And as the door of 2019 closes, a new, shinier (and slightly intimidating) door is ajar, ready for us to open and walk into 2020. So, what does this next decade have in store for us, in terms of social media?

Let’s dive right in. Here are 5 key social media trends to watch for in 2020:

1. Influencer marketing will continue to grow

Influencer marketing is no new trend, but it is one that’s going to stick around, whether you like it or not.

In 2020, social media will continue to be dominated by influencers being paid extortionate amounts of money to promote their ‘favourite’ brands. But it’s not just the Kim Kardashians of the world that are going to benefit from this trend.

Recently, we have seen the rise of ‘micro-influencers’, people who have a smaller network of followers on social media, but are seen as more relevant and niche to the brand. And due to the significantly lower price tag of a micro-influencer, marketers aren’t tied down to just collaborating with 1-2 influencers. Instead, they are able to work with a whole host of influencers.

The result? Brands get more meaningful engagement and the influencers get valuable exposure and money. It’s a win-win situation and you can expect to see more of it going forward.

2. Shopping on social media will soar

Let’s face it, brick-and-mortar retail has been on the rocks for a while. And in 2020, the challenge to keep people in-store will only grow, as the rise of e-commerce shopping options on social media platforms continues to increase.

Back in March, we saw the introduction of Instagram ‘Checkout’, giving users the ability to click on the products shown in an image and buy them directly, without even having to leave the app. Pretty cool, right?

Well this is just the beginning. Facebook has started to roll out a similar purchase feature on the platform and there is already talk of TikTok becoming a major platform for e-commerce shopping in the future. This is great news for businesses and in particular, online-only business. Offering the buy button right on the app can eliminate the need for a website or app download all-together. Meaning less hassle for the purchaser and less overheads for the business.

3. TikTok will become part of your marketing strategy

Yep, that’s right. We are still talking about TikTok. And you know why? Because in 2020, it will start to affect your business, even if you’re avoiding it.

If the way social media is changing is any indication, people are no longer looking for large communities, but the smaller, more relevant ones. Less noise, more genuine engagement and happiness.

This year, we saw Instagram hit 1 billion monthly active users, making it the 5th largest social media channel. Yet, what took Instagram years to generate took TikTok only a matter of months, with them surpassing 1.5 billion monthly active users and 700 million daily active users in July 2019. So, it’s safe to say that this gen-z focused platform is one to watch.

Granted, marketing on new social media platforms can be scary. You are stepping into the world of the unknown. But fortune favours the bold. And some global brands like Pepsi have already dived head-first into building a community on TikTok, working with young influencers to create genuine connections, without having to spend a dime.

In 2020, we will start to see more businesses taking risks and jumping on the TikTok bandwagon. So, maybe it’s time you start to think about it.

4. AR & VR can’t be ignored

From Snapchat and Instagram filters to Facebook’s Oculus Rift that transports you into a virtual reality of your own, 2019 saw the start of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality being integrated into our daily lives on social media.

Augmented reality enhances our reality by adding digital elements to it and changing the way things actually look, which can often be quite comical. Remember the face-swap trend? Hilarious (and also pretty scarring).

In 2020, you can expect to see more and more social media platforms leveraging AR+VR technology to create more engagement on their platforms. And thinking about how you could potentially use these tools to enhance your marketing strategy is a good idea.

5. Video will dominate

Video content has changed the game for social media over the past decade. A great example of this is on Facebook. What was once a social feed full of strange statuses’ and funny wall-to-wall chats with friends, is now completely flooded with video. In fact, Facebook is the #1 platform where marketers plan to invest in video in the next 12 months.
And whether it’s a TV show, movie, or content from your favourite YouTuber or Instagram influencer, users will continue to see an increase of videos popping up on their social feeds. In particular, video ads.

In the last year, 96% of marketers have placed ad spend on video, with 93% getting a new customer because of it. Pretty impressive. As a result, we will see a lot of businesses putting their bets on video marketing in 2020 as a tool to generate more ROI on social media.

In summary, we think it’s safe to say that 2020 is going to be a big year. As a business you will be responsible to keep up to date with trends, be flexible and willing to experiment with new social media platforms and technologies.

Looking to take your social media to the next level in 2020? Get in touch to see how we can help.

The post 5 key social media trends to watch for in 2020 appeared first on Likeable Lab.

Before you ask, this is not a blog about clocks… although that could be quite interesting. No, this is a blog about lip syncing. And we’re not talking the old-school karaoke kind. 

