The Ultimate Christmas Guide to Holiday-Themed Marketing Strategies
While the holiday season is seen as a time for rest, festivities, and family time, businesses know it’s the busiest time of the year.
From personalized email campaigns to deciding the ad spend for your PPC, there are plenty of decisions to be made ahead of the end of year reports.
Don’t worry because we’ve put you on the nice list this year and are giving away our holiday themed strategies to maximize your businesses efforts this Christmas.
We’ll look at the best practices and tactics you can use like influencer marketing and UGC as well as optimizing your PPC during the holiday season for you to deck the halls of Google.
Spreading Christmas Cheer: Three Christmas Strategies for Businesses
Christmas is a hectic time for businesses and we want to guarantee your efforts are not only effective but productive.
We’ve outlined the top strategies and ideas for you to spread Christmas cheer and achieve your businesses goals. The best present to end the year.
First off….
Influencer Marketing and UGC (User-Generated Content)
In the last few years, influencer marketing and UGC has exploded as an industry that will continue to dominate in 2025.
So how can you use it within your strategy?
2024 was a year where customers embraced authenticity and relatability more than polished images and videos discussing features.
UGC and Influencer marketing has the ability to connect with an audience on a much deeper level.
This could include sponsored posts or providing products to be reviewed.
Christmas gift guides do extremely well on social media. Invest in influencers or UGC creators to create their own and showcase your product.
After analyzing market trends, short form content still wins against long form content and investing time in this will go a long way this December.
While Google is still the number one search engine, many shoppers will take to social media like Instagram or TikTok to find products to buy for their loved ones.
The introduction of Instagram and TikTok shop has made it easier for brands to sell directly to their customers through one video.
With Black Friday looming and it being one of the busiest weeks for businesses, it’s important to produce content that’s engaging and creative to capture your audience’s attention.
We’ll discuss email marketing campaigns below but adding timers and countdowns to your campaign can add a sense of urgency.
That FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) will push your audience to take action.
Paid Ads and PPC (Pay-Per-Click)
Paid Ads give you the opportunity to stand out and beat your competitors during the whirlwind of frenzied shopping.
Most businesses will review historical data for previous campaigns and set aside a budget. It’s always best to plan for a bigger budget as due to the competition, your budget can run out quicker than you’d like.
Reviewing past campaigns of previous Christmases will give you a better insight into what worked and what could be improved.
Those top performers you have?
Break them into smaller ad groups and smaller campaigns to have more control over specific budgets and the opportunity to adjust for the best return possible.
Optimize your ad with holiday-themed copy and have your creative team create an eye-catching image that’ll grab your customers’ attention.
Our last tip for PPC is to be realistic about your bidding tactics as it’s not just traffic you’re fighting for.
There’s going to be competition as CPC (Cost-Per-Clicks) will rise over the coming months for popular products and keywords.
Budget and Bidding should be one of your biggest focuses this Christmas.
Festive Email Marketing Campaigns
Creative and personalized email marketing campaigns can go a long way at Christmas.
With the email list you’ve built throughout the year, now is the best time to send special offers and discounts to those who have shown brand loyalty.
Email is a permission-based channel meaning subscribers have opted-in to your email list because they want to hear from you and are more likely to buy.
Offering exclusive deals and special offers to the nice surprise of 20% off puts a smile on anyone’s face.
As we mentioned, Christmas is a time of giving and customer loyalty deserves a reward.
Planning your email campaigns ahead of time ensures an easy flow into the holiday season.
Make sure it’s aligned across all channels to ensure the message is received well and captures your customers attention.
Divide your email lists by preferences and past purchase history to send out relevant content.
Offer exclusive deals and create a sense of urgency with timers and countdowns.
The classic FOMO (fear of missing out) kicks in and prompts customers to take action.
All I want for Christmas is…. ROI
Following holidays throughout the year is important for businesses but especially at Christmas.
Your content calendar should feel more festive and a bit more cheerful than your normal content calendar.
Investing in UGC content, product promotions, and behind-the-scenes of how your team is preparing for Christmas is a great way to build brand affinity.
When creating content, think of the feeling you want to invoke.
Tap into those childhood memories of Santa Claus, giving gifts, and spending time with loved ones to invoke the emotional connection.
Coca Cola is a signature brand that takes the crown of Christmas marketing because of the nostalgia surrounding its advertisements.
Once you see the Coca Cola ad appear on the TV, you know it’s Christmas.
Another key thing to remember is optimizing your content for SEO.
We would hate to see you create fun and creative content only for no one to see it because it’s not properly optimized.
The competition during the festive season is well… competitive so applying all tactics can make you stand out.
Investing in software like SEMRUSH or Ahrefs to get a more detailed insight into the type of content to create based on people’s search intent.
The Psychology Behind Christmas Buying
If you ever wondered what the craze was behind gift-giving around Christmas time compared to other times of the year, we’re here to let you in on what goes on behind the scenes.
The psychology of spending and buying during the Christmas season is interesting to discuss because of the interplay between consumer behavior, emotional triggers, and societal influences.
Many associate Christmas with positive emotions, triggering an emotional reaction like joy, nostalgia, togetherness during the holiday season.
Once Halloween is over in October, the pumpkins and trick ‘o’ treat sweets are replaced with mince pies and shiny Christmas decorations.
Because of the positive associations surrounding Christmas, businesses and brands leverage this feeling during the busiest time of the year.
Brands and businesses using heartwarming scenes of a family sitting around a fire opening presents in advertisements gives you a sense of nostalgia and evokes an appreciation of those around you.
Intentionality Behind Gift Giving
Gift-giving is more sentimental around this time of the year compared to others because of intentionality.
We want to be intentional with what we buy for our loved ones to give them thanks for all they have done throughout the year.
