELECTION Now that you’re well versed in the reasoning and goals for the campaign, as well as the people you’re targeting, you need to find out where they reside on social media. This will be persona specific, though it also needs to match your brand.

Whether you select one platform or several platforms, you need to ensure that there is integrated marketing communication. This means that while your campaigns are tailored to the specific platforms they’re on, the campaign is clear and consistent - it is, after all, the same campaign and your audience need to know that if they view the campaign across several platforms.

If you’re looking to target families or people based on their location, you may consider Facebook. If aesthetics are important to your campaign, Instagram may be a better fit. If your content is video based then YouTube will work, whereas if it’s more textually based you’d opt for Twitter. Pinterest is great for inspirational imagery and LinkedIn for targeting people in the professional space. If you’re trying to reach the early adopters, try Clubhouse.

Once you’ve selected your platform, be sure to conduct a competitor analysis. Analyse and follow them to see the kind of content they’re publishing, the reactions they’re generating and gain more insight into your potential customer bases.

If you’d like to have others soft selling your products, then consider influencer collaborations. These are brand ambassadors who will share your product or service with their followers, therefore increasing your reach.

CONTENT PILLARS Next up, you need to consider how you’re going to get your message across to your audience.

Content needs to be high quality, attention grabbing and engaging. Think of this in multimedia terms, so that you can share your message in various ways that suit the topic, the audience and the platform. You don’t want to simply sell an item or idea, you want to inspire.

Your visuals should include a mix of the product/service, the customer experience and lifestyle based for inspiration. When it comes to multimedia for social media, consider: GIFS VIDEOS IMAGES STORIES CAPTIONS AUDIO CLIPS

PERFORMANCE POTENTIAL When it comes to your performance potential, consider both your organic and paid potential.

With advertising, you need to consider the following:

• Budget: Once you have the content in mind, you need to consider your budget. There are various options available to users on social media, so the smallest of budgets can work.

• Personas: These will determine your

advertising targeting from location to expected impressions, optimal formats and the required frequency of the ads.

• Conversions: If your campaign resonates well,

the call to action needs to be clear with your ad and easy to engage, whether that leads to a lead, a website or a direct purchase.

In terms of your organic potential, ensure that if you are active on social media platforms, that your accounts are complete and professional.

Campaigns you do should feature seamlessly with what you already have going on with your social media strategy.

Objectives, personas, platforms, content and performance potential. That, in a nutshell, is how you can get started with social media campaigns.

These will add great value to your online marketing and boost revenue.

SOCIAL MEDIA FOR LEAD GENERATION Lead generation is a term used to describe a simple concept: information shared by a potential customer with the consent and expectation of receiving a follow up. The role of a marketer is essentially to generate leads: creating a valuable exchange with the aim of turning potential customers into actual customers.

GENERATING LEADS WITH SOCIAL MEDIA Well, social media is a highly effective method of generating leads. When deciding upon your social strategy, key focal areas often include brand awareness and engagement. Think of lead generation as the third element to a successful marketing mix.

Through social media platforms, you can generate higher quality leads than elsewhere (including email marketing, content marketing, website, customer relationship management and search engine optimization).

If you’re looking for facts that show the potential of this medium, consider this: social media has reduced business costs by 45% on average and increased revenue by 24%. These platforms are not just for sharing and branding purposes, but instead are a powerful tool in reaching potential customers. Remember, quality trumps quantity. This means that the interactions you have need to be positive and the information exchanged needs to be of quality - i.e your offer needs to be satisfactory and their information needs to be accurate. This can be tricky in times of concern of privacy, so you need to build trust and keep the data secure.

Your business needs to analyse these potential customers.

They’re the people who are interested in your business (or don’t yet know that they’re interested). It’s your job to collect these ‘leads’ and offer them something of value in order to stay in touch with them. Once you have identified who your audience is, research to find out where they are. This, coupled with the specifics of your product or service will inform you of which social media channels to use.

Once you’re in full swing, you need to ensure that you monitor all of the relevant stats carefully so that you can refine your processes for optimal results. Your primary considerations are that of effect and cost - the desired effect of the efforts you’re making and the associated costs with acquiring these leads.

Social Media and Leads

LEAD GENERATION This is all about the business of acquiring new potential customers. It is not blindly targeting audiences, but ensuring that there is an exchange of information as this is where the potential for sales exists.

LEAD NURTURING Once you’ve been successful in generating leads, you need

to nurture them. The goal is for that exchange of information to remain (no unsubscribing or opting out). Developing these

relations is key once they’ve been built for future purchases is the starting point of heading down the sales funnel.

LEAD CONVERSION This is the final step where the potential is actualised and a purchase is made. Your business needs to ensure that this process is a positive one for the customer as this is what will lead to brand loyalty for sustained success.

Methods for social media leads

• • • • • •

Polls and surveys Offers and promotional deals Webinars Gated content (such as eBooks) Contests Adverts

OPTIMAL PRACTICES Bot Automation: With highly advanced chatbots, you can streamline this process to increase your response time and manage your interactions with leads.

Community: Build your community, become part of relevant external communities and always encourage sharing to grow your network of potential leads.

Content distribution: The content can take many forms, from text to video, but it needs to be substantive so that it is compelling and increases your click through rates.

Account Based Marketing (ABM): When it comes to building quality leads, your targeting needs to be as precise as possible which is what ABM is designed to achieve.

Optimisation: Your content and platforms need to be optimised so that your organic reach is optimal. Achieve this through the information you provide and the digital practices you use.

Incentives: Your incentives need to be strong enough to draw people in and add value to their lives.

Personalize: When trying to build the best possible relations, going the extra mile to cater to your leads can yield favourable results.

PLATFORMS The most popular for lead generation with a reported 60 million active business pages, though it has lowest CPC rates. You can opt for one of three kinds of promotional methods on Facebook, with those being on-page, off-page and paid.

Boost your business on Twitter with ads that make specific keywords.

Arguably the best platform for B2B lead generation with more than 660 million users.

You can make sure use of ads and highly precise targeting to generate leads.

Reach thousands of people through targeted ads.

There are a host of leads waiting for your business on social media. With the correct formula in place, these platforms can boost your customer base and grow your business. If the term ‘lead generation’ is not circulating in your social media strategy meetings, you’re missing out on profitable opportunities.

SOCIAL MEDIA LISTENING, ENGAGEMENT AND REPORTING One of the key benefits for a brand's presence on social media is the ability to learn about your customer's perceptions and to engage in any conversations that form part of their world. Remember, whether you have a presence on social media or not, it's likely that your customers are already talking about you, so having the ability to respond and be an active part of it has enormous advantages.

Our social media listening, engagement and reporting services include 24/7 monitoring of publicly available conversations on the web and social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. Our team has been trained to engage with audiences using optimal and appropriate tonality and use enterprise-level tools to provide extensive reporting for each client and activation.

LISTENING While interacting with your audiences on social media is of the utmost importance, passively watching and listening is too. This refers to the analysis of the current landscape and sentiments that surround your business in online spaces. It provides the content to your marketing as it relays the information that matters to your customers. Tapping into this information and being able to draw insights from it can significantly improve your marketing strategies. Social media listening should be performed on an ongoing basis, as it can provide marketers with crucial information regarding:

• • • • • •

Pain Points Leads Competitors Opportunities Influencers Thoughts

By harnessing the above, you can transform your marketing to suit the content and better understand your online community. You will build stronger relationships by understanding your audiences and their world better. It is the kind of information that is crucial, and at your fingertips, you need to collect and sort the data accordingly.