For those of you living under a rock (actually, for most people over the age of 16), TikTok is a social media app that enables its users to create short videos ranging from lip-syncing to comedies and dance videos.

Formally known as Musical.ly, the app was bought by Chinese company Bytedance Technology Co in November 2017 and later rebranded as ‘TikTok’ for all markets outside of China.

The app is simple. Pick a theme, make a 15-sec video, post it. Ta-da. Okay, so it’s not quite as simple as that, but you get the gist. 

When creating a video, users have all sorts of tools at their disposal: filters as seen on Snapchat and Instagram, the ability to search for sounds to score their video and the opportunity to interact with other users through ‘response’ videos or ‘duets’.

What was once a small platform where tweens could lip-sync to their favourite songs, has now snowballed into one of the most popular social platforms among teens and Generation Z. And despite many preconceptions, it has proven to be more than a fad or fluke, with it staying on top of the “most downloaded iOS app” chart for five consecutive quarters and surpassing 1.6 billion downloads in 2019. That’s pretty good going. 

For many, however, this app is still a bit of a mystery. A glaring jewel at the bottom of the ocean, that you want to touch, but are scared of what may unfold if you do. This angst has driven a lot of businesses to keep their distance (including us, admittedly). Yet, with the popularity of the platform only growing, it may become impossible to ignore. 

Noted recently as a ‘sleeping social media giant’ by Forbes, like any social media app, TikTok has become an important marketing tool for businesses. The best part? As advertising on the app is still in its infancy, there are fewer competitors and lower costs involved in order to stand out on the platform.

So, maybe like us, you’ve finally succumbed to trying out the new app, but are unsure how to utilise it.  Or maybe you still need a little convincing. Well, to help you out, we have compiled a list of the top benefits of using TikTok to market your business:  

Unmatched virality 

You know that time we said organic reach was dead? Well, we take it back (slightly).

TikTok is still a relatively new platform, and because of this it’s still learning, growing and deciding how best to present content to its millions of viewers. Much like LinkedIn, organic reach is actually rewarded, encouraging users to form real connections, with the possibility of going viral without spending a single cent. 

Add some marketing spend into the mix and your reach potential will far outreach other, more established platforms, like Facebook. So get in quick before the algorithm monster gets you. 

Speedy results

Content on TikTok is fast. Really fast. 

What does this mean? A far better chance of making an impression on an audience in a short period of time. What this also means is that you can see your return on investment a lot faster than most traditional forms of marketing and even other social media platforms. 

Flexible ads 

Picture this – adverts that have little constraints, unlimited creativity and next to no rules. Sounds like a dream, right? Well that’s what you can get with TikTok. 

Right now is an exceptionally exciting time in social media advertising. With this platform businesses have the ability to hop onto the platform and really experiment. To try new things, see what works and doesn’t, without all of the red tape and creative constraints. 

Influencer marketing galore

From makeup to fashion, tutorials to cooking and everything in between, TikTok has a large number of influencers focusing on this space. Some of these influencers have millions of like-minded followers who can easily be targeted, especially with product placement.

Not only this, but by using sound, influencers are able to make connections that are much more meaningful than a hashtag. Users feel closer to the influencer and a part of something bigger. Due to this, companies that are using TikTok for influencer campaigns are seeing reach that exceeds both Youtube and Instagram combined. 

It’s fun

With a mission to spark creativity and excitement in users, TikTok is a breath of fresh air in the social media space. 

Due to the comedic nature of the app, users tend to add content that they wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing on other platforms such as Instagram or Facebook. There is less pressure to be ‘perfect’ or ‘TikTok worthy’, you can just goof around and have fun. Like the good ol’ days.  

So go on, give it a go! Become a TikToker and be sure to follow us @likeablelab for some laughs and questionable dance moves (looking at you Likeable Phil). 

Still need a little more convincing? Give us a holla, we’ll be happy to help. 

The post This is why your business needs TikTok appeared first on Likeable Lab.

(Definitely, completely different.)

ad:tech concluded with a BIG debate between industry experts Tom Goodwin and Rosie Yakob. Tom was arguing that “despite the rise of digital, NOTHING has changed in the landscape of advertising”.

Yep. 

Seems like a big statement, right? We mean, social media has changed EVERYTHING about advertising. Surely. 

Rosie Yakob was debating the counter argument that, in fact, the proliferation of digitisation had indeed changed EVERYTHING. 