The choice of buying a cheap bottle of wine compared to putting thought into buying your father’s favorite case of Jameson because he loves having a glass before bed feels more intentional and sentimental.
The Reciprocity Effect
We all know the concept of “reciprocity” in marketing and the same applies at Christmas.
Gift giving is integral to the holiday season and people feel compelled to reciprocate gestures of reciprocity.
There isn’t anything more awkward than not getting someone a gift that bought you something.
The power of reciprocity has a huge impact on social behavior and retailers tap into this psychological principle by promoting special holiday offers, discounts, and exclusive deals that encourage people to buy.
Social Influence
Group bias always has an influence on us as when we see others purchase gifts, we also feel the need to participate.
We are social creatures and want to fit in.
On average, people spend over two hours and 24 minutes on their phone which we are exposed even more to the Christmas cheer.
Christmas guides, Santa check list, and now the implementation of Instagram and Tiktok shop amplifies excitement around Christmas purchasing.
The FOMO behind Christmas
Scarcity is a marketing strategy many businesses use throughout the year but it’s more prominent at Christmas because limited editions of products, exclusive holiday collections and time-limited promotions cause a sense of urgency for customers to buy.
This psychological tactic rooted in Robert Cialdini’s work uses the fear of missing out (FOMO) and activates impulsive spending.
The use of scarcity drives sales and enhances the perceived value of products during this period.
We love gift giving at GoViral but we encourage you to always take a breath before adding to cart.
Christmas Rituals and Traditions
Lastly, every individual has specific traditions and rituals they carry out as soon as they hear “all i want for Christmas is… YOUUU” on the radio.
Research shows that traditions and rituals create a sense of social connection, belonging and community. As soon as the Christmas lights turn on, our brain signals that this period of the year is significant.
That nostalgia you feel around the cheery season isn’t unintentional.
The sensory overload creates lasting recollections of those occasions and marks them in our memory as special events worth cherishing.
GoViral Conclusion
Even though it’s the busiest time of the year, don’t forget it’s also a time to rest before heading into the new year with a clearer focus and energy for the New Year.
By leveraging the marketing strategies in this blog, you can prepare yourself ahead of time before the frenzy of Christmas.
If you need someone to help organize your Christmas campaigns next year, contact us!
A Guide to Email Marketing Campaigns That Convert
Earlier this month, we spoke about the importance of lead generation for events to get the best results.
Email marketing is considered one of the most effective ways for digital marketing because of its cost effectiveness, ability to customize and analyze results quickly and build relationships with your customers over time.
In this blog, we’ll discuss why email marketing should be implemented into your strategy, the different types of email campaigns and the top features each one should have.
Why Should You Use Email Marketing
Email marketing is a series of scheduled emails used to nurture leads and turn audiences into customers.
Each series of emails has a specific call to action that will correlate directly to your goals.
While social media campaigns can be effective for reach and attracting a large audience, email marketing campaigns are what keeps them interested.
When you subscribe to a businesses email list, it’s clear that the interest in your products or services is there. The trick is to nurture them and build customer loyalty. Email marketing is integral to inbound marketing which is a huge part of GoVirals strategy.
Email marketing campaigns are most effective for
- Building Brand Awareness
- Creating Customer Loyalty
- Owning your Email List
- Customizing your Outreach
- Measuring your results
If all the social media platforms disappeared tomorrow, what would happen to your audience? It’s never been more important than to have other forms of communication like email lists to build a deeper relationship and ensure you never lose them.
Type of Email Marketing Campaigns
There are many different types of email marketing campaigns you can send like:
- Welcome Emails
- Email Newsletters
- Promotional emails
- Informational emails
- Abandoned cart emails
- Drip email campaigns
Welcome Emails
Make a good first impression with automating a welcome series. This is the time to introduce yourself, set expectations, and encourage engagement. The welcome series should be tailored and personalized to the new customer.
Email Newsletters
Send out a regular newsletter filled with company news, updates on blogs to drive traffic to your website, or company wins of the month. This keeps you top of mind for your audience and generates brand awareness.
Promotional Emails
Focused on highlighting specific products, services, and special offers, these campaigns are focusing on getting your email list to convert and generate revenue. Offering limited offers and special discounts for your subscribers builds stronger customer loyalty.
Informational emails
Informational emails are exactly what you think. They are emails with information about your company and allows your audience to get to know who you are. Rather than drive conversions, it’s main goal is to build awareness and inform them about you.
Abandoned cart emails
You spot a sweater that’s perfect for you and add it to your cart. The phone starts to ring. Your friend you haven’t spoken to in weeks is calling and you hit answer. After an hour, you end the call and have completely forgotten about the sweater.
An email comes in saying “don’t forget about your sweater!”. It’s a slight nudge to customers to remind them about their abandoned cart. The main goal is focused on converting the customer and directing them back to the website.
Drip email campaigns
A drip campaign is a series of automated emails sent to people to take a specific action on your website. Depending on the campaign’s goals, you choose the number of emails sent and at what rate. These campaigns are triggered by an event or action performed by the customer and are set to go out at predetermined intervals.
The Best Features of an Email Campaign
Using intent data for email marketing can help to increase the effectiveness of your campaigns by allowing you to target the right people at the right time.
By segmenting your email list and personalizing your emails, you can improve engagement and drive more conversions.
1. Set specific and clear goals with a strong idea of your target audience
Regardless of the email campaign, each one needs to have a clear goal and target audience.
You need to know who you’re speaking to and what specific action you want them to take when they read your email.
On the leadup to GITEX Africa, we created a campaign with the goal to encourage attendees to get involved with an activity at Jabra’s booth.
This campaign was targeted at attendees who had already shown an interest in Jabra. To encourage them to come to the booth, we created a fun activity. Think of an easter egg hunt but with stickers! Gamification is a great way to build brand awareness and keep customers coming back.
