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Googling for “marketing tips” is like looking up the perfect diet to start on Monday. There are so many and each of them promise best results. In order for them to be efficient, one must customize them to their needs. If you think about it, though, finding the “best” marketing tip is relative to your audience, resources, and marketing goals. What works for one business might not work for another. The question is, how do you, as a marketer, combine those differences and find a new practice or process that works for you, your audience, and your product or service? The secret is to try new things. Let’s find out how: Prioritize your Target Audience If we start with our audience’s needs, questions and preferences first, and build our marketing plans around that, we will likely meet much greater success and we will see better results. Therefore, focus on your audience as the center of your attention. Value your Customers’ Trust Sales are a mutual meaningful transaction, so before asking for anything, a customer’s trust must be earned. Brands need to build narratives that align with their company’s values and then communicate those values to their customers. This leads to customer loyalty which then translates to brand advocates. Invest in Paid Boost Paid advertisements are now extremely popular on social media. The days of brands organically growing audiences are gone. Businesses are finding it more and more difficult to get their message heard. By the latest estimates, Facebook is showing only 6 percent of a business’ content to their fan base. So, give your content a paid boost. Never before has data and targeting been so deep and effective. Brands that nail paid social take control of their future. Build a Story around your Product Nowadays, buyers have been exposed to so many messages that they now filter out overly promotional ones. Therefore, as you consider launching a new product, or an update to an existing product, one of the most effective psychological marketing tricks you can use is to tug at your audience’s emotions. The power of storytelling can play a huge role in this. Having some sort of story helps your audience develop an emotional attachment to your brand, even if the story isn’t directly related to your brand. Build Partnerships Advertising is a great way to broaden your reach on social media and the web but it doesn’t compare to the power of a strong recommendation from knowledgeable influencers. Collaborate with other major players in your industry to reach a new audience and gain some social proof for your business. You can also enlist the help of micro-influencers to serve as your brand advocates on social media. The King of Marketing Tips: Keep Up with the Trends Having a strong marketing strategy requires more than adjusting your priorities year after year. You have to be constantly on the lookout for trends, technologies and opportunities to stand out from the crowd. Follow the latest marketing tips to keep up on the important trends and changes you should be taking advantage of. Enter the future of marketing!

Feeling frustrated with Facebook? Let’s shed some light on the Facebook algorithm and how to work with it. In 2020, Facebook is giving people more direct control over what they see, which has important repercussions for the Facebook algorithm. It’s true that the Facebook algorithm isn’t the only factor that affects reach. There are others, such as Facebook’s continued growth, but the algorithm is definitely one of the most important factors. Which means that marketers who don’t stay up to date, may have a tougher time getting content seen by their audience. The Algorithm Changes Facebook Made Recently Over the years, Facebook has made changes to better serve users. Below is a helpful timeline to see exactly how it has progressed: 2004: Facebook is born 2009: Invention of a “sorting order” for the News Feed (i.e. the algorithm) 2015: Introduction of the “See First” feature 2016: Prioritizing content based on the amount of time a user spends with it 2017: “Reactions” are weighted more than “Likes” 2018: “Meaningful Interactions” update, i.e. the prioritization of posts that receive comments 2019: Introduction of “Why am I seeing this post?” tool The two most impactful changes came in 2009 with the introduction of the “algorithm” and, again, in 2018, when the concept of “meaningful interactions” was introduced. This means that posts that received positive interactions were prioritized by Facebook. With these changes, users and businesses saw their Facebook page post reach suddenly drop. And since then have tried to better understand the rules of the game. Note that as you learn more about the algorithm, it never stops evolving. You’ll likely have to adapt your strategy. The best way to approach Facebook and these changes is to look at what the algorithm prefers and build a strategy around that. And to do so, you have to understand how it works. What is the Facebook Algorithm and How does it Work in 2020? Chances are you’ve seen your Facebook page reach suddenly drop. This is in large part to the algorithm actually doing its job and curating content in the News Feed for users. In 2020, Facebook’s focus is on making its platform more transparent for users, and giving people more direct control over what they see. For instance, Facebook has conducted multiple surveys to gather data and opinions straight from users. And there’s now a button to click if you want to know why a post is showing up in your feed. However, for businesses, you need to focus on one keyword: ranking. What is this and how is it used in Facebook? There are four elements considered when the algorithm ranks posts: The Inventory of all posts available to display Signalsthat tell Facebook what each post is Predictionson how you will react to each post A Relevancy Scoreassigned to the content based on all factors considered Inventory: Inventory represents the stock of all content that can display to a user on Facebook’s News Feed. This includes everything posted from friends and publishers. Signals: Signals represent the information that Facebook can gather about a post. Signals are the single factor that you have