Andrew Macarthy's Blog, page 18
January 1, 2016
How to Add Paragraphs To Instagram Captions In 3 Easy Steps
I've recently started using Instagram more actively, and often find myself typing out quite a bit of text in the caption field to help explain the image I am posting. Once hashtags are added, the wall of text can begin to look unsightly, and unreadable. I'm sure plenty of you have experienced the same!
While Instagram does not recognise when you add in a new line for a paragraph, there is an easy enough way around the problem, and your captions will be looking neater in no time.
Here's how to add paragraphs to Instagram captions in 3 easy steps:
1. Don't write your captions in Instagram
As you know, publishing an Instagram caption (even if you include the paragraph spaces) will always result in all of your text being mushed together in one big chunk - as above. So, don't write your captions in Instagram, type them out in your phone's Notes app instead.
2. Don't use emoji at the start or end of paragraphs
In a weird formatting glitch, if your caption text contains emoji at the start or end of paragraphs, they will prevent this trick from working. So, feel free to use them within paragraphs, but not at the beginning or the end like in the image above.;
3. Remove extra spaces
The last important rule is to remove any extra blank spaces at the end of your paragraphs. If any remain, again, this trick will not work.
All that's left to do is copy and paste your completed caption into Instagram, then publish your photo. Sit back, relax, and admire your work!
Over to youWill you be using this trick to spruce up your own Instagram captions? Let me know in the comments below!
Andrew Macarthy is a social media consultant and the author of the #1 Amazon Web Marketing Bestseller, 500 Social Media Marketing Tips.
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December 10, 2015
How to Use Festive Giveaways to Drive Sales on Social Media This Christmas (5 Real Examples)
How to Use Festive Giveaways to Drive Sales on Social Media This Christmas (5 Real Examples)
The holiday season is a time where people's thoughts turn to giving, and a period where the instinct to be just that little bit more selfless is stronger than it might be at other times of the year. It's also a time where people's sharing activity increases. On Facebook for example, people share 28% more photos and videos on mobile during the festive season, so make sure that you stand apart from other seasonal messages by using visuals that not only encourage discovery and purchases, but also contain an emotional element.
In this post, I'll show you 5 real examples of brands who are tapping into the emotional side of their customers this Christmas, specifically with giveaways; maybe they will inspire you to try something similar, however big or small!
1. Tesco Mince Pies GiveawayMince pies are up for Grabs. If you see our mince pie van tweet us a pic including #HapPieChristmas! ! pic.twitter.com/0P7uocdO7O
— Tesco News (@TescoMedia) December 7, 2015
UK Supermarket Tesco is delivering 1,000 free boxes of its mince pies to random people across England, knocking on their doors and wishing them a merry Christmas. It's a simple gesture that spreads the festive spirit (and helps to promote the brand).
2. Carlsberg's beer-covered Christmas treeCarlsberg decorated a giant Christmas tree on the banks of the river Thames in London with beer glass baubles, candle-lit beer bottles, digital festoon lighting and beer hops. The first 100 visitors to the tree were given one of the hand-blown glass beer baubles, or ‘beerbles’, from which to drink free Carlsberg lager.
Carlsberg also used the tree as an opportunity to host a social media giveaway:
Guess how many bottles on the tree by 4pm for your chance to win! 18+ & UK only, T&Cs apply: https://t.co/kTqBVAOd7F pic.twitter.com/e1J1IyU4aY
— Carlsberg UK (@CarlsbergUK) December 4, 2015
3. Harley Davidson's Trike giveaway
#NiceToBeNaughty
Posted by Harley-Davidson Australia on Sunday, December 6, 2015
Harley-Davidson's Australian arm is looking for the “most deserving kid in Australia” to give away a unique custom-built tricycle as part of its holiday social media marketing push. A link from its Facebook Page reads:
SOMETHING NICE FOR SOMEONE NAUGHTY
Milk-spillers, food-spitters and mud-trudgers rejoice - this year we're celebrating all those kids that are curious, rebelious and free-spirited!
We're giving a custom built Harley-Davidson trike to one lucky little minion of mayhem.
To enter, tell us in 100 words or less why your 3 - 6 year old deserves the most badass 3-wheeler in the Southern Hemisphere.
At the time of writing, the campaign video had racked up nearly 500,000 views and ver 6,000 shares.
4. Shangri-La's #worldofwarmthA video posted by Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts (@shangrilahotels) on Nov 30, 2015 at 5:11pm PST
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is spreading a #WorldOfWarmth among its Instagram community. Through an interactive advent calendar, it is offering its 32,000 followers a chance to win prizes for watching and interacting with brief Christmas videos. The continuity of the videos will encourage users to come back, which will in turn help the material go viral.
Each of the videos includes the Shangri-La Christmas star, which glows orange when it is held. Fans are encouraged to screenshot and regram the moment in which the star “glows with warmth” and tag #WorldOfWarmth and @ShangriLaHotels.
Participants have a chance to win 2,000 Golden Circle Award points - enough for a free night's stay at number of Shangri-La locations.