Although there was some middle ground on which they both agreed – for example that, despite popular opinion, the attention spans of humans are NOT shortening – their points (and their delivery styles) were wildly different. 

Rosie’s key argument was that, because of social media, things can escalate at a speed that simply wouldn’t have been possible before the existence of the internet. 

Or that because of the mass media available to consumers at the touch of a button, it’s easier for the audience to call bullsh*t on things they know are simply not true. Cough #fakenews cough.

Here Rosie used the example of Nike X Serena Williams “call me crazy” video which aims to inspire women in sport. When you watch it, it is incredibly inspiring. But when you contextualise it with the myriad of articles, posts, and breaking news about Nike’s poor record for employing women in director roles, or its harsh and archaic treatment of young girls in its high-performance training centre, the audience knows this simply isn’t true. 

It feels empty and totally unauthentic. And so, Rosie argued, having access to this information is what makes advertising today so different from what it was 20 years ago. 

On the flip side Tom Goodwin argued that despite digital, nothing about advertising has really changed. Really. 

What initially sounded like an impossible task soon became inherently persuasive. Using a series of straightforward examples, Tom demonstrated that the fundamentals of advertising have not changed. 

Comparing contemporary ads from today, that we would “naively” label as “revolutionary”, are, quite simply,  no different to ads from the past. They’re just coated in new shiny wrappers. 

Still not convinced? 

Take the first TV ad ever made. 

Nine seconds long. To the point. Punchy. Sure, it lacked a little creativity, but ultimately its message is no different to that of an ad today. 

A 2019 John Deere ad compared to one from 50 years was scarily similar. The key messages, sentiment and purpose were the same. It’s just the new shiny layout and tone of voice that differ. 

But what about old school shopping catalogues that we wouldn’t dream of using today?

Tom argued online shopping, e-commerce and digital banner ads are no different. 

How about milk floats coated in advertising posters? Errr, Uber Eats. 

For every example of old-school advertising, Tom had a modern day replica he couldn’t wait to show off. 

When it came to a vote, the audience sided with Tom. Agreeing that, fundamentally, advertising is the act of trying to convince someone that your brand or product or service is right for them. And THAT has never changed. 

As a social media agency we’re totally on the fence. Without the rise in digital, an agency like ours wouldn’t exist. It’s true that the key purpose of advertising has, and always will, stay the same, but with digital now making everything so readily available, the landscape and the means by which we advertise has changed – incredibly.

Social media allows brands to relate to their audience in a much more personal way. Take Twitter, where community managers can have a lot of fun chatting back and forth with consumers. Previously, this sort of banter was impossible. 

Or topical reactive posts that are literally only relevant for a day. It would be pointless booking media space for a 1-day ad, but social media is affordable and you can create, upload and promote content in LESS than an hour. Try telling that to the advertisers of the Mad Men era.  

We can’t help with your next milk float ad, but we definitely can help with anything in the digital department. Drop us a cheeky inbox hello@likeablelab.com.

The post Has social media changed the face of advertising? appeared first on Likeable Lab.

Wait a sec, what is ad:tech?

ad:tech is a one-day conference with a bunch of different speakers discussing contemporary ideas and updates about all things advertising. And tech-y. On a side note, advertisers drink a lot of coffee. (And if you’re thinking, I already knew that, don’t worry, this isn’t one of the three things we learned.)

1) Stop thinking of mobile as a channel, but more an expansion of a person

Sounds a bit fluffy, we know. But this theme popped up a few times, disguised in a few different forms, so it’s pretty important.

Currently over half of marketers are treating ‘mobile’ as a silo. A single strategy to target all things mobile in one handy little blast.

Which, when you think about, is nonsense.

People carry their phones with them… everywhere. While they watch TV, they’re second screening. When they see outdoor displays, their phone is in their pocket (or in front of their face). When they shop, they’re doing it ON their phone already.

Also, a phone is never just a phone anymore. The ‘phone’ function on a ‘phone’ is (on average) not even one of the top seven features on a ‘phone’. Crazy. But we digress…

Instead, the advice is that we should be optimising the customer, not the channel. Think of how you can use mobile to add REAL VALUE to your customers. How can you make mobile an integral part of a business strategy, or ad campaign, without it even seeming like an ad?

This, quite neatly, leads us into our second learning.

2) PUSH IT PUSH IT:

So, let’s take that rather abstract thought into consideration, and think how it might actually look.