ENGAGEMENT Engagement is gold in the currency of digital marketing. It refers to two-way communication between a brand and its customers. Engagement can take many forms, all of which have their role in building an online community. Beyond catering to your audience, engagement is also vital for your brand being picked up by algorithms and therefore having sufficient reach online. Marketers are required to build meaningful relationships with their followers on social media in order to meet the needs of their target audience and boost the brand's perception. It is required across all of

the platforms used by a business and includes the following fundamental factors: Being active:Positing content and being part of the mix.

Being responsive: Responding personally and as quickly as possible.

Be consistent: This fosters reliability among audiences and network algorithms.

Provide value: The content you create needs to speak to your customer.

Encourage sharing: User-generated content and reviews are valuable and should be openly praised.

Engage in direct messaging: This is a preferred method of communication among many social media shoppers.

REPORTING Reporting on the performance of social media is one of the most important steps for a marketer, as does much more than showing which KPI goals were met. With robust reporting tools available, we at Nexa work on creating detailed and insightful reports that showcase the successes of a campaign, as well as the windows of opportunity for future campaigns. It is easy to get lost in the many figures available when it comes to social media, so knowing which ones matter most to your brand, such as those which accurately reflect your brand's online engagement, are a highly beneficial resource for a business to have. These reports are based on precisely calculated values and are necessary in order to adapt in the way that is in the best interest of your brand.

HOW TO MEASURE THE ROI OF SOCIAL MEDIA As with anything a business invests in, returns are to be expected. Social media is one of the greatest digital marketing tools available to businesses, however trying to determine a clear return can be tricky. Nevertheless, it is imperative that these activities are measured to ensure that goals are being reached. Here are the ways to determine the ROI on social media.

SOCIAL MEDIA GOAL SETTING There are various goals that your social media campaigns and activities can have. Without goals, the data you collect means very little. Here are some of the most common goals set for social media marketing:

• • • • • • •

Increase brand awareness Increase engagement Improve customer service Build a loyal community through customer relationships Generate leads Establish authority Lifetime value of your customers, which can tell you how much each potential visit is worth when multiplied by the conversion rate

ASPECTS TO MEASURE There is ample data available to marketers as a result of their social media campaigns and activities. Some of these are sales based, where you can derive monetary insights of ROI, while others are intangible and pertain to brand perceptions. These are the KPI’s you’ll need to track in order to see if your goals are being reached.

• • • • • • •

Number of leads generated Value of sales pipeline Brand perceptions Number of views and traffic to website Direct sales revenue Customer satisfaction Customer advocacy including user generated content, reviews and referrals

• Engagement with content in terms of likes, shares and followers

Social media platforms have become more business friendly, with various tools available to them in order to track this kind of data. However, this often provides surface level metrics. Those who use programs that schedule and post content for you, such as Hootsuite and Buffer, can provide you with detailed analysis reports. These not only make sense of the numbers for you, but can automate your activity and act as a hub for all of your social

mediaplatforms, making the management of social media easier.

If you use HubSpot for your CRM, you can access reports that help you to determine the exact value of your social media marketing. With this, you can track the revenue from customers transactions that began with social media as the source. If you trade online, you can also look at similar figures, including the use of discount codes shared from social media.

WHAT COMES NEXT? Turning data into insight and analysis requires you to take a step further. In order to be effective, it needs to inform your plans and strategy going forward. This is how you can effectively act on opportunities, avoid threats, build on your strengths and improve your weaknesses. This is therefore an endless cycle for marketers of plans, actions and evaluations.

What we’ve established is that it can be tricky to determine the ROI of social media due to its ability to provide a business with various tangible and intangible benefits, as well as its ability to spew out many figures that could mean everything in some cases and nothing in others.

For instance, the number of likes was once the key metric for marketers, though it is now considered vanity metrics that don’t translate to much.

Other aspects that make it tricky to measure are the fact that there is a lot that goes into social media marketing. How and what you do can have a tremendous impact on your success online. It can be intensive yet highly rewarding, with many aspects to take into account when it comes to investment - for instance, the time required for these activities and the costs of the tools or personnel necessary to make it all happen. These are important resources that are necessary for social media marketing.

While marketers can find success with low budgets and accurate targeting, it also generally requires time and consistent, concerted efforts in order to make a real impression within your community. Therefore it is important to consider the many returns that social media can bring, including that which goes beyond monetary values and is, quite literally, priceless.

Social media is complex, requiring the planning, creating and sharing of content. Then, a community manager is needed in order to manage the engagements. With these considerations and resource requirements, social media should be measured in order to determine what is most effective and therefore what makes the most business sense. This extends to channel selections, and campaign launches - this will ensure your scope is wide enough.

Since there are various metrics available to marketers, they will need to utilise the correct insights for specific stakeholders. This is because marketers, sales and the boards of directors require different details when it comes to drawing specific investment figures and returns.

From the goals you need to set, to the aspects you need to measure and how to make sense of it all, determine the ROI of social media marketing is a vast and complex. By having the appropriate KPI’s, tools and analysis in place, you can improve and excel in this fruitful part of digital marketing.

SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT SERVICES Managing your business's community on social media is an essential but highly-rewarding activity that needs to be done with care. Not only does community management allow you to forge a closer relationship with both customers and prospects but also provides trust, credibility and a layer of transparency for your business that is otherwise difficult to attain.

In addition, brands who are active on social media have a greater chance of leveraging new business opportunities and building brand loyalty due to the increased visibility on offer. Millions of people in the Middle East are on social media platforms, most of whom are active social media users. Herein lies great opportunities for brands.

Social media management requires one to assume responsibility for overseeing and implementing the publishing of content, engagement with users and monitoring of social media accounts. These activities are done following the strategy that is put in place, and requires the researched directives, conceptualization, and created content in order to occur.

Social media is one of the primary online touchpoints that a brand has with its audience. Therefore the management of these accounts is key to building relationships and maintaining a positive brand perception. This is a demanding role which requires a lot of multitasking. In some cases, audits will need to be conducted, and in others, new accounts will need to be created and optimized.

The person or team in charge of this will need to have extensive brand knowledge in order to communicate and interact with the audiences appropriately. Their tasks typically include:

• Content management: While the community manager

may not need to create content, they will need to manage the process of attaining it from content creators. Scheduling this according to best practices is also necessary, as well as maintaining a visible presence continually with ephemeral content as well.

• Scheduling and publishing content: We at Nexa utilize

social media management tools to run several accounts simultaneously. This ensures we can carry out the social media strategy accurately and provides us with more time to work on building and maintaining relationships with the social media communities.

• Social listening: Monitoring the activity of your audience

and competitors online forms part of social listening. It is a way of assessing the current social media landscape and provides context for your place in the social media world. With this, you can understand your audience better, measure your brand's image online and

get insight into valuable sentiments relating to your customers.

• Advertising campaigns: Developing and

running ad campaigns according to the budget and towards the targeted audience is a vital role for the social media community manager, as ideally ads are created to draw audiences in, appeal to them and elicit action and/or engagement. Promotions may include paid campaigns or competitions.

• Interactions and engagement: In today's age,

being able to reach a brand almost instantaneously via social media is part of the recipe for success. Brands need to maintain and encourage two-way communication, both publicly and through direct messaging. It is a showcase of the brand's care for its community, managing its reputation and also a means to provide customer service.

• Monitoring and reporting: We monitor and

report on the data and analytics from social media activities online. This is reported comprehensively to detect patterns and measure the success of the KPIs. This requires one to measure the right metrics and to draw insights from them, and then to make data-backed recommendations for the future.

Work with a creative agency who has extensive experience in managing the social media accounts of some of the world's leading brands.

We have all the tools, techniques and specialists in place to effectively manage your community so that your business runs its social media smoothly.

WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS? Influencer marketing has reached a point of maturity, having been a growing phenomenon over the last few years. Naysayers continue their narrative that the influencer bubble is going to pop and on the other hand, reports expect the industry to be worth $10 billion by the end of the year. So, what is the future of social media influencers?