5. Three's Christmas Day BirthdaysThe boy who was born on Christmas dayIt sucks having a birthday in December right? Know anyone who does? Wish them a merry birthday.#makeitright
Posted by Three UK on Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Having a December birthday shouldn’t suck! Comment below with your name, December birth dateand #merrybirthday to win the BEST.BIRTHDAY.EVER!http://blog.three.co.uk/2015/12/09/me...
Posted by Three UK on Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Mobile phone company, Three, has gone for a humorous slant with its marketing, tapping into the large group of people whose birthday's fall in December, or on Christmas Day - nothing worse than a combined birthday and Christmas gift!
Over to youHow will you be making the most of the holiday season in your social media marketing? Let me know in the comments below
Andrew Macarthy is a social media consultant and the author of the #1 Amazon Web Marketing Bestseller, 500 Social Media Marketing Tips.
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December 3, 2015
9 Steps to A Successful Holiday Season Social Media Campaign
9 Steps to Have A Successful Holiday Season Social Media Campaign
For many brands, the holiday season delivers an important boost in trade, so making the most of the busy few weeks in the run up to The Big Day is crucial. In this blog post, I'll share with you 9 steps to ensure that your Christmas marketing on social media is a success.
1. Establish a themeLike all good marketing plans, you first need to define an over-arching theme. Whatever the content - text, images, GIFs, or videos, etc. - it should all point back to your chosen subject.
Don't be a loaf this Christmas. Drop your own hint so you can #SparetheAct. https://t.co/tg2GIGuCOp #HungerGames pic.twitter.com/0HcmcVNo3D
— Currys & PC World (@curryspcworld) November 17, 2015
Currys PC World's holiday marketing theme is tied to its #sparetheact hashtag, encouraging people to spell out to their loved ones the gift they'd really to receive, thus avoiding the need to feign gratitude upon opening it Christmas Day.
I think he's got the hint... #SpareTheAct @curryspcworld
— Mode of Style (@ModeofStyle) November 14, 2015
#Christmas #surfacepro4 #hinthint pic.twitter.com/U5Jm2iQLpt
Currys PC World's campaign clearly targets the many people who find it difficult to let loved ones know what they really want for Christmas, and gives them a fun and humorous outlet to deliver the message.
Real messages have been displayed in public places, like at bus stops, providing photo opportunities for sharing on social media. If you knew the person mentioned in the message (or even if you didn't), it would be tempting to share online in order to make sure the hint is well and truly received.
2. Choose your platforms and content typesBuild cheer! Craft your own Christmas Tree with Rust-Oleum and PVC Pipe. Get the how-to on our blog! http://thd.co/1lsVHfr
Posted by The Home Depot on Tuesday, December 1, 2015
A brand like Currys PC World has the money and resources to target multiple social channels with full gusto, but if you can't match that kind of effort, don't worry. With the Christmas period being so busy on social media, decide upon which social network(s) your efforts will most resonate and concentrate on maximizing your impact there.
In addition, consider the type of holiday-themed content you want to produce. Do your fans respond best to images, or have you had more success with video? Will data-filled infographics draw attention, or are your fans engaged by quick video tips and tricks? Fitting with its "build it yourself" mantra, Home Depot has a big focus on sharing holiday-themed DIY tutorials.
3. Provide great customer serviceIs this how all your orders arrive @ArgosHelpers ??? This is supposed to be a Christmas present. What will you do? pic.twitter.com/5rGDNrpRHY
— Ruth (@Ruth_Hopkins) December 1, 2015
For all kinds of reasons, the holiday season can be a stressful time for people, especially if they are researching and buying gifts online. You can help to ease the stress just a little and inject a bit of Christmas cheer by delivering stellar customer service. If there has to be one time of year where you do not want to disappoint over any other, this is it. So, keep a close eye on notifications and messages and be sure to handle issues as swiftly and efficiently as possible.
4. Customise your brandingOne of the easiest ways to get your audience into the spirit of the holidays is to give your social profiles a Christmassy makeover - after all, your cover photo and profile photos are two of the most visual and prominent online marketing beacons.
Macy's Facebook cover photo has been decked out with a Christmas theme and the slog "Believe in the magic of Christmas." And people have responded to this simple, yet effective change:
With thousands of likes and hundreds of shares, Macy's Christmas cover photo has had the intended effect.
5. Run a Christmas OfferChristmas is traditionally one of the busiest times of the year for businesses - and a period when people are more open to spending - so make the most of it by inventing an offer and promoting it on social media.
6. Show your charitable sideAs much as Christmas has become synonymous with rampant consumerism, it is important to show your fans and customers that you remember the season is about giving as well as receiving. The simplest gestures can go far to show your brand's human side, which will resonate positively with your audience.
Spread the warmth of the season. Purchase a pair of holiday socks and we’ll donate a pair to someone in need #SocksForAll #GapLove
Posted by Gap on Tuesday, November 24, 2015
This year, Gap is doing its bit to spread some Christmas joy by donating a pair of socks to someone in need for every pair a customer purchases.
Of course, it's something they are keen to tell their fans about, celebrating its success and making its fans a part of the campaign.
7. Host a giveawayAs well as showing your giving side through charitable ventures, a competition or sweepstakes is a great way to build buzz around your holiday campaign, and to take part in the giving side of Christmas.