If the key really is to use mobile to transform user experience, then consider what might actually be helpful, and squish your brand into it.

Need an example? You’re running late to the airport in the back of a taxi, sweating profusely, with waves of anxiety rushing over you. Up pops a push notification from your airline, that has communicated with your maps, and with your calendar, and knows you’re running late to the airport in the back of a taxi sweating profusely, with waves of anxiety rushing over you. Your airline (some would say helpfully, others would say creepily) suggests paying for an upgrade and checking in online so you can skip the queues.

It’s smart advertising that’s actually useful. All that’s missing is the wet-wipes to cool you down.

But is this what the people want…? How do you find this. Clever and helpful? Or stalkerish and intrusive?

Whichever way you see it, prepare yourself for a rise of push notifications, as brands utilise the mobile journey for their customers and audience. (And sell along the way.)

3) Cultural relevance is king

It’s 2019. Social media is massive. There’s no denying it anymore, it’s happened.

You may know that at Likeable Lab we often say, “we turn your likes into leads”, so it comes as no surprise that we’re pretty big advocates of the role social media plays in driving sales.

But – which elements of social media actually move the dial?

Drum roll please… the answer is topical posts. Content that has cultural relevance is far more effective in driving engagements.

Seven times more effective in fact.

(That’s when compared with other categories like product posts, comps, brand posts, sponsorship announcements and price promos etc, etc.)

So, as painful as it may feel to spend money sponsoring a social media ad about Mother’s Day, rather than a shiny picture selling your product, it’s actually a pretty effective way to create a positive brand memory.

Posts that ignite an emotion, relate to the audience and are relevant in that moment are more effective. They will build a long-lasting relationship when it comes to point of purchase.

So yep, it’s worth it.

4) Advertisers seriously love coffee

Yes, yes, we know, we said it wasn’t one of the ‘three’ key things we learnt. And it wasn’t, because, being in the social media marketing game, we knew that already.

If anything, it was a looking-in-the-mirror moment. Which is what any good advertising does right? Reflects back a piece of yourself.

Fancy chatting social media and advertising trends with us? Let’s do it over coffee…

The post 3 KEY things we learned at ad:tech appeared first on Likeable Lab.

You know it’s a blog because when you go to the Likeable Lab website and click on the ‘Blog’ tab, you end up here.

Also because of its style and length. It’s conversational, informal and far too long to be a social media post.

Or is it?

A trend is emerging on Instagram where, shock horror, people are writing lengthy soliloquies. 

Some people are scribing… wait for it… hundreds of words, with pure disregard for the unspoken rule that Instagram is primarily a platform for pretty pictures.

But that’s the thing with social media. It’s constantly evolving and, like any vehicle for communication, its direction is dictated by those behind the steering wheel. 

With the rise in digitalism came a hunger for bite-sized nuggets of content that were easily digestible.

The ‘less is more’ approach called for copy that was clipped and cool.

But is our hunger for ‘fast content’ waning? Is the proliferation of puns and emojis becoming like empty calories. A quick fix but not satiating. Are we seeing the emergence of a collective craving for wholefood content, rich in real conversations?

This trend towards longform social media copy is in its infancy, but it’s definitely on the rise, and it’s coming to a phone near you. So be prepared to scroll… and scroll some more.

Apart from the risk of getting scroller’s finger (that’s a thing right?), there are definite pluses for social media marketing.

Organic engagement, or any engagement for that matter, is getting harder and harder to achieve.

But with longform copy you can tell more of a story. Something hearty that the reader can tuck into. Something that starts conversations. 

A longer word count enables you to:

Educate

With more words you can move beyond content that entertains, and start to build in some weighty messaging that shows off your expertise, and in turn strengthens your brand.

Motivate and inspire

As human beings we are naturally aspirational and constantly looking for ways to better ourselves and our lives. If you want to take your audience beyond #hairgoals and #scrunchies, longer stories that share real experiences build a community of engaged followers that won’t dump you for the next hair trend.

Optimise

When it comes to blogs and SEO, longer is always better. Google loves long form content. The longer the copy, the more search hits you’re likely to get.

With greater word counts on social media comes the ability to repurpose blog content. Okay, so maybe don’t post a 1000-word blog on Instagram (although if you do, we’d be interested to know how you get on), but you can edit it into a shorter version without losing the main message of what you’re saying.

Connect

If brevity is the soul of wit, then what is expansiveness the soul of?