control over. These are your inputs that Facebook interprets: type of content, the publisher, its age, purpose, and more. Predictions: Predictions represent the behavior of a user and how likely they are predicted to have a positive interaction with a post. Score: Score is the final number assigned to a post based on the possibility the user will respond positively to it. Five Best Practices That Can Make Your Content More Meaningful Here are some guidelines for keeping your content meaningful in Facebook’s eyes. Be a conversation starter Facebook’s News Feed algorithm favors content that fosters positive interactions between your followers and others. According to Facebook, one of the algorithm’s key ranking signals is whether a user has previously engaged with your Page and while no one is going to interact with your brand Page like they would with their friends’ pages, those likes and shares go a long way towards increasing your reach on future posts. Any piece of content, from products to education to entertainment, should provoke conversation. At the end of the day the best way to earn more engagement is to be genuine. Or maybe try curious, funny, interesting, or motivational. You want your content to prompt people to stop their scroll, interact, and share with one another. Focus on your audience As long as you understand your ideal target market, your content should always be relevant to your core audience, the people you want to build a community around. It should all build on your identity as a brand answering to a specific audience. Remember, there are billions of people on Facebook. You can narrow down your focus to only a tiny portion of them and still be raking in the profits. Post often and consistently According to Facebook, Pages that post often are more likely to be meaningful to their audience. Therefore, posting frequency is a ranking signal that can affect how high up in the News Feed your posts are placed. A social media content calendar goes a long way towards achieving the kind of consistent quality that will keep your audience engaged and attentive. Support your organic wins with paid ads While your brand’s organic content can deepen your relationship with your audience, Facebook ads remain the best way to expand your brand awareness to the 2.4 billion potential customers who use Facebook. However, the reach of your Facebook page and adverts depends a lot on the audience you are targeting. Make sure to refine your Facebook audience to reach the right audience without wasting your ad spend amount. Track your content performance After you’ve published your content, remember to use Facebook Insights to track the performance of your content. Keep track of how your different posts are performing engagement-wise. By keeping an eye on which organic posts are top – performing you’ll find what your audience is more likely to interact with. The downside to the algorithm is that Facebook may limit the reach of your post based on their ranking algorithm. You still

The TikTok algorithm may seem complex and mysterious — but TikTok has (finally!) revealed exactly how it works! From what hashtags you use, to your location, music choices, and even the very first TikTok video you liked — they can all influence the TikTok algorithm. How the TikTok Algorithm Works (According to TikTok Themselves!)  TikTok has finally lifted the veil on how the algorithm works, putting an end to months of rumors and speculation. In a recent press statement, TikTok shared exactly how the #ForYou feed is calibrated and personalized to each account. What Factors Contribute to TikTok’s For You Page Video Suggestions? So far, we could only make assumptions that the For You page appeared to be a curated feed, pulling videos that are related to your profile, location, and similar to videos you’ve already liked and engaged with. But now, we have some concrete facts from TikTok on how the For You page reflects preferences unique to each user. According to TikTok: “The system recommends content by ranking videos based on a combination of factors — starting from interests you express as a new user and adjusting for things you indicate you’re not interested in, too”. These factors include things like: User interactions:such as the videos you like or share, accounts you follow, comments you post, and content you create. Video information: this might include details like captions, sounds, and hashtags. Device and account settings:like your language preference, country setting, and device type. And it doesn’t stop there.  Each of these factors is individually weighted by the TikTok’s For You recommendation system, meaning that each For You page will be completely unique to a user and their level of interest. For example, TikTok explains that a strong indicator of interest could be if a user finishes watching a longer video from beginning to end. This would receive greater weight than a weak indicator, such as whether the video’s viewer and creator are both in the same country. From these “indicators of interest,” For You page videos are then ranked based on the likelihood of a user’s interest in a piece of content. But what about the age-old question of “do I need thousands of followers to go viral?”. In short, the answer is no. TikTok explained that while a video is likely to receive more views if posted by an account that has more followers (by virtue of having a larger follower base), “neither follower count nor whether the account has had previous high-performing videos are direct factors in the recommendation system.” So even if you have zero followers, and have never posted to TikTok before, there’s still an opportunity for your video to appear in the For You page of other users! How to Personalize Your For You Page:  Now we know how TikTok decides what appears on your For You page, we can explore how to personalize it! TikTok is an app for discovery —  so even if you only follow 5 accounts, you can still spend hours scrolling through videos. So to help you get the most out of your TikTok profile, you can take some action to make sure your For You page is always delivering content that you’re interested in. Here’s some tips from TikTok on how to personalize your For You page:  #1: Getting Started on TikTok with Category Selection  When you first set up a TikTok account, you’ll be prompted to select categories that interest you — like pets, travel, beauty, sports, etc. From here, TikTok starts to learn more about your interests and preferences based on your likes, comments, and replays. #2: Find More of What You’re Interested in The TikTok algorithm learns from every single action you take on the app. So the best way to curate your For You page feed is to use and enjoy TikTok. Over time, you’ll see your feed becoming more relevant to your interests. #3: Tell TikTok What You’re Not Interested in  There’s a space on TikTok for everyone, but everyone has their own preferences of what they’d like to see and engage with on the app. Here’s some tips on how to improve your presence in TikTok:  Getting a coveted spot on a For You page takes a lot more than just adding #fyp to your caption. To help you create the best content, and get more limelight on the TikTok feed, we’re going to jump into the top 6 factors that influence the TikTok algorithm! From nailing your hashtag strategy to choosing trending songs and sounds, we’re covering everything you need to know to hack the TikTok algorithm: TikTok Algorithm Factor #1 : Hashtags You’re likely to see the following hashtags on content such as #Foryou, #ForYouPage, and #FYP. But based on TikTok’s statement on the algorithm, tapping on one of these hashtags doesn’t guarantee you a spot on the For You page. Knowing exactly what hashtag is best in terms of optimizing your content for the FYP is still relatively mysterious. Along with the #FYP tactic, we’ve seen people utilize the trending hashtag feature to tap into what’s gaining momentum in real-time. By tapping the Discover Tab, you can find trending hashtags, as well as typing them out if you want to check a hashtag’s performance. Looking for the ones that are getting a lot of traction right now? Just look for the fire icons next to the hashtags and think about incorporating that hashtag into your captain, if the content aligns. TikTok lets its users know how many views each hashtag gains. And while these numbers can look intimidating — especially if they’re in the millions — they’re also proving this content is favored. It almost provides a “creative brief” for users to tap into, such as the latest #albumlookalike challenge, #jamsessions, and #learnfromme hashtags, all prioritized by TikTok. TIP: Research what hashtags are trending right now and see if your brand can create content to take part! But be cautious — jumping on a hashtag just because it’s trending may seem like a good idea, but if the hashtag is

Instagram is one of the biggest social media platforms with 800 million monthly active users. It can work miracles for your business, but to make money on Instagram you have to optimize your account first. These five simple steps will help you get more Instagram followers to grow your business. Choose an Informative Username When people search on Instagram, they often search by a topic they are interested in. Unless your brand is already famous, if you write just your brand or store name in the “name” field, the target audience is less likely to find you. The name should include 2-3 keywords that describe what you sell on Instagram. Use the language your audience speaks. Customize your Instagram Bio Your Instagram bio is just as important as your username. Use the 150 characters in your profile header to your advantage. Explain who you are, what you offer, and why people should follow you. Don’t forget to: Add a link of your e-shop/website. When users see your bio they can immediately click through to your products. Use emojis to get the most out of the small space. Include your contact info so your customers can reach you anytime in whatever way works best for them. Use GeoTags/Location for Increased Visibility Sometimes users search photos by place, so use geotags/location on your posts whenever possible. For example, you have a physical store in a shopping mall. Add its geotag to your product photos. Occasional users may find your profile by the geotag and follow your Instagram account. Add #Hashtags to Every Post Hashtags are simple, but still very useful if you want to make money on Instagram. They work in two ways: To get more followers who search by hashtags and to keep yourself informed of what competitors are doing. You can add up to 30 hashtags to an Instagram post. Ten is the recommended number for one post, and tags should always be relevant. Note that Instagram bans those who frequently use inappropriate hashtags. Instagram hashtags are a great resource, but use them sparingly. Too many hashtags could turn off a customer who was originally interested in your business. Try to use hashtags with popular words/phrases such as “insta” or “oftheday”: #instamood or #photooftheday. Think about which hashtags might attract your audience and follow them. Follow the hashtags that can inspire you. If you sell swimsuits, #summer may give you some ideas that you can post in your profile. Create Guest Posts for Other Accounts Exchanging posts with other Instagram accounts targeting the same audience as you is a popular Instagram method of promotion. That’s why you should make a deal with a relevant account/influencer about a mutually beneficial promotion. Say you came to an agreement with an influencer. You post a photo of them using your products, and they make a post mentioning your store. It’s a win-win as you both get more exposure and followers on Instagram. Extra Tip: Start an Instagram Challenge A challenge is an interesting way to stir up, intrigue and attract a new audience and you don’t have to spend money on it. Come up with an original idea that’s close to your account theme and announce a challenge. Then set the dates, create a hashtag for your challenge, describe the terms (for ex. promise a prize to a participant with the most likes) and ask people to join it before the challenge starts. Require participants to tag your profile in their challenge post. Instagram plays a huge role on the marketing success of one’s business. Enhance these tips to make sure that you increase your brand awareness & target your audience successfully!