We're giving away 10 gifts from our Holiday Gift Guide! Don't miss your chance to win one: https://t.co/5IjD54kUmk pic.twitter.com/sLFep9nRVt
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) December 2, 2015
N a clever way to host a giveaway and promote its website, and the products offered by its partners and affiliates.
8. Promote content with social media adsFighting for the attention of users on social media using only organic reach is difficult enough at the best of times, but on Black Friday and into the holiday season, competition will increase significantly. So, if you already run ads, don't forget to optimise them for users looking for Black Friday deals - use relevant keywords, hone in on your targeting, and run ads at the time of day when most of your fans will be online to see - and act - upon them. In anticipation of the stronger competition that you will face, perhaps also consider upping your ad spend or bids for a short period of time. If you've never run social ads before, now is a better time than any to start.
Clarins UK has used Instagram Ads to promote its range of Christmas gifts this year, complete with a dedicated campaign hashtag and a "Shop Now" call-to-action button.
9, B2B company?If you're a company that doesn't deal directly with the public, there are other ways that you can take advantage of the holiday season buzz on social media. Ideas include a "wrap-up of the year" blog post to reflect on the last twelve months - your progress and success, lessons learned, plans for the year ahead.; a peek behind the scenes at how your workforce celebrates the holidays; a personal story about what Christmas means to you, et.
Over to youAre you planning a Christmas campaign on social media, or has it already begun? What kind of strategies will you be using? Let me know in the comments below!
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November 12, 2015
The Ultimate Guide to Boosting Posts on Facebook: Strategy, Targeting, and Budgeting
The Ultimate Guide to Boosting Posts on Facebook: Strategy, Targeting, and Budgeting
Do you use the Boost feature on Facebook? Would you like to optimise your strategy - to reach more fans, drive engagement, and get the most value for money? In this post I'll explain everything you need to make the most of boosted posts for your business.
What are Facebook boosted posts?
If you've been managing a Facebook Page for any length of time, I'm sure you've seen the prompts from Facebook to boost a post on your Page. You may have already done so and know what they're all about, but here's a very quick summary:
Boosted posts are a quick and easy way to pay Facebook to show your content to more people; a way to increase the likelihood that your target audience will see your posts in their News Feeds - all important in a world of ever-decreasing organic, non-paid reach. In essence, they're the simplest form of Facebook ads.
Why bother using boosted posts?
Boosting a post takes seconds to do, compared to potentially a lot longer through the main Facebook Ads tool or Power Editor. Though the aforementioned tools give you much more scope for ad customisation and targeting (and I would certainly advocate their use, too), boosting posts is the quickest and easiest way to share your best content with more of your most engaged fans. Most types of Page posts can be boosted, including status updates, photos, videos and offers. Posts you boost will appear higher in News Feed to help more people see them, and all boosted posts are labeled Sponsored.
Which posts should I boost?Boost only your best content: Boosting a post should be used to compound the success any initial, organic engagement - to show it to more people who want to see it, will comment, like and share, and will not hide or mark it as spam - so it only makes sense to give a leg-up to the stuff that more people are likely to engage with. When deciding upon which specific posts to boost, make sure that, in spending money, that the effort aligns with your current marketing goals.
Note: Never use the Boost option as a way to try and "save" a post that you thought would be received more favourably than it has been. In most cases, it's best to take the hit on the chin and try something else, rather than throwing money at it at the risk of waste.
Before you hit that Boost button, give your post at least a few hours to gain natural, organic reach. Not only will this time allow you to gauge whether a post is being received well by your audience (and, therefore, be a good candidate for promotion), but you'll also save money - why pay for reach and engagement that was coming to you for free in the first place?
Which Targeting Should I Use?
With boosted posts, you have three basic targeting options available:
People who like your PagePeople who like your Page and their friends orPeople you choose through targeting (based on location, interests, age and gender).Specific targeting is important for two reasons: it will ensure that your ad spend isn't wasted (by targeting people who aren't interested), and reduce the chances of your content being marked as spam by those same uninterested people..
Generally speaking, People who like your Page is the safest option, because you know that fans of your Page will most likely be interested in, and engage with your boosted offering. Of course, this assumes that your fan page audience base is high quality and genuinely interested, i.e. not made up of fake or low quality "likes" accrued from prior advertising campaigns.
A portion of your fans' friends (if you select this option) might be interested, but there's no telling if Facebook will show the ad to the friends you want it to; just too much ambiguity in this option for my liking.
As for targeting based on location, interests, age and gender, this works best when you have a good idea about who your audience is. There are several ways to do this, but the easiest is through Facebook Insights' "People" report, found via the Insights link at the top of your Page:
The People report shows you a breakdown of your audience, based on gender, age, and location. Notice the "Your Fans", "People Reached", and "People Engaged" tabs. Be sure to take look at each of these - especially "People Engaged" to determine which of your audience, through targeting, is most likely to act upon your boosted post.
How much should I spend on Boosted Posts?