If we were to hazard a guess, we’d say ‘connection’.

Emotional connection can happen in the briefest of moments – a look, a touch, a gesture. But when communicating via a digital medium, words are key in conveying the subtleties of your message.

Storytelling is as old as humankind. By ‘spinning a yarn’ and creating a narrative, you draw people in on a deeper level.

And, essentially, that’s what marketing is all about. People believing in you, feeling that they have an affinity with your brand and, ultimately, employing your services or buying from you.

So, fair scribes, go forth and write with wild abandon… Find writing onerous? We love to write. Give us a call.

The post The long and short of long form copy appeared first on Likeable Lab.

Lots of people do it. You may even do it. And if you don’t, you probably know someone who does. But that doesn’t make it right …

‘Boosting’ is a bit of a dirty word in the Likeable office.

There’s nothing inherently bad with boosting Facebook posts, but if you want to get bang (and results) for your buck, there is another way.

Let us lead you into the light …

It’s no secret that it’s getting harder and harder to achieve organic reach. If you want people to see your social media content, you need to put money behind it. 

But simply boosting posts has its limitations.

If you want to reach your target audience and get better reach, engagement and leads, then you need to up the ante. 

Here’s why Facebook Ads are the more socially (and by socially we mean social media-ly) acceptable way to achieve ROI: 

Audience

Facebook Ads allows you to target customers by creating custom audiences, defined by metrics like age, gender, location, interests, occupation and more. 

This means you can drill right down into your ideal customer and aim directly at them. Think of yourself like Cupid aiming a bow…

So, if you want to target women in their 60s who like cats, knit and live in Gore, you can.

It’s also worth noting, if you want to reach new customers, you can exclude people who already know your business.

Retargeting

Unlike Cupid’s arrow, people are not necessarily going to fall in love with your product or service after being hit with your content the first time. Retargeting is every bit as important as targeting.

People who have already visited your website are an uber important target group. You should always retarget to this audience because they’re also likely to engage with your brand on social media.

And when they do, then ‘re-re-target’ them! (Defo a word.) Be at the forefront of their minds for when they need your product or service. If someone engages with you on Facebook or watches one of your videos, you can line up your bow and have another shot at them.

You can also create a custom audience from your customer list. Your customer list is the easiest component of Facebook to convert, because they’ve already signed up to your newsletter or have ordered from you previously. It’s a no-brainer. 

Optimise, optimise, optimise

Not getting results from an ad? Don’t put your bow and arrow away just yet. Is it the bow or is it the arrow that isn’t performing as it should? Or is it both? Are you targeting the right audience? Is the budget allocated correctly? Or is the creative just not hitting the mark?

There’s no point ditching an ad without finding out why it’s not working. The ‘why’ is your key to success. Because once you know what’s not working, you can work towards what will.

And finally …

Once you have engaged with your audience and earned the right to sell, then you can start to generate leads.

So if you want to boost (errr, oops, pardon the bad language) your ROI, then don’t b***t. 

Want to find out more about how you can clean up your ad spend? We’ve got the soap and water on hand. Get in touch. 

The post How To Clean Up Your Social Media Ad Spend appeared first on Likeable Lab.

Creating original, engaging Facebook updates is hard work – so today we’re sharing a short-cut.

It’s called Facestalking

Facestalking (Facebook stalking) is about following your competitors Facebook pages, with the goal of learning which of their Facebook updates are generating engagement (likes, comments and shares).

And no, I’m not talking about stealing their ideas or imagery. I’m talking about seeing what has worked for them and adding your own twist or angle – all the with the goal of creating your own engaging Facebook updates.

Can’t I simply look at what my competitors have been posting?

Yes, you can browse through each of your competitors Facebook pages one-by-one, but if you’d like to simply see all the best Facebook updates from your competitors in one place, then follow the steps below…

How to Facestalk your competitors

1. Make a list of your main competitors
2. Visit each competitors Facebook page
3. Like each competitors page using the ‘Like as your page’ option

Important: Don’t click the normal ‘like’ button, you must choose ‘like as your page’ from the drop down menu.

Once you’ve liked all of the pages you wish to follow then you’re ready to continue.

4. Switch to using Facebook as your page. To do this, click the drop down arrow at the top right of your Facebook page and choose your page name (see screenshot below).