2. A strong subject line to increase open rates
How many times have you subscribed to an email list only to forget why you signed up? Your email will get lost in the thousands of other emails if it doesn’t have a strong subject line that makes people want to open. Make sure to A/B test different subject lines that have the most open rates.
3. Copy that Converts
If you’re getting open clicks, well done! Your subject line is enticing enough for people to open.
However, if you find nobody is clicking on the links within the email for example to your website, the copy isn’t jumping out at them.
Review your copy and see how it can be more aligned with your audience. Don’t forget the copy needs to reflect the action you want them to take.
Don’t overcomplicate the copy. Define each area and have clear call to actions throughout.
4. Sending Best Practices
The only way to find out the best time to send your emails is through testing. Localization is important because if you’re targeting US citizens but you live in Spain, the timezone is different.
Once you’ve figured out the best time for your emails, stick to a schedule. Maintain this consistency because people love consistency. Failing to send it out consistently will start to damage the relationship. Trust is built, not bought.
5. Segmentation
If you’ve got a large email list, all your subscribers won’t be interested in the same email campaign.
Segmenting your audience based on behaviors, purchase behavior, and general psychographics ensures you target the right people at the right time.
Your subscribers or customers will enter your email list at different times of the funnel.
Sending an email marketing campaign that’s focused on driving sales wouldn’t land well with a new subscriber.
Segmentation allows you to understand your customers preferences and tailor for the future.
6. Mobile Friendly and Responsive Design
1.7 billion people read their emails on their phone compared to their computer.
There’s nothing more annoying than receiving an email that’s hard to read. It’ll go straight into the delete folder or worse, into spam.
Responsive email design will adjust its size across different devices to maintain style and usability, which means subscribers have a great experience on any device.
Some email marketing platforms have the option to choose a responsive design so make sure to text your emails before beginning a campaign!
GoViral Conclusion
Implementing email marketing campaigns into your overall strategy is the way forward to attract new customers and reinforce customer loyalty.
Remember, social media could disappear in the morning. Setting clear goals for each campaign is extremely important because it allows you to measure the effectiveness and adjust for the following campaigns.
If you need help creating an effective email marketing campaign, Contact us!
How to Use Lead generation to Get the Best Results for Events
Many of our clients at GoViral come to us to help with lead generation for their big events they’re attending. Over the last four years, we’ve worked with our long-term client, Jabra, getting them the best visibility and capturing leads pre-, during, and post events with our strategies.
In this blog, we’ll unveil how to use lead generation to get the best results for your events and give an insight into how we plan out our campaigns with Jabra.
Every year we always go bigger and better so that our clients attract the customers they’re looking for, making lead generation easier for them.
What is Event Lead Generation?
In simple terms, lead generation is the process of attracting new clients to your business that might be interested in your products or services through different methods of marketing and sales.
On the other hand, event lead generation uses business or networking events like conferences, summits, webinars, and exhibitions.
It’s a great way to interact with potential prospects, showcase your products and services, and convert a warm audience.
If people attend the event, they already have an interest in who you are and this is a great opportunity to pitch your product and brand.
If done correctly, you can collect contact information and have your sales and marketing team follow up with them post-event.
During this blog, we’ll be discussing the best way to map out an event and the key aspects you need to consider pre-, during, and post events to guarantee success.
At GoViral, we use a combination of methods to ensure our clients get seen and attract new leads that will eventually turn into customers.
Throughout we’ll be focusing on the strategies we’ve carried out with our clients, specifically Jabra as an explanation and show the process in action.
Lead Generation Before the Event
- Set objectives and goals for attending the event
- Map out a roadmap and strategy to hit your goals.
- Plan a social media campaign to build awareness and excitement
- Leverage social media, email marketing, and industry leaders to build hype
- Invest in sales kits and PPC to drive traffic and reach a wider audience
- Use social media to drive traffic to the landing page to collect leads
- Offer limited-time promotions or exclusive giveaways to increase attendance
Understanding your businesses objectives in attending an event is important because it helps to create clear goals and a strategic plan.
Our client, Jabra, attends events like GITEX Global where they attend to exhibit their products and attract new customers.
When B2B and B2C customers attend these events, it’s a great opportunity for you to network and nurture them as they’re already interested in your product and brand.
Planning out a social media campaign a minimum of six weeks out can maintain a consistent and clear pathway to success at the event. By leveraging social media, you increase your visibility, start to build hype, and attract potential customers.
At GoViral, we create a landing page specifically for the event to capture leads through an offer. Jabra’s offer is focused on booking a demo or a booth tour at the event.
Lead generation strategies are useful to capture leads that will be attending the event but also those who can’t attend but are interested in your business.
You can leverage social media to drive traffic to your landing page eventually leading to qualified leads which the sales team can then follow up with.
Limited-time offers and giveaways are a fantastic way to get potential customers involved as urgency marketing is a tactic where businesses use phrasing around scarcity, immediacy, or timeliness to compel consumers to make a purchase.
By offering a lead magnet pre-event like a brochure download or an e-book, it gives an insight into the audience you’re attracting and whether your messaging is correct.
Having an email list is great to be able to send out personalized emails to inform them about everything that you’ve planned for the event.
Setting up automated email campaigns 2 weeks, 1 week, and 24 hours before builds up excitement and keeps you top of mind.
We recommend investing in a sales kit that’ll make your business stand out amongst the crowd.
For our clients, we create a sales kit that includes email signatures, LinkedIn banners, invitation email assets, LinkedIn posts, and videos.
If every person on the sales team has their own personalized sales kit, it can generate more leads for the event and reach a much wider audience.
LinkedIn is the easiest way to reach a wider audience when done correctly so having a sales kit specifically for the event means more eyes and more brand awareness.
Before you even attend the event, people will already know you are because of your consistent branding and messaging.