When boosting a post, Facebook gives you a choice of preset budgets, or you can enter your own. Once you've chosen your budget, you can look at Est. People Reached to get an idea of how many people your boosted post can reach with the budget and targeting options you've chosen. In general, the higher your budget, the lower the cost per reached individual will be. In the example above, reaching a budget of £5.00 gives an Estimated Reach of 1,200 - 3,100 people (median of 3.8p per reached individual). Meanwhile, a budget of £20.00 provides an Estimated Reach of 2,900 - 7,800 people (median of 2.45p per reached individual) - over a penny less per individual reached.
As we'll discuss shortly, you can add to your budget at any time (you can't reduce it, only pause the promotion), so if you're not comfortable with starting with a higher budget but open to increasing it, start low at £5/$5.
When to stop a boosted post early or increase its budget
The above figures assume you will boost a post and leave it to run to its end unattended, therefore saving a little more if your initial stake is higher. However, there's no guarantee that your boosted post will reach the maximum estimate shown or that people will respond to it in the way that you hope, so always keep an eye on its performance to gauge whether you are getting value for money.
If a boosted post is not doing as well as you hoped, you should stop it, but if it is exceeding expectations, be prepared to increase the budget to reach more people. One way to decide which route to take is to compare a boosted post's engagement performance against the average for a post on your Page - ideally during the first handful of hours of the campaign starting. Here's how:
Take a look at the performance of a typical post on your Page. Take the total people reached, then work out the likes, comments, and shares as a percentage of this. For example, in the post above my total people reached for this post was 628. The number of likes, comments and shares was 28. So, the percentage of likes, comments and shares is found by calculating 28 / 620 x 100, equalling 4.45%.
Using this as a benchmark for my boosted posts, I could watch the performance of one within the first few hours and use the same tactic to calculate how it is doing. If total engagement is much less than 4.45%, then I would probably cut my losses and stop the promotion. If engagement was around the same as the benchmark figure, I would leave the post alone. If the engagement figure was higher, I would know people are really responding well and consider increasing my budget.
How to maximise the engagement of boosted postsOnce a post has been boosted, its performance is at the mercy of Facebook's algorithm, but there are a few things you can do to maximise its impact. Let's assume that your boosted post features a Facebook-exclusive 10% off code for a purchase at your online store. You could:
Alert your email list: Your subscribers are some of the people most interested in your brand. Fire them off an email with a direct link to your boosted post, and encourage them to engage.Blog about it: Publish a post centered around your promotion/boosted post and spotlight it in front of the people who visit your blog. Use the Embed feature (via the drop-down arrow on the post) to place it right within the article. Share on other social media: Direct link to your promotion on other social profiles, including Twitter and Pinterest.Will Boosting posts damage my organic reach?Facebook addressed this question during a Q&A session earlier on in 2015, and the answer is that yes, in a roundabout way, it can. Specifically, a drop in organic reach can be the result of poorly targeted boosted posts. If your ad reaches the wrong people they will be more likely to hide the content (or worse, choose to hide all future content from you), or to mark it as spam.
Writing about the topic on Quora, Zachary Chastain, Head of Community Engagement @ Thought Labs, explained:
"If you cause a spike in negative feedback, Facebook will feature your [organic] posts less often in the News Feed. This could lead to a vicious cycle of promoting for more reach, but targeting poorly and getting less organic reach over time."
The solution is - as limited as boosted posts targeting can be - to target carefully and correctly, so that your ad reaches only the people who are most likely to be interested, and to engage.
Over to youHow have your boosted posts performed? Will you be giving any of the above strategies a go for your business? Let me know in the comments below!
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October 26, 2015
How to Make a DIY iPhone (Mobile Phone) Tripod Stand - in 30 Seconds!
How to Make a DIY iPhone (Mobile Phone) Tripod Stand - in 30 Seconds!
Behind the scenes, I'm experimenting with mobile video timelapses for future inclusion in my social media content strategy. For that, I need a steady platform to sit my phone on while I wait for a scene to unfold. Undoubtedly, I'll end up buying a proper tripod and stand in the near future, but I wanted to see how a quick DIY option would suffice in the meantime. So here's my DIY iPhone stand, and how you can create one too:
These lids tend to be pretty sturdy, which you'll need to hold the weight of your phone.
Cut the lines as straight as you can, all the way down or just a little bit short.
Nearly there...
The edges of the cut lid can be a bit sharp, so if you're even the littlest bit worried about scratching your phone, make sure it's protected!
Over to youThat's all there is to it! I tried this method on a windswept seafront the other night (new iPhone 6 perched somewhat perilously on a ledge over a 10ft drop!) and it held up pretty well. Let me know if you're going to give this a go, and tweet me @andrewmacarthy to show me your efforts!
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October 14, 2015
5 NEW Facebook Features Your Business Needs to Know About (October 2015)
It's been a busy summer for Facebook's development team, with plenty of interesting new tools and updates ready to use right now - or right on the horizon. In this blog post, I show you five of the updates that businesses can be taking advantage of. Let's go!
1. The evolution of "Like" - ReactionsThroughout September 2015, it was heavily reported that Facebook would be introducing a "Dislike" button to the site, as a way for people to express empathy - such as when clicking "like" on a sad post feels insensitive.