Well, social media is a highly effective method of generating leads. When deciding upon your social strategy, key focal areas often include brand awareness and engagement. Think of lead generation as the third element to a successful marketing mix.

Through social media platforms, you can generate higher quality leads than elsewhere (including email marketing, content marketing, website, customer relationship management and search engine optimization).

THE FUTURE 2020 has introduced a myriad of lifestyle changes to people

across the globe. This has affected trends in online marketing and consumer behaviour. The general shift toward increasing sensitivities online and trust issues have affected the way influencer marketing works. Now more than ever, the partnerships that businesses have with influencers need to have matching values that extend beyond a specific campaign. People are still naturally inclined to use word of mouth and a longing to fit in as a means of making purchasing decisions, so the influencer remains relevant. Once they have secured the trust of their audience, they can be very successful in their ability to influence the purchasing decisions of their social media followers. With more and more of life moving online, social media is key to reaching audiences - and influencers open the door to many opportunities for your business in terms of their ability to create awareness, draw traffic and drive sales.

RELATIONSHIPS The relationships between influencers and businesses is

changing. Businesses are opting for long term partnerships with people that are less transactional. This means there will be less gifting in favour of affiliate marketing and commission rates.

This secures the investment made and requires there to be a ROI. This will move these relationships to brand ambassador figures, who a company hires on a contractual basis to help them reach specific goals. This change has been inspired by changes to metrics on social media, such as the removal of the number of likes, a vanity metric that is no longer used to justify the value of an influencer. Now, influencers are being held accountable to trackable metrics that result in actual leads and conversions.

PLATFORMS In its early days, Instagram influencers dominated the

industry. The platform wasn’t geared towards businesses, so it made sense to work with people who could incorporate and share content on behalf of a business and tag or mention them.

However, Instagram is changing with the introduction of Instagram Shopping. The platform prefers advertising from businesses as it generates more revenue that way, and now with

shoppable posts, the need to work with influencers will likely come into question for many brands. In addition to this, there has been a boom in influencers across other social media platforms, most notably on TikTok and YouTube. On TikTok, businesses are incorporating interactive partnerships that have a high potential to go viral, while YouTube being the second most popular search engine has several influencers who mention products in their videos as an effective way of sharing with their audience.

TYPES Influencers are now being seen as referred to as

creators. This is evident on both TikTok and Instagram. The future sees a change in the kinds of influential people that brands choose to work with.

This will include a decrease in celebrity influencers, who often simply promote and rely on their reach rather than engagement at a high cost. Instead, micro influencers will be the way forward, as engagement and trust is highly valued. Over and above this, customers are becoming influencers of sorts, as the caliber of content posted has increased, allowing for brands to share user generated content, which is highly favoured by audiences, coming in at no cost at all. Finally, employees are becoming influential too, as they can be seen as insider representatives of a brand who share its values. This is most prevalent on the social media platform LinkedIn.

CONTENT Social media provides a plethora of ways to

share content. Smartphones are well equipped to create multimedia content, but it is the quality and creativity thereof that separate the amateurs from the creators. In line with online marketing trends for 2020, video content is most popular and brings in the highest levels of engagement. It is therefore important for influencers to master videos, both in pre-shot and edited form and social media live streams. An important aspect that needs to be included here is the ability to effectively tell stories, as people want to see how the product or service being promoted fits into the influencer’s lifestyle there needs to be relational context rather than straightforward marketing.

Influencer marketing is still an effective form of marketing and one that businesses will continue to employ to market their offerings. The industry will continue to evolve based on the relationships, platforms, types and content. This will develop in a way that aligns with the future of not only social media, but the lifestyle and behaviours of the global society as a whole.

HOW TO WORK WITH SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS? As the social media influencer industry changes, so does the relationship between businesses and influencers.

Here’s all you need to know about how to create effective and credible partnerships, as well as the processes needed to ensure a beneficial influencer marketing strategy.

THE ROLE OF INFLUENCERS First things first, the perception of influencers needs to be

clear. They are content creators who bring fresh perspectives to your marketing. Businesses work with them to increase their reach, drive more traffic to their channels and websites and to deliver subliminal marketing messages that ultimately lead to conversions.

Depending on where the influencer resides, there will be certain guidelines and regulations that need to be followed. You’ll notice that sponsored posts and adverts are labelled as such. Since the influencer has an audience who is genuinely interested in them and their life, they have a responsibility to those people to share meaningful content that aligns with their values. This creates bonds based on trust, which can be very powerful in their ability to influence the buying power of their audience.

WHY BUSINESSES WORK WITH INFLUENCERS Businesses have reported that working with influencers

results in content that is on par with or better than the content the business produces. Their posts are highly valuable as they generate high engagement levels which translates into high quality leads. While a business can create its own marketing campaigns, an influencer can showcase their own creativity, making your product or service relevant to the lifestyle of that audience. They are often in the know when it comes to trends and their content has the ability to captivate and inspire thanks to the insertion of a unique personality. This can help in creating broader campaigns in a way that does not create extra work or costs for marketing teams.

TIPS ON WORKING WITH INFLUENCERS Research: When deciding which influencers to work with,

one needs to research people who are complementary to your brand and established within their niche. Once you approach them, they will need to consider your offering and how it fits in with their values, audience and editorial calendar. You can find them through social media, internet searches or Buzzsumo, a site that enables you to see popular posts based on certain keywords. Once you approach them, you need to communicate with them in a way that is both personal and professional.

Permission and ownership: It is important for businesses to take into consideration the contracts they have with influencers.

They should aim to gain copyrights over the content that the influencer produces, so that it can be repurposed for your online marketing channels, such as inclusions in your email newsletters, your own social media account or even incorporated onto your website. This will ensure that the deal your strike with the influencer has a longer lifespan and can be optimised for optimal results. Finally, aim to increase your visibility and

leverage as much exposure as you can by requesting Story content and including a call to action and Management: Since your marketing team is working with a content creator, you need to let go of creative control to a certain extent. Influencers need room to create content that fits in with their aesthetic and provides a new angle to your offering. The relationship you have with the influencer should not be one that is micro-managed. The marketing team needs to monitor the content as it goes out and engage with it from your business’s account too with comments and likes.

Payments: While there are various ways of calculating rates, there should be a flat rate involved for content creators. This is because of the time and effort they put into creating the content, as well as the cost of the reach that they can provide you with.

You can choose to implement different strategies of incentives, such as affiliate marketing or commission based payments. Other than monetary value, one can incorporate gifting and product samples to review.

Strategy: Your strategy begins with one foundational aspect: quality. High quality of content is paramount to influencer marketing being successful. The strategy you decide on needs to ultimately utilise these quality posts to increase the reach, engagement and relevance of your brand. If that is not carried out successfully or to the best ability quality-wise, it will result in a negative brand association.

Tracking: There are various different deals you can negotiate with influencers, however your marketing team will need to monitor and track the performance of their posts in order to determine if the partnership is yielding results. Providing feedback is a step often missed, but is important for all parties involved.

Working with influencers can be highly beneficial to your business. By understanding how the industry is evolving and ensuring that your relations with them are sound, these relationships can help your business grow.

HOW MUCH DO SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS COST? Influencer marketing still works as one of the most effective ways for businesses to partner with influential people who can increase their reach. This follows on the concept of word of mouth marketing of the modern age.

The influencer industry is estimated to be worth $15 billion in the next 2 years. So, how much do social media influencers cost?

The thing is, there is no standard formula. The most we can do is give average figures that you can base your calculations and estimates on. Then we’re going to delve into all of the contributing factors that ultimately determine the cost involved in working with a social media influencer.