To generate even more visibility leading up to the event, we launch a PPC campaign to target audiences that’ll be attending the events.
By gathering, segmenting, and organizing qualified leads, we maximize the value of our clients’ campaign efforts from beginning to end.
For you to achieve the best results, the pre-event production needs to be well thought out and requires more preparation than during and post events.
Lead Generation During the Event
- Maintain a consistent brand identity across all promotional materials and at the event
- Post updates from the event, using event-specific hashtags to build hype and encourage people to check out your booth
- Live-stream activities and interesting talks at the booth.
- Implement fun and engaging activities to attract people
Just like your brand’s presence at the event is the visual representation of your identity and values, it’s important to have consistent branding across all promotional materials from booth designs, digital assets, and promotional materials.
Creating an eye-catching booth reflecting your brand identity will make you stand out amongst others in the exhibition space.
The last thing you want is someone not remembering who you are because your branding wasn’t consistent.
Get people involved in the fun by using event-specific hashtags and encourage people to share experiences such as winning a giveaway, attending tech talks by industry thought leaders, and the fun activities at the event.
Create valuable content during the event and live-stream if you have the resources to do so. This increases visibility and reach and instills the “FOMO” effect which will build hype for the event for the following year.
This year we worked with Jabra on bringing nostalgia to their area.
We wanted to add a playful and interactive aspect that would incentivize people to come check out their booth. Introducing the vending machine.
This not only brings back childhood memories but they have the opportunity to win grand prizes like their Evolve2 65 and smaller prizes like teddy bears and sweet treats.
To play, they need to explore their booth and learn about their products, where they’ll then receive coins to play.
Implementing a fun activity is a great way to get customers to stay longer at the booth and learn more about your products and business.
Lead Generation Post-Event
- Create recap video of the highlights and post onto social media channels tagging the influential people you met
- Send out a thank you email to leads captured
- Offer additional content to nurture the relationship
The event is over so the marketing must be over? Nope, not just yet!
The leads you collected at the event and those who couldn’t attend but still wanted to learn more about your products need to be nurtured.
Having a CRM (customer relationship management) is important because you can determine the quality of the leads collected and see where they are in the funnel. Some leads may need more nurturing before they convert more than others.
You don’t want people to forget you so sending out a thank you email post-event and a recap of what happened is a great way to remind people of the fun they had at the event.
Relationship-building is important at this stage. Offer additional resources and exclusive offers to thank them for attending and visiting your booth at the event.
GoViral Conclusion
Attending events to showcase your business is exciting as you can increase your brand awareness, open up more opportunities, and position yourself as a thought leader in your industry.
Planning for an event doesn’t need to be stressful. At GoViral, we’ve worked with Jabra for the last four years and each year we continue to exceed expectations because we know what works by analyzing and measuring metrics pre-, during, and post-event.
If you need help mapping out a successful roadmap for your next event, Contact us!
7 Proven Techniques to Improve Your Conversion Rates
We’re entering the last quarter of the year which means it’s the last push to get the numbers up before the end of reports. Increasing brand awareness is important for your business but if you’re getting ghosted when people check out your website, there’s a disconnect along the way. We’re here to help you. Whether it’s to increase conversions on your website or for social media campaigns, we’ve researched the best techniques to improve your conversion rates and thrown in one or two of our own techniques.
Why Your Conversion Rate Matters
Apart from the obvious reason as to why conversions matter (hello, sales!) It’s important to think about WHY you’re not converting.
Oftentimes, there’s friction or resistance along the buyer’s journey which stops customers from making the purchase.
No one likes friction.
Much like a journey from your home to a holiday destination, we want everything to be a smooth journey.
When something happens along the way, we get frustrated and end up being in a foul mood.
The same applies to your website or social media campaign. We want to make the journey as smooth as can be. We’ll dive into parts of the journey where people fall off and how to fix it going forward.
Conversion Pitfalls
Before we look at the seven techniques that’ll improve your conversion rate, we need to mention the common pitfalls that happen in the buyer’s journey that prevent you from making that all important sale.
When people search for the solution to their problem, they have expectations.
If they land on your website and the loading time takes longer than two seconds, that customer will immediately press the return button and choose your competitor.
We’re impatient humans since the introduction of technology so the term “slow and steady” wins the race doesn’t apply here.
If you’re loading time isn’t the problem, the next pitfall is your messaging or your website design.
Every touchpoint that the customer lands on needs to have a consistent message and navigation on your website should be easy to follow.
These are some of the common mistakes that with a slight change, your conversion rates can improve.
Now it’s time to learn our techniques for improving them.
7 Techniques To Improve Your Conversion Rates
We’re finally at the part you’re waiting for.
The techniques.
These are the techniques we use at GoViral that allow us to get amazing results for our clients time and time again.
Let’s go.
1. Remove Distractions
Less is more. You might want to answer every single question your potential customer has and add more information but if there’s too much going on, it can get overwhelming.
Focus on
- The headline and subheadings
- The offer and the benefits
- The CTA
- Testimonials and reviews
- The visual aspect that shows what you’re offering.
Anything else is secondary and just adds more confusion than clarity.
Site speed is extremely important for both the customer and google so less really is more.
2. Have strong CTA’s (Call to Actions)
Your CTA’s should be strong but don’t be afraid to play around with them to make them more enticing. Instead of just writing, “buy course here”, you could write “Yes, I want to buy the course”.
Starting a CTA with a yes can be effective psychologically because we’re setting the offer in a positive light.
Remember to A/B test different CTA’s and design elements to see what works best with your customer’s.
Have fun with them but also be clear with what you want them to do.
3. Build trust and credibility
Social proof like reviews and testimonials are the most effective ways to help conversion rates.
No one wants to be the first person to use a product or service.