5. Last step, select “See pages feed” or “View pages feed” on the right hand side, towards the bottom of your Facebook business page (see screenshot below)

Hey presto! You should now have a list of all the popular updates from your competitors in one place – now it’s up to you to add your own twist or angle on the topics which have been successful for them.

Notes:

• Repeat steps 4 and 5 above to re-visit this page when you’re looking for Facebook inspiration.
• to change back to viewing Facebook normally just repeat step 4 and select your name from the drop down.

Happy Facestalking!

Cheers, The Likeable Lab team

The post How to Facestalk your competitors appeared first on Likeable Lab.

And when you successfully measure how well your social media is performing, and why, then you can save your abacus for counting beans (that’s dollars, not jelly beans, although we wouldn’t say no to some jelly beans either).

If you’re looking for ROI from your social media, then you need to make sure you’re making the most of your metrics. If you’re paying for ads on social media, you need to get into the nitty gritty and make sure things are performing as well as they should be.

Yes, you might be seeing an obvious increase in your likes, comments and shares, but how is this turning into growth for your business? Because, ultimately, you want to make sure your hard-earned cash is being spent to bring about more leads, right?

To get you started, here are two important metrics for measuring ROI:

Landing page views

Whether you’re looking for leads, sign-ups or purchases, landing page views are valuable because they show you when someone has actually gone to your website. A common mistake is putting too much emphasis on link clicks (as a rough guide, for every three link clicks you get one landing page view).

A link click means someone has clicked on a link in your ad. It doesn’t necessarily mean they have visited your website. For instance, they may have clicked on the link by accident, and then closed the page before it loads.

Hence why landing page views (when someone clicks and fully loads up the website) – and ultimately cost per landing page view – is a much more accurate metric. The cost per landing page view is how much you are spending per visit to your page, and you want this to be as low as possible.

Lead Metrics – defining your lead

Secondly, it’s important to define the ‘lead’ that you’re measuring and how valuable it is to your business. For example, two lead sources that you may want to measure are ‘subscribe to our newsletter’ and ‘contact us’.

But, if you only write a monthly newsletter and it doesn’t have a strong call to action, subscribers may not be the most valuable leads for you. Whereas, if someone fills in a contact us form with their name, email and phone number, this may be a more valuable lead for your business.

So, no matter it may be, figure out the quality of the lead that you’re measuring and what you’re willing to pay for that lead. It might cost three times as much to get one ‘contact us’ form, but if it’s more valuable, then it’s worth it.

And that’s just the beginning…

Keep your eyes peeled for our next blog where we’ll share our top tips on getting better ROI from your Facebook ads.

So you can keep that jelly bean jar topped up (you’re welcome).

The post 2 Social Media Metrics you NEED to look for when measuring ROI appeared first on Likeable Lab.

We’ve all been guilty of doing this at one point or another, pressing the ‘post’ button and hoping for the best, with no clear reason as to why we are posting the content, other than the fact that we ‘like it’. Well, just as you’d plan your summer vacay in spring, planning your upcoming social media content is essential to success – and content calendars help you do just this.

A content calendar is … well pretty much exactly what it sounds like. One space where all ideas, dates, audiences, imagery, links and emojis-galore come together so you can successfully plan and schedule all of your content ahead of time. Here at Likeable, we couldn’t live without them!

But we understand that you might need a little more convincing than us … so here’s our top 5 reasons why WE think YOU should dive head-first into content calendar creation.

1. Plan content alongside a calendar of events

There is literally* a day for EVERYTHING.

*Slight exaggeration, but it was National Exaggeration Day last month so we’re totally on-brand! The great thing about content calendars is that they allow you to plan far, far in advance. Look out for and highlight the most suitable events for your business over the upcoming months in your calendar, and ensure your content is always relevant and topical.

Own a photography business? Look out for World Smile Day on the 4th of October. Own a bar? Probs want to get some offers out there for World Gin Day on the 8th of June. Have an exclusive range of healthy cat food products? Would you even believe that Pet Obesity Awareness Day on the 9th of October is actually a thing – because it is. Check them out. We love to use Days of the Year.

Content calendars are also a great way to pinpoint significant events in your calendar. We’re talking workshops, staff birthdays, product launches, Christmas shindigs – whack ‘em in the content calendar so you can plan engaging, newsworthy content when the time is right.

2. Work collaboratively as a team

Fortunate enough to work in a team? Content calendars are a great way for designers, strategists and copywriters to collaborate on social media campaigns in one space. Google Docs is a real game changer here because it can be accessed both internally by staff AND externally by clients. You can even work on the same doc simultaneously from multiple devices (which sounds cool but can be sort of creepy.)