AVERAGE INFLUENCER COSTS PER 1,000 FOLLOWERS/VIEWS FACEBOOK:

$25

YOUTUBE:

$20

INSTAGRAM:

$10

TIKTOK:

$10

SNAPCHAT:

$10

TWITTER:

$02

BLOGS:

$60

In addition to standard rates, there are also additional fees

Deal: The type of campaign you choose to have with the influencer (as described below).

Followers: This determines the league of the influencer and can result in higher rates being charged, provided they have increased influence too.

ROI: The ability of the influencer to affect your bottom line by bringing you leads and sales.

Engagement: This trumps follower rates, as engagement is key to garnering influence among people and is a key marketing objective.

Product or service: Certain industries, products and services will charge higher rates based on the kind of business you are - are you a multinational or small business? Do you sell high end products to services to the masses?

Exclusivity: This refers to the rights to the content which is produced (ie can your business re-share it?), as well as the potential to strike up exclusive partnerships that require the influencer not to work with your competitors for a set period of time;

THE PRICE OF INFLUENCE Once your budget for influencer marketing is established, you’ll be able to determine who and what you can afford. This will inevitably inform your approach to the matter. While the costs involved can seem high, it is important to consider exactly what it is that these fees are exchanged for. These include:

which may need to be worked into the equation. This includes travel expenses, agency fees and production costs. Most influencers do not publicly share their rates. Independent influencers will have rate cards and media kits which they share with potential clients. More established influencers work with agencies who handle the admin on their behalf. Working with an agency can cost an average of $1,000 - $18,000 per month.

Celebrity influencers such as Kim Kardashian and Cristiano Ronaldo, for instance, are estimated to charge around $750,000 per post.

Reach: They have favoured access to an audience you’d like to target.

Authentic appeal: The audience trusts their recommendations.

FACTORS AFFECTING COSTS

Time: It makes the job of the marketer easier and supports the advertising they do from the business directly.

Schedule: They frequency you’d like your posts to be shared at, as well as the availability in the content schedule that each influencer has.

Scale: The working relationship you have with the influencer as determined by the length of the campaign you’re running with them.

Brand fit: How well the influencer connects with your brand and their willingness to share these associations and make it part of their personal content.

ROI: They have the ability to influence, as this is what qualifies them as influencers.

Creativity: They are producing content to support your marketing and have creative control over the campaign.

Production: This process and the costs involved are reduced on behalf of the brand, resulting in various concepts and interpretations which speak to your audiences.

Admin: Working with an agency is ideal as they will have a list of influencer contacts who suit your brand and budget. They will handle this marketing for you, from the research to the strategy, the deal, briefing, tracking and reporting.

TYPES OF INFLUENCERS

• • • • •

Nano (under 10k followers) Micro (10k-50k followers) Mid tier (50k-500k followers) Mega (500k-1 million followers) Celebrity (More than 1 million followers)

TYPES OF INFLUENCER CONTENT You can determine specific rates in various ways, including paying per: post / acquisition / click / subscriber / view. This will be determined by the campaign itself and the types of content as detailed below, as well as your campaign objectives.

• • • • • • • •

Sponsored post Mention Story feature Takeover Live Video Ambassadors (long term partnerships) Discount code (which can directly measure their ability to generate sales)

• Commission (sales based partnerships) • Gifts (instead of or in addition to payment) Based on the above, it is clear to see that the cost of influencer marketing is incredibly varied. It depends on the market average as well as the type of influencer(s) you work with, the content you’d like them to create and share and the kind of results they can produce.

THE FUTURE OF VIDEO CONTENT IS SHOPPABLE ENTERTAINMENT The future of e-commerce is changing as the lines between shopping and entertainment are blurred.

Businesses can utilize video as a media source for streamlining sales. In this article, we’re taking a look at the concept and how it relates to customers, brands and marketers - and, of course, the role that social media plays in this phenomenon.

AN INTRODUCTION TO SHOPPABLE ENTERTAINMENT Shoppable entertainment refers to video content which has

interactive touchpoints within it. This means viewers can click on an item they see in the video and purchase it instantly. It is the future of e-commerce and one which many social media platforms are adapting to. China has seen a lot of success with this format, with its influence steadily expanding worldwide.

While this content was predicted to influence the online shopping experience, its adoption and success have been sped up due to increased video content consumption which has recently and ongoingly occurred. It has set the stage for people to want to do more than watch - they want to participate and assimilate. If you find the proof of the pudding to be in the numbers, consider the fact that shopping habits around the world are changing, with mall culture moving to online and mobile shopping. Whatever the industry, brands find ways to make their products both shoppable and entertaining, from 360-degree showrooms to streaming fashion shows, showcasing product galleries and hosting online pop-ups and live shows through video content.

These touchpoints are being adapted to various platforms so that no matter what video you create or share it, it can be transformed into something shoppable. We have seen this develop over time, focusing on mobile led shopping experiences, from shoppable social media tags to QR codes to scan. The key is in producing and delivering this content well, in a meaningful way and stands out among the multitude of other videos available online.

THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE REIMAGINED Shoppable videos give new meaning to ‘click to buy.’ For

decades, people have been influenced by the content they consume. For example, seeing a particular style or brand in a movie can influence people to follow suit and purchase a similar product.

With this, people can see something as they are watching it and purchase it immediately. It shortens the customer journey. These posts are already available on social media giants Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat in select regions, with expansion plans in place. It is indicative of how consumers want to see and experience retail online going forward.

The days where one flat image is enough to entice a sale are long gone - customers want to see the product and interact with it. With this functionality enabled with your video content, you can allow the customer to purchase or find out more about the product offered directly. It increases the reach and interactions a brand has with its audiences. As a result, sales are also increased as it cuts out the customer's need to search for the product or visit the website to do so.

MARKETING AND BRANDING WITH VIDEO CONTENT These videos are a reflection and extension of

your brand. This medium presents businesses with a multitude of opportunities and more connections with their audiences. When delivered well, it can vastly improve the customer experience. However, the video itself needs to be engaging, and the integration of these shopping touchpoints needs to be seamless. The shopping aspect needs to fit in naturally, and the process should be quick and easy to complete - and then continue watching.

For many brands, this concept will go hand in hand with their influencer marketing. Since these videos' primary mover is influential, it is the people who can create and inspire high-quality and desirable content that will succeed in this form of selling. It is the point at which people watch this content as their source of inspiration and act upon it in realtime, shopping directly.

Marketers will have to work creatively with these kinds of videos to increase engagement and sales and customer satisfaction and loyalty. One of the best ways to do this is through personalization.

While this makes the creation, production and distribution of this video content more complex, the results can be exponential.

Marketers are tasked with creating deeper connections and taking their storytelling ability to new heights with shoppable entertainment. Much of this concept's success is based on the perceived value of the brand and the video, which will have a direct influence on sales. Some successful models include the introduction of episodic, original content that features a combination of interviews with people of interest and products.

Be one of the front-running brands to embrace the future of video content and increase your reach and sales through shoppable entertainment. Strategize concepts and develop videos that your audience can pause, buy and play across social media platforms, the leading space for these types of videos to be shared.

SECTION 3 SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

A GUIDE TO SHOP Are you a small business looking to trade online? Even if you’ve already got your own e-commerce site, Facebook is making it possible for you to sell directly through their platform. This will expand your online shopping presence and make the social shopping experience better for customers. Here’s a guide on how to set up you shop and why you need one.