The reason why testimonials and reviews work is because of the psychological aspect of social proof. We rely on others to survive and look to others to see “what’s in”.
If we see someone else liked the product and had a positive experience, we also assume it must be good.
4. Customer Service
It seems simple but if a customer gets to your page, navigates smoothly, sees the testimonials, but just has ONE more question they need answered before they convert but can’t find anyone or anything to help them, they aren’t going to hand over their money.
There’s different buyer types and all of them have a need that must be satisfied before they convert.
Make sure your website answers each need or make it super easy for them to contact you.
5. Add callouts or sitelinks to increase conversions
Callouts are highlighted snippets of text that appear alongside a search result, often containing information like prices, features, or special offers.
Sitelinks are additional links that appear below a website’s main search result, providing more specific options for users to click on.
The reason why these are effective for conversion rates is because they make search results stand out and easier for the customer to find what they’re looking for.
Remember we said friction is the LAST thing you want in the buyer’s journey?
6. Your keywords aren’t strong enough
We hear a lot about keywords and SEO but why is it important?
Keywords are the words your customers are searching for to fulfill their need.
They bridge the gap between your customers intent (what are they looking for) and your businesses’ offer.
Optimizing your website with the correct keywords can also improve your search engine rankings, making your business more visible.
To avoid targeting everyone, add negative keywords so that you’re including only relevant searches.
7. Audience targeting
If you’re struggling to get your landing page or website in front of your ideal audience, you mightn’t be targeting correctly.
Not only should you be targeting based on your audience’s demographics but also psychographics, what are their interests and hobbies, and behaviors.
By tailoring your content and messaging to them and using segmentation to divide them into smaller groups based on shared characteristics, you have a higher chance of conversion.
GoViral Conclusion
Sometimes, it’s the smallest part in the buyer’s journey where people drop off but with a simple fix, your conversion rates can increase.
When viewing your overall strategy, think of all the touchpoints your customer comes into contact with. By implementing this seven techniques, your customer will flow much easier to your offer.
If you need help developing an easier buyer’s journey, Contact us!
5 Signs to Identify AI Content on Instagram
When you want to find out an answer quickly, which do you go to first – Google or Chat GPT? Gemini?
Artificial Intelligence is integrating itself into every aspect of life and speeding up processes that used to be time-consuming.
The marketing space has been overtaken with AI as many are using it for project management tools, scheduling, and the mundane tasks that come with doing admin. A huge area that AI has slid into is the content creator space, especially on Instagram.
Meta has unlocked many features this year, from chatbots to AI-Generated Images.
AI is helping businesses and creators create content in a quicker timeframe but what are the concerns around AI? How do we know what’s real and what’s AI-Generated?
In this month’s blog, we’re going to discuss the advancement of AI, 5 signs that an Instagram post was made using AI, and what does “made with AI” mean attached to an image.
Let’s dive into it.
The Advancement of AI on Instagram
Did you know AI integration on Instagram began in 2010?
The filters to adjust your images brightness or add a different tone to the image is all done by AI.
The suggested accounts that pop up in your feed exist because of Instagram’s machine-learning algorithm.
When you hear people talk about keywords, SEO, hashtags, this is the reason. In 2010, the algorithm was at its most basic, using image recognition to categorize photos based on content.
As Instagram switched from its basic capabilities to more advanced, machine learning techniques like “word embedding” analyze the content and categorize it in terms of relatedness.
Who said words don’t matter? Your bio (the small description you have on your instagram), the captions, the hooks, the copy under the post is all being scanned to categorize your account.
So pay attention to your words!!
The transformation of AI capabilities since 2010 to the present moment in 2024 have become far more advanced at a rapid pace.
Let’s take a look at the timeline.
Between 2010 and 2014, AI was focused mainly on image enhancement like brightness and contrast, cropping your photos, personalized content based on your interactions and preferences.
From 2015 to 2019, the features began to roll out quicker.
- The explore tab was enhanced using a more advanced machine learning algorithm, improving personalization and content discovery.
- “Word embedding”, keywords and hashtags, helped analyze the content to recommend accounts based on interactions.
- Seed accounts, created by instagram,used to test new features, algorithms, or functionalities before rolling them out to the general public.
- AR and Virtual reality began to be rolled out as well as the use of NLP, Natural Language Processing, machines to scan for offensive comments and limit spam and misinformation.
- The birth of IGTV with AI recommendations personalized video content for each user based on interactions and preferences.
- AI-Enhanced shopping features were created to recommend products and target ads based on user behavior.
From 2020 onwards, the creation of tools for content creation like automated caption suggestions and hashtag recommendations began to roll out as well as conversational AI assistants that would answer queries, provide content recommendations and help in generating posts.
In 2024, the rollout of Meta AI on Instagram is even more powerful compared to what it was in 2010.
The implementation of AI on the platform has saved content creators, businesses, brands hours of work but a major issue that has caused controversy is when people use it for potential harmful reasons.
Because of the advancement of AI, it now has the ability to create images that look eerily real, making it harder to know what’s AI created and what’s REAL content.
This is down to generative AI which works by creating new data that mimics human creations.
If you struggle to distinguish between superficiality and reality, never fear because here are our top five signs that an image was AI-Generated.
The 5 signs of an AI-Generated Image
We all want to know whether an Instagram post is made with AI because Instagram is known to be the “highlight” reel, the best bits.
Ensuring the user is informed about what’s AI-Generated and what’s not is something Mark Zuckerberg, head of Meta, wants to make sure is maintained.
Here’s five pointers to spot AI going from the easiest to hardest to spot.
1. Distorted Backgrounds:
If a door looks like it has a bump in it or is twisted into another shape, it’s a clear indication something was done to the image. This is one of the easiest ways to spot an image was
2. Something feels.. Off
We wrote about AI influencers in our last blog (read more on it here) and there’s a slight unease when looking at the image.