However, on October 8th, Facebook's Chief Product Officer, Chris Cox revealed the actual new development via a post on his Facebook Page: Reactions. The update allows users to choose one of several expressions - Love, Haha, Yay, Wow, Sad, and Angry - when responding to a post. Check it out below:
Posted by Chris Cox on Thursday, October 8, 2015
At the time of writing, Reactions are being tested amongst Facebook users in Spain and Ireland, but Cox said that they'll be using the feedback to improve the new function, and hope to roll it out to everybody soon. Businesses will be able to see Reaction counts within Facebook Insights, giving you a new way measure how fans perceive you..
2. Video updates: Suggested videos, dedicated portal, "Save" to watch later, and more
The popularity of video on Facebook continues to grow, and Facebook plans to introduce several new features to cater to the need of viewers and publishers. These include a "suggested videos" feature, similar to that seen on YouTube. When a viewer finishes watching one video, several related videos will appear for them to continue watching - hopefully another of yours! Suggested videos is available to most people using iPhone right now; testing for Android will begin in a few months.
You might be familiar with the "Save" option attached to posts in the Facebook News Feed - the ability to file away a post to view it later on. The same feature will soon be available for Facebook videos. If the videos you produce and upload to Facebook are regularly long-form, if it's something they'll want to watch over again, (or if you just know your audience is really busy), you could ask them to hit Save so they have easy access to your content whenever they like.
In a move that aligns Facebook's video strategy as close to YouTube as it has ever been, it'll soon be launching a dedicated page for people to go to search for, and watch, video exclusively - whether that’s videos they’ve saved for later, or videos from friends, Pages they follow, and other video publishers on Facebook. Facebook says:
"... the new videos section helps people discover, watch and share videos on Facebook that are relevant to them. It can be accessed by tapping a “Videos” icon at the bottom of the Facebook app on iPhone or in the “Favorites” section on the left-hand side of News Feed on the web. "3. Check marks for verified Business Pages
A verified checkmark is one of the most sought-after nuggets of social media goodness, and now Facebook is making it easier for businesses to get a piece of the action. Rather than the traditional blue check marks given to public figures, local bricks-and-mortar businesses' with a verified Page will get a grey one. Here's how:
Click Settings at the top of your PageFrom General, click Page VerificationClick Verify this Page, then click Get StartedEnter a publicly listed phone number for your business, your country and languageClick Call Me Now to allow Facebook to call you with a verification codeEnter the 4-digit verification code and click ContinueNote: Local page owners can also verify with a business document, as long as it features the company's name and physical address.
Getting a verified checkmark will improve trust between you and your customers and fans. Speaking to Marketing Land, Facebook Product Marketing Manager, Kristen Bury, said:
"At scale there will inevitably be duplicates and multiple entries for the same business. So this is one way businesses can make it easier for people to make sure that they are finding and communicating with the right Page. …
This isn’t the biggest product that we will launch in the next year, but it’s definitely a sign of our investment in making it easy for people and businesses to connect on Facebook and on Pages."
4. Lead ads available to all
A few months ago, Facebook announced that it was testing a new form of ads - lead ads - which allow Facebook users to sign up to receive news, an offer, or other information about your business, by email with just a few taps. When a mobile user clicks "Subscribe", for example, their name and email address will be populated automatically, and they only have to confirm to start receiving updates. Lead ads are now available to all businesses:
Facebook makes filling in the form as fast as two taps: one click on the ad to open the form and another to submit the autofilled form. Like all of our ad types, lead ads were built with privacy in mind. People can edit their contact information before submitting the form, and this information isn’t sent to the business until a person clicks “submit.”
At the time of writing, lead ads can only be created via the Power Editor platform on Facebook. For those of you who prefer the main Facebook ads platform, hopefully it will roll out soon.
5. Updates to mobile profiles
As of September 2015, Facebook began to test an evolution in profiles for mobile devices, including GIF-like animated video profile photos, and the ability to set a temporary version of your profile picture that reverts back to your previous profile picture at a specified time. Where businesses are concerned, you could incorporate both of these features into a marketing campaign - encouraging fans to change their profile photo as a way to support an initiative or enter a competition (e.g. most creative, theme-based profile photo video).
Over to youWhat do you think of these new developments for Facebook? Are you excited to use them in your own marketing efforts? Let me know in the comments below!
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October 7, 2015
6 Easy Steps to Create An Awesome Animated Promo Video For Social Media (Using PowerPoint!)
Do you want to create a promotional video for social media, to be played on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other sites?? Not confident or skilled in video-making and editing? Don't worry! I have you covered.
In this blog post, I'll show you, step-by-step how you to create an engaging promotional video for social media using only Microsoft PowerPoint (and a few other, free web tools). I'll be using my own video as an example - a promotion for my new book, Successful Social Media Customer Service, with animated text and background music. In essence, it's simply a video recording of a PowerPoint presentation, but I think it does looks pretty pro! Take a look:
1. Storyboard the "slides" of your video
As you can see in the video above, it is made up of several short "slides," each leading up to the call-to-action at the end. Before you begin, think about what goal you want to achieve with your video, and plot out each individual slide. This can be as simple as doodling on a piece of paper what images and text you want to appear on each slide, and how long you want each slide to appear on-screen.