Facebook will offer the option of simply creating a Shop - this is direct and small scale. You will be able to configure your payments and manage orders from your page. However, if you have an

One of the biggest benefits of this development is that you’ll be able to reach a broader audience. Facebook has over 2 billion active users every single month, with active users spending an average of 40 minutes on the app a day. This offers your business the opportunity to increase its visibility and boost sales. Facebook Shops are also designed to be user friendly, making the shopping process easier for them by meeting them where they are.

provide support for small businesses and to

CREATE A FACEBOOK SHOP The process is free and simple to set up. There is the potential for any online seller to manage their trading and customer connections through Facebook. The social networking platform is investing in their features across their apps to inspire social shopping, bridging the gap between e-commerce and social media.

For new sellers, it all begins in “Commerce Manager,” where you create named collections. You’ll be able to arrange customise these with a description and cover media, featuring between 6 and 30 products. Customising your Facebook Shop is as simple as selecting a cover image and accent colours that match your brand. The business selected which products they’d like to feature. These collections are categorised into themes to make it easier for the customer when searching for products. It is the online version of merchandising, featured alongside the telling of your brand story.

If you had a Facebook Page Shop previously, it will automatically be converted to Shops. You will receive an email confirming that you can set up your digital storefront.

Businesses who have a Facebook Page Shop linked to an Instagram profile may be eligible to have a shared storefront across both platforms.

These Shops can be found and accessed on a business’ Facebook Page, a Story or an advert. Your products will be displayed in a mobile friendly manner, viewed in full screen immersive experience. Personalisation is able present, with specific product recommendations made to users. Users will be able to view your collections, save items they like and and place an order without leaving the app (though it is possible to direct customers to your website). You will also be able to connect with customers through WhatsApp and Messenger, so you can directly respond to any queries or offer support if need be.

Ecommerce site, then you will be able to benefit from an integrated approach. Facebook are working with e-commerce sites in order to assist in their growth on the platform. These sites include Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Channel Advisor, CedCommerce, Cafe24, Tienda Nube and Feedonomics. As these plans roll out, the introduction of live shopping features and loyalty programmes will be developed in order to aid in Shop and product discovery.

With e-commerce integration, details about your inventory, will be in sync with your online store.

That means that you’ll have multiple channels, but still be able to control and run your business from one space. Shopify, one of the primary e-commerce merchants partnering with Facebook, has launched a Facebook channel which can be installed. From here, a business can handle the sales and marketing for their Facebook Shop.

Some of Facebook’s rules include the following:

• Facebook requires that the package needs to be shipped 3 business days after receiving the order, with delivery not taking more than 10 days in total.

• The customer will be able to cancel their order within 30 minutes of purchase if it hasn't been marked it as shipped yet.

• You can only sell and ship to your own

country - no international orders or shipping can be processed.

This is a recent development that is continuing to expand to regions around the world. There are several updates which will be introduced in the coming months. This is the next step in social shopping and if you business hasn’t yet been able to join the revolution, you can certainly start preparing for it.

A GUIDE TO SHOPPING ON

Instagram shopping has just been launched. The social networking platform will now be home to digital storefronts with easy to shop products. Here’s all you need to know about the development and how you business can benefit from it.

This follows on the announcement made earlier this year introducing Facebook Shop, a direct way to manage sales through the platform. When social shopping via Instagram, customers will be presented with products by several merchants which will increase the exposure of businesses. Shopping will become a key feature, with a dedicated navigational tab to be introduced in future.

Instagram has more than 500 million Instagram users, half of which follow at least one business. With social shopping, the experience and ease of making a purchase will be that much easier for the user. Your account will no longer solely be a display for your business, but an avenue for added sales.

Instagram Shopping will feature products available for purchase through your posts and Stories, as well as discoveries made in the Search and Explore functions of the app. You will be able to tag your products that once tapped by the viewer, will lead them to a product page.

Here, they’ll have access to image(s), details and price.

In addition to this, there will be a link that takes them to your website to complete the purchase. Products can also be made available for direct purchase and will be marked as such, allowing shoppers to enjoy the full shopping experience from within the app. This will be linked to your Facebook Shop, so you can either handle your inventory directly, or link up with one of Facebook’s e-commerce partners like Shopify.

Instagram Shopping eligibility

• Your business needs to have an Instagram business account

• • • • •

Your account needs to be connected to Facebook You need to have a Facebook Shop set up Your business must be part of a supported market Your business mist sell physical goods Sellers need to comply with Instagram’s commerce policies

To activate the shopping tab on your profile, you will need to create at least one Instagram Shop post. This function will also be made available for charitable donations.

Following the associations of privacy issues with parent company Facebook, there will be extra security measures in place. This will ensure that the risk of fraud is monitored

and that users have data protection and purchase protection.

When positing, you will now have the added feature of Product Tagging, which will prompt you to make a selection from your catalogue. It is also possible to go back through your feed to older posts and add in tags. The parameters are as follows:

• Stories may only feature 1 product per story post. The product tag is customisable by colour and text.

• A maximum of 5 products can be tagged per image or video post.

• Up to 20 on multimedia posts.

You can then visit the Insights section on your profile to view the stats relating to your stoppable posts.

Users will be able to save products to view later.

Your business’s audience will grow as you gain more exposure, with products being recommended to people with similar interests.

The process of shopping is also being made easier by having integrated links on your posts, so you will not need to tell viewers to ‘view the link in bio’ as you needed to previously. Once they make a purchase, their information is saved in a database by Facebook, so you’ll be able to send them notifications regarding their order and the delivery.

To promote your Instagram Shop, include hashtags so that your products are found by users. Users can follow hashtags just like they follow accounts, so building followers in that regard will help boost your visibility. Instagram will also have Shopping Ads, allowing you to turn your posts into ads. The posts will have the tags which then lead them to your product page, priming them for a purchase.

Instagram shopping is currently only available in the US to select customers and businesses. This is, however, a developing feature which will be made available to countries around the world in the coming months, with more updates expected.

With all of these changes being introduced to Instagram, you’ll want to make sure that your account and the posts you publish are primed and polished in accordance with your brand.

Gearing up your profiles and getting ready to introduce the Instagram Shopping feature will set you in good stead as the update becomes available.

MANAGEMENT IN DUBAI: HOW TO OUTSOURCE YOUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT Social media is one of the most important elements of online marketing. When it comes to platform selection, Instagram is highly favoured among marketers and audiences alike. Ensuring your content is of the highest possible quality is non-negotiable when it comes to successful strategy, so we’re giving you the low down on all you need to know about outsourcing this function.

There is so much that goes into the management of an Instagram account for businesses. Long gone are the days of creating and scheduling content to post on your grid. Now, you need to take Story content into consideration too. What you post needs to be more than a front or filler - it needs to be creative, high quality and add value to the viewer. If you’re after engagement, you need to work on video content too. With more of the world relying on the internet for just about everything, your social media needs to be present, relevant and a way to drive traffic and generate leads.

Social media is becoming more and more crucial as a factor to your business being successful. Not only is it a way to reach and interact with your audience, but it represents your business virtually. Instagram’s most recent development of Instagram Shopping adds an entirely new dimension to the management of this platform. That is why outsourcing your account to an expert - ideally an agency - can improve the management and results of your social media.

When it comes to running an Instagram account, there are many factors involved. You can choose to outsource the account entirely who has the expertise needed to take care of everything for you. You can also opt to outsource selected services if you prefer.

While there are freelancers who offer such services, many do not have the in-depth knowledge or experience required to handle Instagram accounts of this magnitude. They are also often one person working alone. An agency, on the other hand, has a team of experts in various fields who can assist you. This ranges from caption writing (copy and optimisation), to content creation (the photography and videography) and management (scheduling, posting and community management).

When selecting the person or agency to handle your Instagram account, consider the following:

• What systems or tools do they have in place?

• What access do they have to expert services you may need?

• Does their brand fit with yours?

• Do they have experience and case studies?

• What is your budget?

• Have they presented you with a strategy that

shows their concepts when it comes to campaigns, content and promotions for your business?