They say you can read a person by looking into their eyes. When you see an AI-Generated image of a “person”, there’s nothing.
Almost like a blank stare. Like it’s not… real. AI influencers on Instagram have risen in popularity with many brands like Chanel and Red Bull using them for online promotions.
3. Pay attention to the small details
We’re scrolling 24/7 (hopefully not!), and are scanning images and text at a quicker pace. This means we miss the finer details.
Don’t take an image at face value if you feel like something isn’t right. AI images are created by taking data from other photos and creating a new image.
AI programs often struggle with details you may see less frequently in other pictures.
AI tends to get the smaller details like logos and text wrong as you can see below.
4. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is
As much as we want to look perfect all the time, we don’t. We’re humans, imperfection is perfection.
You can tell if something is too good to be true if the image looks smooth and no texture because well, we have texture.
So don’t be fooled by an image looking picture perfect because it most likely isn’t real.
5. Reverse Search
You know the TV show “Catfish”? If you don’t, it’s a programme where the hosts bring on a person who writes to the show about their relationship.
They write in because they’ve never met the person and want to make sure they are the real deal. One of the first things the hosts do is reverse search the image.
They do this because they want to see if the person is using someone else’s photos.
This is the same when it comes to images on Instagram.
If in doubt, reverse image search because if it is AI-Generated, there won’t be a lot of information which tells us something is fishy.
“Made with AI”
You might have spotted on Instagram recently under some images and videos are a tag saying “Made with AI”.
This feature was recently introduced however, there has been some controversy especially for photographers.
How it works
When you upload an image to Instagram, the algorithm will read the metadata of the image to clarify whether it’s real or AI-generated.
This is great BUT what if you just enhanced the brightness? Enhanced the sound so it’s clearer? Removed the blemish from your face that was annoying you?
Instagram smacked the tag of “made with AI” on it. The problem for photographers is the wording.
Saying an image was made with AI sounds like it was superficial, that they didn’t put the hard work into capturing a beautiful moment like a wedding or someone’s birthday.
Some argued for it to be changed to “edited with AI” which clarifies that the image has been enhanced but it was taken professionally, not created superficially.
Because of the backlash, from July this year, the made with AI feature has been changed to AI Info.
This is a step in the right direction to distinguish the difference between an image being AI-Generated and one that’s a real-life photo.
GoViral Conclusion
Our advice is to always be cautious about images that are posted online.
If something isn’t sitting right with you, there’s a reason why. Our five pointers will give you more clarity around AI-Generated photos and with the introduction of “AI Info” on images,
It can help you distinguish between superficial and reality.
As many new features are being added to social media platforms every day, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the new trends and implementations.
If you want monthly updates on the latest trends in social media and AI, subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
Will Meta's AI Features Impact the Future of Influencer Marketing?
In the last few years, Meta AI has introduced different features, disrupting influencer marketing and engagement between creators and fans on Instagram. Between the introduction of virtual humans and the Creator AI studio where creators can train AI bots to respond back to fans, the line between reality and virtual reality becomes blurred.
AI has transformed our lives, for the better and for worse. Tasks are completed quicker and more efficiently, questions are answered by the speed of light (well, kind of) so no more rummaging through papers to find an answer, and transcriptions of meetings helps us remember what was said in the meeting at 9am on a Monday morning.
The creation of AI has helped us more quicker and faster than generations before but are we taking it a step too far by creating virtual humans and training AI bots to be like us?
In our blog, we’ll talk about how influencer marketing is changing for both brands and influencers and how the new features introduced by Meta AI are changing social media forever.
Traditional Advertising is out, Influencer Marketing is in
When we think of the word influencer, we think of the modern day person who has amassed a large following on social media platforms through niche-specific content that targets a specific audience.
But if we think of the word “influence”, it can be used for anyone that’s able to influence a large amount of people and get them to do something.
The influencers in our life before social media were the Church, the government, even our parents but fast forward to the present day, creators on the internet now have a bigger influence on us than institutions and governments.
The mid-2000’s was when Facebook and Twitter were born and the term “influencers” started to gain traction.
As people started to grow their followings and see quick engagement, brands noticed a trend appearing that led to them partnering with influencers to expand their reach and increase sales.
Influencer marketing has become more popular than traditional marketing because of the deeper connection made through social media, compared to billboards and AD’s on TV.
People trust other people’s opinions before buying. How many times have you checked reviews before you bought something?
Some influencers have come under fire for collaborating with brands that don’t fit their niche, giving the impression that they’ve partnered for the money.
The importance of choosing the right influencer for the right campaign can make or break the trust between the influencer and their fans.
In the last year, money transparency around how much influencers are making has been exposed with some influencers that have 10 million followers are asking for 10,000 USD for just one video. Although it comes with recognition and visibility, this doesn’t guarantee sales.
The introduction of AI-Generated Influencers have risen in the past few years making it more lucrative for businesses to cut down on costs and logistics but there are ethical concerns to consider.
The Rise of AI-Generated Influencers
If you search “Top 15 AI influencers” on Google, a list of AI-Generated influencers will pop up on your screen.
If you check out those influencers, they aren’t real people but a virtual human that has built a large following.
Brands like Chanel, Red Bull and Calvin Klein have used these AI-Generated influencers for online promotions.
One popular influencer is Zara Shatavari who has 19.7k followers on instagram and is India’s first AI generated brand ambassador.
Zara was created to spread awareness for those living with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and runs a health-related blog, posts about travel and fitness.
Rahul Choudry, who created Zara, wanted to partner with a specific celebrity with a hormonal imbalance but chose to create an AI-version that was much cheaper, always available, and gives him the ability to adapt it when needed.
Another AI influencer goes by Reembot on Instagram focusing on fashion and lifestyle content.