If there is one thing we know for sure, it is that 2020 is the year defined by change and uncertainty. And change doesn’t come slowly – it arrives swiftly, with very little warning, and demands immediate action. From a business perspective, it’s a reminder that we need to be constantly looking ahead and be ready for innovation and change. Now is a good time to start looking at trends that will impact where the industry is going in 2021 and how these trends could be used for your future strategies. So what does 2021 hold for Marketing? COVID-19 and its Impact on Marketing Nobody planned for COVID-19 but we can’t avoid that COVID-19 is with us.  Due to COVID-19, priorities have changed, causing a shift in the strategies we had in mind for 2020. What started out as a health pandemic soon turned into an economic one, as travel was banned, borders were closed and businesses were in jeopardy. This then ultimately led to social implications, such as living under lockdown regulations and working from home. So how will marketers navigate a post-covid-19 world? Firstly, they need to consider the implications of COVID-19 on the economy, their industry, and society, and how the core of marketing is meeting people’s needs in a profitable way. The importance of industry related analysis is vital, taking into account that the needs of people, driven by these social and economic drivers have changed in many ways. For example, if you are in the luxury goods industry, people have deprioritised a lot of luxury products and don’t require those as much. But if you find yourself in the health-related products, the demand for those has shot up. With the priority of consumers now different to what they may have been at the start of 2020, what can marketers do to meet their current and future needs? For one, marketers need to realise how the community has now taken on an important role beyond their target audience and core customer base. Consider the example of Nike, who at the start of lockdown asked their customers to “play inside, play for the world”, a campaign that encouraged people to keep active but to do so indoors instead. This, in conjunction with an incentive linked to the premium fees for their Nike Training App being waived, encouraged a sense of community in a world where social distancing was the sudden norm. Marketers need to understand who their audience is and ensure that they need to personalise their customer journey. Creating buyer personas is still relevant, and will continue to be relevant, because of how it allows marketers to personalise at mass scale. Once marketers have refined their method of doing things that matter to their customers, the more likely they are to succeed. However, while change in a post-covid-19 world is inevitable for marketers, there is a difference between forced change and choiceful change. There are certain things that have been forced on us because of current circumstances, and it will be a mistake if we assume that all of the change that we see will automatically translate into the new normal because as soon as people have choices, the things that were forced but weren’t meaningful to them will be dropped. So it is important that we stay on top of understanding our customers and their motivations. Refining your Brand Purpose For many consumers, brand purpose has become increasingly important as the functionality of a product begins to fade away and brand experience takes its place. Brand experience not only encompasses how customers are made to feel about a particular brand but also what that brand stands for and their guiding principles. In many ways, the elevation of brand purpose has brought marketing to the table, even in organisations that have not been marketing-centric, there has been a growing appreciation. Over time, we have seen customers make the change towards choosing brands who choose things that actually matter to them. This goes beyond catchy slogans and logo designs; consumers now want to put their money behind the brands that are doing the right thing and standing for something other than making a profit. This will tie into your brand purpose and refining why your organisation exists beyond this profit motive. Issues like localization, employee protection and community care are just a few examples of what consumers could be looking into as they begin to support the brands they choose. For marketers, this will be the competitive advantage that they need to tap into when it comes to distinguishing themselves in the marketing landscape from here on. Brand purpose affords differentiation and for marketers, this is the compliment you want to receive. Combine this with creating an emotional connection with your customers and soon enough, you will find the sweet spot that will make the brand stick in the minds. Investing in your Marketing Team The importance of commercial value and connecting with customers, is inseparable.  This means, that investing in marketing requires doing so at the appropriate levels that depend on the objects that need to be achieved. Marketeers foresee a decrease in their annual marketing budget as a result of COVID-19 and the cost pressures that came with it. Marketers will, as a result, face the challenge of securing marketing budgets to achieve their objectives in a shrinking market. Creativity may shine in this regard, however marketers will need to make the link between customer aspirations and translating that into commercial value. An important aspect is looking into using the right marketing tools and partners to overcome the barriers and achieve their targets. The global use of technology has increased this year and it has also become increasingly important that marketers have the right technology to help them meet their objectives. In any modern business marketing setup, marketing partners, on average, make up a quarter of the marketing budget because of the advantages that these partners bring. While fighting for investment in marketing may seem like one impossible task, the rewards reaped are priceless.