Reasons to Outsource

• Save time: Marketers have enough on their

plates with other online and traditional marketing to take care of. Let them focus on email, content and digital marketing, while your socials are taken care of by a specialist.

This way, the strategising, management and optimisation of your marketing can be carried out to the best of their abilities.

• Expertise: Social media marketing is a job all

on its own. Experts in the field are familiar with various platforms and trends that are continually evolving. Depending on the size of your business and the kind of online presence you have, this can easily be a full time job. The expertise outsourced will assist you with strategy, content creation and the tools necessary to automate the management of these accounts optimally.

• Branding: Outsourcing your account means

that you can build a trusted and consistent brand. This includes the development of a distinctive brand voice and image, as well as ensuring that there is enough time dedicated to being as responsive to online engagements as possible.

• Advanced analytics: Rather than relying on

the analytics available on the INstagram platform alone, outsourcing to professionals will result in more in-depth analytics. THis will help strengthen your future strategies to ensure that you are responding to your target market’s needs effectively.

Outsourcing your Instagram account can result in improved business operations and social media management. Working with an agency can drive business and increase your ROI with their cutting edge technologies and proven techniques to create winning formulas for businesses across the globe.

WHAT'S BEST FOR VIDEO MARKETING OR Video is the most engaging form of content, so it’s no wonder that marketers the world over are using it as a prime medium to showcase their content. When considering which platform works best for your video, you may consider the two heavyweights - YouTube and Instagram for starters. Wondering which one suits your business best? Here’s how to make the distinction…

There are benefits and specific advantages to both platforms. They are great for displaying visual clips and have earned their spots at the top of social media lists for video content. In terms of monthly active users, YouTube has 2 billion, while Instagram has 1 billion.

The platform also has a Story feature available to channels with over 10,000 subscribers, with ephemeral content that lasts for 7 days for maximum views. The length of your videos is also flexible, so you are not restricted to short clips which can be useful when presenting content like demos or explaining complex concepts.

YouTube is all about sharing content, with the major drawcard being that you can showcase content from the past so that it appears at the top of your channel, unlike Instagram which works in chronological order.

YOUR VIDEO MARKETING STRATEGY

Instagram

There are some key considerations to note when determining which platform will work better for you. Start by asking yourself the following questions:

• Who is your audience? This will help you to determine

what their viewing habits are and their preferred platform. This will inform you as to where you should be present and importantly, to ensure that you are relevant to them

• What is your business all about? Not only must your

content be tailored to your audience, but it needs to fit in with your brand as well. Needs are changing so there is no simple answer to this or specific platform to pick, you just need to ensure that your choice fits your brand naturally and that you can deliver content that is valuable and of a high quality consistently

• What is your content plan centered on? Your content

needs to be intentional, which will inform the format and platform you should be using. For starters, is video the best medium to deliver this content? If so, will a short clip suffice or do you need to create long-form content?

• Do you value reach or sales more? Each platform has

the ability to deliver both of these objectives, while YouTube is preferred when it comes to driving sales.

This will depend on where along the sales funnel you are targeting people.

YouTube YouTube is the second largest search engine, favoured for its functionality and features. This platform is all about video content. You can reach niches, monetize your content and optimise it for organic growth. Having a YouTube channel can situate your brand in a position of authority. It is also a great PR tool, as media personnel can easily embed content and learn about your business updates that they’d like to share. Finally, YouTube videos are a great way to showcase your product.

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms, where videos can be featured alongside imagery. You can share promotional video teasers that link to longer videos (of up to 10 minutes) on IGTV. Instagram is all about sharing through storytelling that is concise and promotional.

You can share Story content which lasts for 24 hours and is highly effective and creative.

Another benefit of this app for businesses is the recent launch of Instagram Shopping, which will allow customers to purchase products directly from the app. This, along with its effective advertising makes it a great platform for businesses to use.

Instagram is known for its polished content and engaging in ways that have a personal touch.

If you’re just starting out with video content, this is an ideal platform to use as you can leverage the follower base you have likely already accumulated

How to Deliver the Best Video Marketing As we can see based on the information above, there are benefits to both YouTube and Instagram. Both can be helpful in generating awareness, traffic, leads and sales. When incorporating video content, it is natural to want to go for the best platform, though we implore you not to rely just on one. Since video takes time from its conception stage to the finished product, your viewers are likely to be using both YouTube and Instagram. So, the ideal is for you to edit your content and adapt it so that you’re maximising your benefit on both platforms.

Remember, YouTube and Instagram have ‘live’ video broadcasting, which is a great way to share real time content from events, behind the scenes and scheduled Q&A sessions, for instance.

This is, of course, unless it really doesn’t make sense to incorporate the one or your budget is limited - then pick one and run with it until such a time when you can expand your presence.An extension of this tip is not to be boxed in by industry stereotypes. For instance, one might think YouTube is more for fitness, gaming and tech industries, while Instagram suits travel, lifestyle and fashion industries more. There is opportunity across the platforms for various industries and crossovers work well, albeit that they are packaged differently. The same is true when it comes to influencer marketing, as both platforms have the opportunity to increase your reach with influencers.

When you’re at the stage where you’ve got videos on both platforms, it is important for you to conduct A/B Testing. Experiment until you find what works best for you, in terms of the content, the format, the editing and even the platform. Once you find what works best for you, run with it. To be successful on these platforms, ensure that you are authentic, relevant, collaborative, engaging and regular.

As video continues to dominate as the leading content medium, it is essential to include it in your marketing strategy. Two of the best platforms for you to share your videos on are YouTube and Instagram. With the considerations mentioned above in mind, you’ll be sure to find what works best for you in order to reach and engage with your audience.

HOW TO MARKET YOUR BUSINESS ON TikTok is the latest craze in social media, with growth that continues to increase. It comes as no surprise that marketers are turning to the platform for their social media marketing. We’ve got all the details you need to know if you’re wondering if this platform is right for you and how to go about creating a strategy that works.

IN A NUTSHELL TikTok is a Chinese social media app that has spread in popularity around the globe. Douyin, as it is referred to in China, is a video sharing platform developed by the tech firm ByteDance. Simply put, users create and share videos that can be easily edited and tweaked with features including filters and music.

This social media platform oftentimes features videos that showcase challenges, dances and humorous clips. It is the fastest growing platform with more than 500 million users worldwide. With this in mind, it’s no wonder this is where advertisers are seeking to gain exposure.

TIKTOK STATS

• Over 800 million monthly active users (surpassing

Snapchat, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest), ranking it among the top 10 most popular apps

• 1.5 million app downloads by Apple and Google Play users

• TikTok is the sixth most popular app globally based on the number of monthly active users

• Available in over 150 regions and more than 75 different languages

• The TikTok platform is predominantly used by younger

audiences (between sixteen and twenty four year olds)

THE BEST WAY TO REACH GEN Z There are two major draws to TikTok: the youth appeal and the fact that this is where modern day culture is being established. Both of these aspects can have a significant impact on businesses, as brands have the opportunity to join in on the mix and connect with their audience in a way that is relevant.

TikTok users create fifteen second video clips, or create a series by incorporating 4 fifteen second clips together in editing. The video editing capabilities are simple to use and add dramatic effect, with the addition of various filters and stickers available to use as well. At the top of a profile, there are three specific metrics: following, followers and likes (referring to the cumulative number of likes across your posts).

TikTok is one of the most social apps, with high levels of user engagement. These engagements are unlike other social media apps as they include reactionary clips, duets and of course the familiar likes and comments. The platform refers to this as “interactivity.” Users have a feed to scroll through that features content that is either being followed, searched for or recommended based on the current trends.

Where teenagers of today are gaining fame is through their videos on the platform, becoming viral sensations that are recognised. There are kids who have views in the billions range.