2. Setup PowerPoint for Video Recording
When you eventually upload your video to social media, you want it to appear in a nice, widescreen format without any cropping or ugly black bars. I use PowerPoint 2013, and in this edition, the program is not automatically to reflect the result we want. To change this, make sure that under the Design tab, "Widescreen 16:9" is selected from the Slide Size menu.
3. Design your slides
With the setup out the way, it's time to design your slides. The colours, fonts, and images are up to you, but I would recommend sticking to one point / sentence per slide.
In addition, use colour and animation to reflect the tone of the video and the personality of your brand. The font I chose is Nevis (free) and the background design is also free, via Canva.
Note: Consider the speed and timing of your animations, ensuring that it will be easily read when the video is played (i.e., not too fast!). And as your video will be played on a variety of screen sizes, make sure that the most important text will be readable on everything from large desktop monitors to mobile devices. An easy way to test this is simply to use the "zoom out" tool. Can you read what you've written.
4. Record your PowerPoint slides
There are a couple of ways you can do this. I used the PowerPoint add-in that comes with the screen capture software, Camtasia. It is a paid product, but you can download and use it free for 30 days. When installing, make sure to check the option to add the PowerPoint recording tool, then simply hit "record" before scrolling through your slides.
Alternatively, if you have the latest edition of PowerPoint, there is an option to save your presentation as a video. On the File menu, click Save & Send. Under Save & Send, click Create a video. To display all video quality and size options, under Create a video, click the Computer & HD Displays down arrow.
Note: Don't worry too much about the timing for each slide now - just skip through it at a slow pace - we'll handle exat timings at the editing stage.
5. Choose your music
Before we get to editing your video together, now's a good time to choose the music you want to accompany it. I deliberately chose to feature music-only (no voice narration) with my video. The reason for this? The text alone does all the talking for me, and on Facebook, while the video begins playing automatically when people scroll by it in the News Feed, the audio does not (it has to be un-muted). If you do want voice narration, you can focus on this in the previous step, but my intention is to keep things nice and simple.
As for where to find the music? My go-to destination is incompetech.com, a royalty free site extremely popular with all kinds of video creators. You'll be able to choose music by genre and mood, or search for tracks if you wish. If you do decide to use the music from Inompetech, be sure to credit it. If you watch my video closely, I reference it through text that pops up in the final slide.
6. Edit it all together
The final step is to import your music and your recorded PowerPoint video file into the video editor of your choice, and edit it together to create a final product. Again, I used Camtasia to build my final video, but there are plenty of free and paid video editing programs out there (iMovie, Lightworks, or even Windows Movie Maker). I wanted to time it so that there was one "slide" per bar of music. To do this, I simply cut and/or extended the frames for each slide to increase the or decrease the amount of time it would appear on screen. After a little bit of tweaking, the video was complete.
Over to youWhat do you think about this "quick and dirty" method for creating animated promo videos for social media? Will you be giving it a go? Let me know in the comments below!
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September 29, 2015
20 Inspirational Ideas to Kick Start Your Fall Marketing on Social Media (With Real Examples)
With summer now officially over, the start of a new season is a great time to give your social media profile a refresh and to introduce autumnal ideas into your content strategy. If you're in need of some ideas and inspiration, look no further. Here's how 20 big brands are already making the most of the opportunity:
1. Starbucks uses a time lapse to showcase its new season cup design...A video posted by Starbucks Coffee ☕ (@starbucks) on Sep 23, 2015 at 10:37am PDT
2. Home Depot updates its Facebook cover photo to reflect the fall season...
3. Williams-Sonoma inspires fans with a variety of recipes...
4. Dunkin' Donuts injects some humour into an Autumn-themed post...6 simple recipes to celebrate fall's signature flavor: pumpkin! http://wsono.ma/bdMwr
Posted by Williams-Sonoma on Monday, September 28, 2015
5. Party City shows off its Fall stock in a collage...Even these little guys love our donuts ;) #Autumn
Posted by Dunkin' Donuts on Sunday, September 27, 2015
6. Pop Tarts uses humour to promote limited edition products...Goodbye summer. Hello autumn! Decorate your home in warm tones with Party City’s fall décor starting at $1.49. Shop now! http://bit.ly/FallDecor_FB
Posted by Party City on Thursday, September 24, 2015
7. Whole Foods welcomes customers into the new season...This explains why we can only deliver Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts once a year. Totally worth the wait. Get them in stores now.
Posted by Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts on Monday, September 14, 2015
8. Marks and Spencer uses a photo album to promote its new baby range...It's the first day of autumn... Congratulations on making it through the summer heat!