You can also use content calendars to track comments and feedback. So when Jane didn’t make the amends you recommended a week ago, you can hold her to it. DAMMIT JANE.

3. Dumping ground for ideas

If you work in content creation, chances are you work with some pretty cray-cray, chaotic creatives. (And if you do not know this person, it’s probably you.) Cray-cray creatives (technical term) often have ideas here, there and everywhere, at all times of the day. Content calendars allow you to dump these ideas in one place and come back to them at a more suitable time. So bid farewell to the used napkin covered in lipstick notes – you won’t be needing it anymore.

4. Reach your goals and stay on track

Content calendars allow you to be creative with purpose, make long-term goals and create content strategically around them. Having each month carefully mapped out allows you to zoom out and consider content at a macro level.

We suggest looking at your content week by week and considering why you are posting each piece. Ask yourself the dreaded question, ‘So what?’ when you read posts. If you have no comeback, consider changing up your content to something that’ll really capture your audience’s attention.

5. Reflect and perfect

Just like looking back at your favourite holiday snaps, try gazing nostalgically at previous content. Consider what worked (and what didn’t) and use this to influence your future content. Performance metrics come in really handy here when understanding which type of posts resonate well with your audience and which ones royally tank.

Bonus tip – add a column to track all of those juicy metrics, like engagement rates, reach and leads, to spot patterns and changes! Then repeat. Simple.

NOTE: Cheeky disclaimer, content calendars are great and all, but one thing a Google Sheet can’t do is spell check. We advise writing your content in a Word doc (or something similar like Pages) first, then transferring it to the sheet once it’s good to go.

Don’t say we didn’t warn ya.

Ready to give it a go for yourself? Download our FREE social media content calendar template below.

Or if you wanna chat, send us a message.

The post This is Why You Need a Content Calendar appeared first on Likeable Lab.

Are you a planner or a frenetic poster? Some people get caught up in the moment and throw any old thing on Instagram. But this urgency should be stomped on before you wreck havoc with your Instagram grid. It’s easy to spot the difference between a well planned Instagram feed and one that’s, well, gone rogue.

Planned: There will be an obvious aesthetic, style and feel that flows throughout the feed.

Unplanned: Trust us … you’ll know!

Here are some of our top tips for planning your Instagram grid:

1. Stay on brand and keep it cohesive

If you want to grow your following and audience while highlighting your brand’s unique style and tone, your Instagram feed is a great place to do this. Make sure you create a grid that captures all the important parts of your business, while still staying on-brand and following your distinctive aesthetic. Capturing your brand’s style and colours throughout will keep things cohesive.

2. Choose a look and feel

Consider how you want your grid to look. When people first come across your Instagram account, what is the theme they will see? Dark and moody or light and airy? Inside shots or outside ones? How do the pictures you’re using relate to your brand? Will people see cohesion or chaos? The saying ‘first impressions last’ certainly applies to Instagram, so make sure your grid screams out your brand and tone (or whispers it gently if you’re a meditation guru). A mood board is a good place to start.

3. Use filters consistently

A simple yet often forgotten step is making sure you use the same filters on all your pics. There are plenty to choose from, but the key here is to be consistent by using only two or three different filters when you edit your pictures. Don’t go crazy trying to look clever and creative – get back to basics and think ‘how will this look 10 posts down on my grid?’. (Besides filters, there are also lots of other tools out there to help create engaging content on Instagram.)

4. Ask yourself, does this and that go together?

So you’ve got some great shots, you’ve put a filter or two on them, edited out the bad bits … but how do things look next to each other? The key word here is balance. Busy photos? Quiet and calm photos? Which goes where? Again, think about how it balances out across your whole grid. Images need to be positioned in such a way that people can easily move through the feed without interruption.

5. Plan plan plan

It really is true, the devil is in the detail and the ‘make or break’ of your Instagram feed comes down to planning. So while it may seem easy to pull together a show-stopping, aesthetically pleasing, ‘o for awesome’ Instagram grid, there’s a bit more to it. Ironically, it takes time and planning to create a grid that has an easy-on-the-eye, effortless aesthetic.

If you’re looking at your Instagram and thinking ‘Good grid!’, then get in touch. We can help.

The post 5 tips on how to plan your Instagram Grid like a boss. appeared first on Likeable Lab.