Oftentimes this fame has led them to establish thriving YouTube accounts, which is a complementary medium for markets to use to target their audience as well. A shining example of one of these TikTok turned YouTuber stars is Charli D’amelio who has over 5 million subscribers. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi3OE-aN0 9WOcN9d2stCvPg

TIKTOK MARKETING STRATEGY

• Create your own channel where you share relevant videos

• Work with influencers • Paid ads on TikTok When it comes to advertising, TikTok says: “TikTok For Business is where you can unleash your brand's creative side. A fully immersive no judgement world where there's an audience for every voice.

No matter how big or small your business, no matter what you're making or selling, we believe your brand deserves to be discovered here.”

The platform has recently launched ‘TikTok for Business’ which is aimed at growing the advertising potential for businesses. Brands are encouraged to join the platform and make use of one of their 4 types of advertising available, namely: in-stream videos, brand takeovers, hashtag challenges and top view. All of these ad formats are monitored to ensure that the user experience is prized above all else, including monetisation.

Marketers would be wise to implement strategies on TikTok now as the platform continues to grow and advertising opens up to more regions around the world. Brand’s are

presented with the opportunity to appeal to younger audiences and find their quirky sides.

Users enjoy viewing the snippets of content, from sneak peaks to fun at the office. Content is easily circulated and can quickly rise in popularity, with the potential to go viral being very real.

In comparison to other popular social media platforms, TikTok is best at showcasing content that is creative and true to the real world - meaning it is off the bat and not as polished as other popular platforms like Instagram and YouTube.

TikTok is a platform with far too much growth to ignore. Reach wider audiences through experimental content and generates fun interactions. This content can be developed both organically and through paid advertising where possible.

Ready to talk TikTok? Book a meeting with us at Nexa. We can help you develop a complete social media marketing strategy that is suited to your business.

HOW DOES TIKTOK ADVERTISING WORK? TikTok is the most recent social media platform to experience exponential growth. The advertising potential is growing just as quickly with the recent introduction of TikTok for Business to streamline the process. Here’s all you need to know about how your business can get started…

TIKTOK FOR BUSINESS This is a newly launched venture for TikTok, who are growing their advertising potential. The idea is not to make ads, but TikTok’s. This philosophy is one that is in line with the Gen Z’s who want to see content that has an authentic feel and matches the platform's lightheartedness.

With this advertising option, businesses can become part of pop culture and advertise through storytelling as a means of reaching the youth and growing their digital marketing on the growing digital platform. Up until this point, advertising has been limited on the platform, but that is now changing. Under the label ‘TikTok’ for business, brands will be encouraged to join the platform and make use of one of their 4 types of ads. With this comes the opportunity for discovery and connection with newer audiences. The app is formalising its advertising with brands so that the process is straightforward for marketers to follow.

With these changes, the app is still heavily centred on the user experience, which is important for brands to keep in mind - creativity is required for your campaigns.

TIKTOK ADVERTISING The TikTok platform is used mainly by younger audiences (between sixteen and twenty four year olds), so one needs to first ensure that this is the demographic you are appealing to. It is available in over one hundred and fifty markets, in more than seventy languages. To create an ad on TikTok, you can create mini stories and share tidbits of relevant content with your audience.

There are options available to marketers, from hashtag challenges to working with influencers.

The content heavily circulated on the platform includes quick and easy to make video clips with low production costs, offering a more ‘real’ perspective when compared to other more visually refined platforms.

Even if your brand seems a little off centre when considering the above, it is noteworthy to mention that several well known brands have found success when experimenting with TikTok content. The Washington Post, for example, have shown newsroom footage as a means to find their digital footing, while the NBA have shared funny and inspirational messages via the platform.

Since TikTok is still a growing platform, it does not completely cater to advertisers just yet. In saying that, there are various ways to make the platform work for your brand. Since advertising is relatively new to the app, it generally requires a significant budget, hence appealing to companies like Nike.

THE AD OPTIONS AVAILABLE In-stream video: These are biddable ads which will fit into a person’s feed just as any other video would. They can be targeted based on age, gender, location and interests. These models cover CPclick, CPM and CPView. (which counts when a user has to watch your ad for more than 6 seconds).

Brand takeover: Only one advertiser can use this ad per day, meaning its difficult to attain and expensive. This type of ad is viewable as a user opens the app and can take users to the TikTok profile or to an external site.

Hashtag challenge: These are themed contests that last for 6 days. They are unique, fun and shareable content that users can join in and contribute to.

Branded lenses: These are specific filters that create an augmented reality for the user.

TopView: These are the ads which appear at the top of the feed once the app is opened.

Influencers: Partnerships with influential users that identify with your brand as a means to reach their audience.

READY TO CREATE AN AD

• You’ll first need to enter your country

information, as it is only available in certain regions at the moment. If it is available, you’ll either be approved through the ads self-serve platform and If it isn’t, you can "Make a Reservation” or opt to be informed of future updates.

• At this point, select one of 3 objectives, namely: Awareness, consideration, or conversion. The target audience will also be determined.

• Set your budget: There are daily and lifetime

budgets, both of which have a minimum spend and can be adjusted at any time.

• The ad specifics: TikTok can select the ad

placement for you, otherwise this can be manually selected and you can also add in visibility on affiliate platforms.

If you’re looking for the best ways to reach the youth and make your mark in pop culture, your brand needs to consider advertising on TikTok.

WILL USING HELP ME GROW MY BUSINESS? If you’re wondering if using LinkedIn help grow your business, the answer is a resounding yes. LinkedIn is a great social networking platform for your business to connect with audiences and build strong relationships that will gear you towards success. Here are all the ways you can utilize it to grow your business…

THE BASICS OF LINKEDIN LinkedIn has over 660 million users who regularly check in to access the platform. It consists of a community of working professionals and job seekers, who connect and share with each other and the content published. For businesses, it can be a tool for strategically targeted audiences with specialised data results. In addition to this, LinkedIn has created a seamless app for users, making it a mobile-centred platform.

By joining the LinkedIn community, your business will benefit from being part of conversions that matter. You’ll do this through engagements, posts, and knowing and growing your audience. What you share needs to be relevant and you should always keep an eye out on trending topics. While this platform can work for various businesses, this is a prime space for B2B companies.

LINKEDIN PAGE First things first, you need to create and/or work on your page. Your business will benefit from engagements from as few as 150 followers. If your business has a page, you’ll already be getting twice as many visitors.

Ensure that your own profile has a clear headline and a poignant summary about what you do. Ensure that you supply as much relevant information as necessary to build an all star page, including links to examples of your work.

When it comes to your page, you’ll need:

• • • • • •

A high resolution logo for the image A relevant high resolution cover image A well written description A url link to your website Your business mist sell physical goods State your business size, location, industry and type All of the above will ensure that your business’s image is professional and legitimate, which will aid in the growth of your brand perception and the growth of your business.

PUBLISHING LinkedIn has a content-first approach. This means that users are encouraged to post and engage with content that is published. When it comes to content to publish,

your business should write and share blog posts.

This will expand your network and demonstrate that you are a thought leader in the industry. By combining this authority and expertise you will attract leads, provided that the content is valuable, of course. When this happens, people will like, share and recommend your posts. In order to succeed in this regard, ensure that you post consistently - have a specified schedule for the posts. When you share a post, caption it well to give enough context and use multimedia that is eye catching (even if it's simply a high quality image). You can make the content itself dynamic by using easy to read structure and bullet points, for example. Monitor the content that performs the best and consider using it as sponsored content.