Posted by Whole Foods Market on Wednesday, September 23, 2015
9. Levis encourages fans to make the most of the summer rays...Ensure your baby is the best-dressed tot in town this Autumn. The new baby catalogue is available now > http://bit.ly/1NWy1ud
Posted by Marks and Spencer on Monday, September 28, 2015
10. Panera Bread shares a soup-y factoid...
11. Avis promotes one of its motors with a splash of fall colours...Your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparents knew how to make a mean Autumn Squash Soup. #FoodForThought
Posted by Panera Bread on Friday, September 25, 2015
12. Blistex shares its autumn essentials (including its product, of course)....Welcome fall in style. #FirstdayofFall #SignatureSeries https://goo.gl/3LtnAd
Posted by Avis Car Rental on Wednesday, September 23, 2015
13. Coppertone provides a blank canvas for colouring in...Autumn officially begins today! We've got our essentials at the ready - have you? :)
Posted by BlistexUK on Wednesday, September 23, 2015
14. Folgers gets us thinking about the smells of the season...Colour this picture of falling leaves and a setting sun.
Posted by Coppertone Canada on Monday, September 28, 2015
15. Iams shares a cute and funny pet photo...Fall is in the air, and it smells like Folgers Gourmet Selections® Caramel Drizzle® Flavored Coffee. http://spr.ly/6188ByuG0
Posted by Folgers on Sunday, September 27, 2015
16. Mod Podge shares some crafty fall ideas...It's officially the start of autumn, the hide and seek season.
Posted by Iams UK on Wednesday, September 23, 2015
17. Pillsbury shares a Buzzfeed-made fall recipe...The only question is, which one will you try with your kids first?
Posted by Mod Podge Rocks! on Monday, September 28, 2015
18. Tetley Tea plays on the colours of fall for a promotional post...Fallelujah! Time for pumpkin everything including these 3-ingredient Pumpkin Pie Roll-Ups.
Posted by Pillsbury on Friday, September 25, 2015
19. Thermos shares a fan-made fall-inspired graphic...Just like the trees in autumn, our leaves vary in color as well…
Posted by Tetley Tea on Saturday, September 26, 2015
20. Turtle Wax prepares its customers for seasonal spills...Iced coffee with spice will always be in season. Sip on! (Credit: Alysha Dawn Illustration)
Posted by Thermos on Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Over to youWe’ve got your back for Pumpkin Spice Latte spills. #Fall #FirstDayOfAutumn
Posted by Turtle Wax on Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Will you be using any of the ideas above, or have you already got your own in the pipeline? Let me know in the comments!
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September 13, 2015
How to STAND OUT on Social Media With Effective Visual Branding (Eve Mattresses Case Study)
How to STAND OUT on Social Media With Effective Visual Branding (Eve Mattresses Case Study)How to STAND OUT on Social Media With Effective Visual Branding (Eve Mattresses Case Study)
Does your brand have a strong visual presence on social media channels? Do you want to increase brand recognition online?
Using consistent visual design elements in your social media marketing efforts helps people to spot your updates in busy news feeds while simultaneously showing off your business' personality. Ask yourself the following question: Given one quick glance (and that's all most social media content gets!), can people spot your brand amongst dozens of others?
In this blog post, I'll show you examples from Eve, a mattress manufacturer - and how it uses colour, fonts, and composition to make its brand stand out on social, and to convey its core messages.
Before we look at Eve's social content, here's a screen grab of its website home page. Consider how Eve mirrors this style on social to tie all of its branding together.
Clean, simple and uncluttered with yellow, grey, and white the prominent colours. Now, onto Facebook...
In a series of "tired Mummy/Daddy" posts, Eve implements a consistent template, from the handwritten font, to the yellow background and border, and even the placement of the status' elements:Confessions of a tired Daddy.
Posted by Eve Sleep on Friday, August 21, 2015
Similarly, a consistent template is used for its "quote" series of posts; a type-written font (the same as on its website), followed by a key word that is big and bold. Notice a more subtle form of branding - the eve logo used as background wallpaper.Confessions of a tired Mummy.
Posted by Eve Sleep on Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Let’s never forget it.
Posted by Eve Sleep on Sunday, August 16, 2015
Eve knows that a catalogue photo of a mattress isn't going to make for an eye-catching piece of social content. Often, it uses the long, linear angles of its product to create images that are much more visually appealing, abstract even:All together now: “Unicorns. Butterflies. Sunshine. Puppies. Rainbows...” (You get the idea.)
Posted by Eve Sleep on Wednesday, August 5, 2015
“Buy good shoes and a great bed. Because in this life, when you’re not in one you’re in the other…” - Ancient Japanese Proverb (Via @indiaroseco)
Posted by Eve Sleep on Saturday, September 12, 2015
A mattress that melts around you, exhibit A. (Via India Rose)
Posted by Eve Sleep on Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Even when Eve is not promoting its mattresses, its brand colours and core message (delivering happy mornings, sunlight) are deliberately sought out to feature in status updates, like these interesting or quirky photos:Does your mattress have sausage dog approval? Ours does...
Posted by Eve Sleep on Friday, August 7, 2015
steps on the Southbank with 'eve yellow' ceiling
Posted by Eve Sleep on Friday, February 27, 2015
We love yellow flowers and morning sunshine...
Posted by Eve Sleep on Friday, May 1, 2015
To celebrate topical and cultural events, Eve's logo gets a subtle transformation...Is it just us, or does this lemon meringue pie look just like an eve mattress?!
Posted by Eve Sleep on Wednesday, September 9, 2015
One of our favourite cycling festivals is upon us again! Who’s partaking in Ride London this weekend?