Influencers post their day in their lives, their workout routine, their lifestyle and fans get invested because of the relatedness of it but how can an AI influencer that doesn’t live in the real world create that same relatedness when we know it’s not real?
Backlash from people online have called out brands for choosing to invest in virtual humans, rather than real influencers.
As more brands continue to choose AI-versions to cut down on costs and logistics, is REAL influencer marketing dead?
The Future of Engagement
Along with AI Influencers, Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, rolled out creator AI for select creators in the US where they can create AI bots of themselves.
He’s testing the feature out to see how people interact with it first before he rolls it out to other countries.
The feature will allow creators to train an AI version of themselves to respond back to comments and direct messages that are sent from fans.
Creators will train the AI bot to replicate their personality and personalize their messages to maintain authenticity.
Creators receive a huge amount of messages every day, sometimes asking for something simple like a link or a frequently asked question.
Meta is committed to enhancing engagement while also being open about the fact that the fan will be interacting with an AI bot.
This is extremely important that the fan KNOWS it’s not the creator himself responding but that the responses are personable and are scripted out to respond in this way.
However, the complication comes when a fan is asking for a more complex question that requires a deeper answer that’s subjective to the influencer.
This feature is still in BETA so it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out and how creators can maintain the level of authenticity and engagement needed.
GoViral Conclusion
AI has integrated itself into our lives where reality and virtual reality are becoming nearly indistinguishable. Meta AI continues to advance and new features are emerging quicker than before.
Social media has changed drastically since 2007 at a quick speed and doesn’t seem to be slowing down as Mark Zuckerberg has big plans for the Metaverse with talks about holographic glasses projecting real people in virtual reality (VR).
The opportunities and possibilities that come with this new technology is immense and it feels like it’s just the tip of an iceberg.
However, the question still stands. How far is too far?
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive social media upates, trends, and marketing insights.
Google Analytics 4: 6 Key Metrics You Should Track for Better Insights
It’s a year later that Universal Analytics(UA) announced that it was going to be replaced by Google Analytics 4. In this month’s blog, we wanted to review the key differences between UA and Google Analytics 4 and how it’s an upgrade for understanding the behind the scenes of your business. We dive into how Google Analytics 4 is benefiting us and our clients in understanding the customers journey and the 6 key metrics you should be analyzing for better results. Many panicked when the switch was announced but as we move towards more technology integrated with machine learning, we can speed up the processes and adapt our digital marketing strategy more effectively (a win-win!).
What is Google Analytics 4?
Google Analytics 4 is a tool that’s used to help us better understand the customers journey on our website or app.
Universal Analytics was session-based, meaning the key metrics it focused on were pages viewed per session, dwell time, bounce rate and conversion rate.
While the insights behind these metrics are useful, Google Analytics 4 stepped it up by using an event-based model.
This means instead of just providing information about the number of times a page was viewed, we can now use events in GA4 to track specific user actions.
You can see exactly how the user interacts with your site. This could be the user clicking a button on your site, playing a video, or adding a product to the cart.
The change from Universal Analytics to GA4 gives us even more precise data collection capabilities and improved user privacy measures.
If we have limited data, AI and machine learning will work together to give a prediction.
Common events tracked in GA4 are video engagement and form submissions. Depending on your goal, tracking these events can give you a deeper understanding of the users behavior.
If you’re tracking an event for form submission, this can tell us whether the form is too long, unclear, or not eye-catching enough if user’s don’t complete this goal on your website.
Depending on what your businesses goals are, you can customize the events, an option that wasn’t available with Universal Analytics.
Key Differences between Universal Analytics & Google Analytics 4
Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 have six key differences that change the way businesses can learn about the actions users take on their website.
Data Model:
Universal Analytics is based on a session-based model, focusing on page views, dwell time, conversion rate, and how a user interacts within a defined session.
GA4 is an event-based model where you can track every user interaction as an individual event, allowing you to see what the exact user’s behavior is.
This gives us a deeper insight into the customer’s journey and opens up more opportunities to improve the flow.
Measurement:
Universal Analytics is primarily focused on website traffic while Google Analytics 4 is designed for cross-platform measurement, tracking user behavior across websites and apps consistently.
GA4 integrates with platforms like Google Ads and Firebase for app tracking, making it easier for you to understand the user’s journey to your website.
This is great news for business launching social media or PCC (Pay-Per-Click) Campaigns because it’ll give you a deep insight into the effectiveness of your Ads.
Machine Learning:
Over the last few years, AI and machine learning has integrated into our day to day life, making automation and our workflow move much easier.
The addition of AI and machine learning to GA4 is that it can help predict future outcomes even if there’s a lack of data.
It’s annoying when you go check your data and there’s missing pieces of the puzzle.
Don’t worry, AI will help fill in data gaps and predict user behavior making your life easier.
Privacy
Stay goodbye to cookies and hello to user consent. As more and more people are concerned with what information is being used to track them, GA4 has adapted their privacy regulations to focus on user consent.
Universal Analytics used third-party data to collect information gathered by other organizations and have no relationship with the audience.
GA4 uses first-party data which is collected from the audience directly through your website.
This gives the user autonomy of how their data is collected and tracked, building trust and transparency between you and the customer.
Reporting
UA relies on pre-defined dimensions and metrics which offers a structured approach but lacks flexibility whereas GA4 allows for easier data collection and customization of reports.
So what does this mean?
GA4 is more interactive and can offer a broader view of user behavior such as engagement, monetization, and retention metrics.
You’ll now be able to see how much your user likes your product, how much money you make, and how well your user comes back to your website.
Goals and Conversions
Because UA is pre-defined, it only offers a limited set of goal types (destination, duration, pages/session, events), focusing on one single conversion action per goal.
GA4 can track multiple steps in the conversion process, measuring smaller goals like purchase or sign ups which should have a huge importance in your business.