GROWTH In order to grow your visibility through LinkedIn, you’ll need to ensure that your content is valuable and optimised. Incorporate search engine optimisation techniques by focusing on using relevant keywords, having links and all of the relevant links and contextual information. By utilising LinkedIn wisely, you can grow your business at a faster pace. To do this, you need to assess and perfect your tailored marketing content in this regard and make the best possible use of the in-depth data available through the platform.

In order to grow your business, you’ll want to cross-promote content that is then tweaked to meet the best practices of the intended platforms. You can promote your business’s page beyond the platform by including a link on your website, as well as via email.

Since LinkedIn is all about professional networking, you need to ensure that you engage with your employees. They are infleuctitail and will be an integral part of increasing your visibility. Share their work and voices in posts to show recognition and insight into your company culture.

LINKEDIN FEATURES FOR GROWTH Open for Business: Assistance from LinkedIn to aid small businesses by making them easily discoverable and allowing users to contact them for free.

Groups: LinkedIn Groups are great for community building and online marketing. Your business can join relevant groups to connect with your industry and customers. You will be able to directly message members on an individual basis - do your best to personalise these messages as it is an opportunity to target valuable potential leads.

Advanced Search: Part of LinkedIn Premium, Advanced Search allows you to search for people based on their industry, location, employer and education. You’re also able to save searches (and will be notified of new matches) and can send messages to people. With these direct messages, you can invite people to join a specific group in order to build a community database and increase your leads.

Advertising: Explore the different types of ad campaigns you can run on LinkedIn, as this is a surefire way to increase your visibility and grow your business.

Follow #s: You can follow specific hashtags with easy access to them, so that you can stay ahead trending topics as they occur.

It is clear to see that LinkedIn will indeed help grow your business. By keeping the above in mind, your business will be in the company of industry professionals, with several opportunities to engage and network

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT There's a new, super-exclusive app on the market set to change the social media landscape. You can only use it if you get an invite; the rest have to sign up on a waiting list.

Let's take a deep dive into all we know about this new platform and why you'll want to get it on it.

WHAT IS CLUBHOUSE ABOUT? Clubhouse is a social media app where the only type of content that populates the platform is auditory. Users enter the hallway, which then leads to rooms. Rooms are essentially open podcasts which you can enter. When you're in the 'hallway,' you can see the current rooms in progress and join in if you'd like. But don't worry, you can also see upcoming 'rooms' and set reminders for them, so you don't miss out.

Clubhouse was launched in April 2020, though it is still being established. There is a lot of buzz behind the name, with sizeable investments to match, with reports suggesting the app is worth over $100 million.

However, the app is still in private beta mode, meaning it is still not 'open' to the public as safety and testing occur.

Other than conversing, users are also on the app as a way to share their talent. People have entered rooms and been asked to showcase their talent to win prizes or audition.

There is no telling how far it could potentially go, changing the face of singing competitions and rap battles forever. It also opens the doorway for comedy, lectures, debates, and clubs.

HOW DOES CLUBHOUSE WORK? Once you're in a room, you're on a large-scale group call with talkers and listeners. Anyone can raise their virtual 'hand' to ask the moderator to put them on stage, giving them a chance to participate in the conversation actively.

When you'd like to leave the room, you can opt to exit quietly. You can also start your own rooms if you'd like.

Users can connect their Instagram and Twitter profiles; however, there are no clickable hyperlinks in bios. You set your bio and profile photo when signing up, select your topics of interest, and then you're ready to take a virtual step into a room of your choosing. New members join rooms as listeners without microphone access, giving the conversation some time to unfold. Once this has occurred, you can raise your hand to join in on the discussion.

The topics of conversation include wellness, faith, life, world affairs, arts, sports, entertainment, places, language, tech, knowledge, identity, hustle, and hanging out. It sets the space for conversational hubs that'll be the go-to thriving online spaces for trainers, events, experts, and communities. The Clubhouse platform is a space to share

and collaborate using your voice only, without the visual elements of other popular social media apps.

Rooms can be made public or private, in which only members are allowed to join. You can view the other people in the room and connect with them if you so wish. You can also listen to the conversation while exploring different facets of the app or, in fact, any app on your phone.

Therefore you can multitask on your device without losing your spot in the room.

Clubhouse memberships include followers (from the public), members (granted this status by a club), admin (as appointed by the owner), and founders, who manage the descriptions, rules, and invites to their club. Clubs have a waiting period of 2 weeks, and founders are asked to host at least one recurring club to keep these conversation topics from going dormant.

An important feature to note is that these conversations happen in real time and cannot be recorded. This means you need to tune it as it happens, or you’ll be missing out. This brings an element of ephemeral continent to the app, and ensures that those who speak on certain topics engage in the moment and in a safe space online. This feature aims to prevent recordings of people being shared elsewhere later on.

WHO IS USING THE APP? Based on its exclusivity, Clubhouse began with a limited number of people using the platform including celebrities like Drake, Oprah, Jared Leto, Ashton Kutcher, and Kevin Hart. The app is expected to open up in the future and has already grown substantially, from 3,500 members to around 10 million at present.

WHAT SETS CLUBHOUSE APART FROM OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA APPS It taps Into the Desire for Exclusivity … and the Accompanying FOMO This is the most obvious point of the lot, so we'll tackle it first. Marketers know all too well that the concept of exclusivity works. The fear of missing out is a real force and driver among audiences.

Social media networks are flooded and open to all. Clubhouse's model has people on waiting lists, eager to join in on the conversations. It builds anticipation and gives the app an air of exclusivity before it's ever experienced.

The FOMO is also triggered by the chat rooms' ephemeral nature, which cannot be recorded - only listened to live. That being said, the app is in the process of opening up to the waiting lists of others who are keen to join, as the potential for these conversations to do good if held only by the elite will be limited, to say the least.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE VOICE If we think of all of the other predominant social media apps, we can see that audio forms only part of the experience. Generally, audio is left to voice notes on messaging apps, calls, podcasting, and as something to accompany videos, though in many cases, these are watched without any sound at all. There's been a clear gap in the market for a voice-based platform.

There is a reason podcasting took off a few years ago and had been sailing smoothly ever since.

With Clubhouse, people can do more than just tuning in to listen - they have the opportunity to be put up on stage and actively engage as well.

Merely listening to voices takes away from visual distractions and provides you with a more intimate experience.

In a world filled with fake news, increased isolation, and ongoing polarisation, the need to communicate with others and to have open conversations with others is more necessary than ever. This is set to be the platform that creates those spaces.

A STATE OF EXACERBATED EVOLUTION In the world's least favorite yet most accurate word to describe the last few months of life as we know it has been unprecedented. While the only thing sure is change, changes have been drastic and sped up in many regards. This includes the wants and needs of people and thus the design and function of apps as well.

With a small team at the helm, Clubhouse is still developing its policies and testing its security measures. The platform has guidelines for users to follow and stand against online abuse and hate speech, though some have called for further restrictions. The app protects its members by having the conversations occur in real-time, without being recorded or transcribed.

Conversations on Clubhouse cannot be recorded, though the app is still being refined, as Kevin Hart came to learn when a heated discussion he had was leaked online. This points to something needed in society, though - safe spaces online for meaningful talks. Could Clubhouse be the app we

NEVER KNEW WE NEEDED? Clubhouse is set to become a new way to connect with others. It provides a unique platform for networking since you can virtually get yourself in the same room as people you would otherwise not have had the opportunity to. Whether it's for work or pleasure, you can connect with strangers who are interested in similar topics. Alternatively, these rooms can be spaces for you to converse with friends and family.

WANT IN? Sign up for the waiting Clubhouse list to reserve your username. Those who have been invited can sign in and are allocated one invite to send another. After some time, they'll be granted three more invites to give out - and that's it! While the app has seen its fair share of growing pains, hang tight - this app is expected to continue growing in 2021.

Written by Andrew Thomas & Ravi Vyas