Posted by Eve Sleep on Saturday, August 1, 2015
May the 4th be with you! #MayThe4thBeWithYou
Posted by Eve Sleep on Sunday, May 3, 2015
Over to youWishing everyone a wonderful Easter weekend.
Posted by Eve Sleep on Friday, April 3, 2015
What do you think of Eve's social media content? Has it inspired you to work on your own company's visuals to add consistency and breed familiarity amongst your fanbase? Let me know in the comments below!
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September 7, 2015
How to Easily Create Amazing Facebook Video Content For Business (With Real Life Examples)
How to Easily Create Amazing Facebook Video Content For Business (With Real Life Examples)
Do you create promotional videos for Facebook, or is it something you are considering? It's an avenue that I'm personally interested in experimenting with - particularly short promotional videos that can be used as entertaining Page content, as Facebook ads to drive business objectives, or both - ideally, no longer than 10 seconds.
Why limit a Facebook Video to 10 seconds?Compared to other social networks, the restrictions for posting videos to Facebook are very generous. Files can be up to 45 minutes long, with a size limit of 1.75GB (Instagram and Twitter limit videos to 30 seconds each, for example). So, I could publish a long promotional video, but I'm interested in the 10 second limit for several reasons:
Caters to the short attention spans of Facebook users (much more likely to watch a 10-second video than one that is several minutes), especially in the middle of the crowded News Feed compared to, say, a dedicated YouTube video page.Focusses message: 10 seconds is enough time to drive home one idea. Keeping it simple increases the chances of engagement.Time and turnover: Making a 10-second promotional video is (relatively speaking) going to be quick. And if one idea bombs, you can move into the next one fairly swiftly.What ideas make up a powerful 10-second Facebook Video campaign?Let's take a look at some key elements and strategies for making a captivating Facebook video, complete with plenty of real life examples.
Use a call-to-actionChocolate and biscuit sounds like trouble. #MikadoBy the stirrer. Stick out your personality.
Posted by Mikado on Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Anchored by the #MikadoBy hashtag, Mikado used several videos to showcase the personalities of the people who buy it's chocolate-covered biscuit sticks. The hashtag is used in the text of the video status update, as well as appearing within the video itself. The videos end with a "Shop Now" call to action button, linking to the website of supermarket, Tesco.
Try stop-motion animationCadbury Dairy Milk's 5-second video uses a crude form of stop-motion animation to inspire its fans to pair strawberries with its giant chocolate buttons. Watch the video a few times and you'll notice a consistent timing for each shot that generates a compelling rhythm for the piece of content as a whole.
Speed up the frame rateIn this example, Starburst has increased the speed of the video to hammer home how fast its products are flying off the shelves. However, this strategy is also eye-catching, and allows much more to be packed into just 10 seconds. You could apply the same tactic by shooting a time lapse of your workplace, an event or interesting scene.
Use consistent brandingDear Monday, you're the worst. Sincerely, everyone. #KeepOnSucking #JollyRancher #Monday #MondaySucks https://instagram.com/jollyrancher/
Posted by Jolly Rancher on Monday, August 10, 2015
If you've been using branded images on Facebook for a long time, fans will expect and recognise consistency when you experiment with video. In this example, Jolly Rancher features its brightly-colored mascot.
Your one-stop destination for long-lasting, bold fruit flavor!#KeepOnSucking #JollyRancher
Posted by Jolly Rancher on Wednesday, August 5, 2015
In this example, the candy brand is less reserved, whacking its logo front and center within a five-second video.
Convert a photo into a videoFind out how to rock these Peanut Butter Cup Rocky Road Brownies: http://bit.ly/1NsiMY8
Posted by Reese's on Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Probably the quickest way to produce a Facebook-ready short video is to convert an image into one, as Reese's has done in this example. All it consists of is a zoomed-in image (slowly zooming out) and a hastily-added text overlay. Probably took about 5 minutes in Movie Maker, but still performed very well.
Delicious Possibilities.
Posted by HERSHEY'S on Friday, June 5, 2015
Check out this similar example from Hershey's - 6 images flashed on-screen, and a tag line at the end - simple!
Share fan-made videosChip. Throw. Eat. Repeat. #BoldSnacking
Posted by Doritos on Thursday, September 3, 2015
As well as creating your own videos, why not encourage your fans to get in on the fun? Offer a small incentive or prize, and - Like Doritos above - hopefully you'll have lots of effort-free video content for your Facebook Page.
Make your video understood without soundMesmerizing, isn’t it? – Blue
Posted by M&M's U.S.A. on Wednesday, August 12, 2015
I bet I can guess your favorite color. It’s red, right? – Red
Posted by M&M's U.S.A. on Friday, August 21, 2015
Videos on Facebook autoplay when scrolled past in the News Feed, but the audio remains muted until a user clicks it off to hear sound. Assuming that plenty of people won't turn on the audio for a whole variety of reasons, consider creating videos that work without sound - either by using on-screen captions, or simply publishing a visual treat with backing music - as in the examples from M&M's above (the clips are a tad over 10 seconds, but you get the idea!).
Over to youHas this blog post inspired you to give Facebook video a try? Will you be making use of any of the strategies above? Let me know in the comments below!
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