This gives us a deeper understanding of our users behavior and insights on how to improve.
User Interface
GA4’s interface is more interactive and incorporates machine learning to provide insights into future trends. This will help you stay one step ahead.
6 Metrics to Analyze in Google Analytics 4
UA transitioned into GA4 for a number of reasons such as privacy issues and the evolution of user behavior.
Coupled with the rise of machine learning, Google Analytics 4 is a web tool that has changed how data is tracked and collected.
Understanding how to use GA4 and the metrics to track for success will help understand the user’s journey.
Although there’s similarities between UA and GA4, there are six key metrics that UA didn’t have and have given us a wider sense of how a user interacts with your website.
The metrics are….
1. Engagement Rate
UA used bounce rate as a way to measure user’s sessions.
The problem with measuring bounce rate was it deemed the information unsuccessful if they only viewed one page.
It didn’t take into account whether the person found the information they needed or how long they spent on the webpage.
GA4 focuses more on user engagement, measuring time spent on pages, clicks, and other interactive elements.
This shift in focus has helped marketers with the effectiveness of calls-to-action, submitting forms and watching videos.
2. Active Users
UA’s metric of total users described the total number of unique users who visited your site but didn’t take into account the level of engagement.
GA4 focuses on active users and what actions they took during a specific time frame.
By tracking user retention, you can identify areas for improvement and more accurate user segmentation.
A user is considered active if they spent more than 10 seconds on a page, triggered more than one page views or completed a conversion.
3. Event Count
You have the benefit of customizing a particular event for your goals, allowing you to track the frequency and see which action your audience likes the most.
This gives you a deeper understanding into where there are potential drop-off points or areas for improvement.
This comes in use when we think of our CTA’s.
We wrote recently about how color theory plays a role in how a user interacts with your content. You can catch up on the blog here.
These are many other ways to analyze event count such as identifying new opportunities and personalizing the user experiences.
The opportunities are endless!
4. User Lifetime Value (LTV)
This metric is useful for businesses to assess the long-term value of customers and total revenue a business can expect from one customer.
It tracks user behavior, purchases, and revenue over time, calculating the LTV through custom reports.
Analyzing this metric helps you identify high-value customers and develop retention strategies to increase customer lifetime value.
5. Predictive Metrics
The role of AI and machine learning in GA4 helps marketers anticipate future trends and customer behaviors which UA couldn’t do.
UA analyzed past decisions but the predictive analytics in GA4 means they’re always one step ahead and can respond quickly to market changes.
Metrics such as purchase probability, churn probability and predicted revenue can help you predict the probability of a user carrying out key events on your website and the revenue expected from the key events.
6. Custom Metrics and Dimensions
You’re able to customize the metrics and dimensions in GA4 and tailor them to fit your specific business needs.
This customization gives you more freedom and flexibility in data analysis and reporting of your businesses KPI’s.
For example, you can track a specific marketing channel like Google Ads that brought a customer to your website.
You can also track social media and see where the traffic is coming from.
GoViral Conclusion
We agree that GA4 is a better replacement to Universal Analytics because of its added benefits and features that makes marketing just that bit easier.
As a digital marketing agency, its our job to always stay ahead of trend, understand our customers inside out and find out what resonates with them the most.
Before, it was harder to track where the traffic was coming externally but with GA4, now you can see the exact journey they took to land on your website, social media and PPC campaigns.
GA4 is definitely a step in the right direction in helping businesses better serve their customers and we hope after reading through GA4 doesn’t seem as complicated.
If you’d like help with your own analytics and/or running a PPC campaign, contact us!
The Importance of Brand Voice
When it comes to distinguishing your brand, having an appealing visual identity and logo surely helps, but what also matters is your brand voice. In order to make your business stand out from the rest and connect with your target market, establishing a brand voice and using it consistently in your marketing strategy is vital.
There’s a reason why a hip brand catering to young adults might use “cool” slogans, or why luxury cars keep it sleek and professional. Your brand voice helps you to make your brand recognizable and reach the right audience.
Let’s talk about what brand voice is and why it’s a good idea to think it through for your brand. We’ll also cover how to create a unique brand voice that you’ll use throughout your communication channels.
What is Brand Voice?
Just like how a personality makes a person unique, a unique brand voice distinguishes a company from its competitors. Brand voice is defined as a personality that your brand consistently communicates. It reflects your brand’s values and serves as a guide on how and what you say when it comes to your marketing strategy. It also helps you connect to your audience and reach potential new customers.
You can think of your company’s brand voice almost as if it were a person. What personality does your brand voice have? What phrases does your brand use? Imagine that your brand is at a dinner party; how would it speak to the other guests?
Why is it important to establish a brand voice?
There is an overload of noise when it comes to advertising and other online content. Individuals and brands are constantly talking through social channels, so it’s important to stand out. Having nice photos, a unique logo and well-thought-out products are all great ways to strengthen your brand, but what you write needs equal care.
Having a consistent brand voice helps differentiate your company while switching up your voice in each post can quickly lead to an unfollow from your customers.
How can you create a unique brand voice?
1. Start with your brand values and mission statement.
Do you need help creating your brand voice? Look at your brand values to determine your voice and how you communicate with your target audience. Make sure that what you promote and say to your audience also reflects your values and mission statement.
Let’s say that your brand named “Green Sea Turtles” sells bright-colored sustainable cleaning products for Gen Z. You value eco-friendliness, have a modern approach and donate 5% of your yearly income to a charity that saves baby sea turtles.
How you communicate to your customers and in what style should also reflect your products. You probably won’t be speaking strictly professionally to your Gen Z customers and the advertising could be directed in a fun, light-hearted manner.
2. Identify your buyer persona to target the right audience.
Making a list of potential customers and writing down their personalities, habits and what they might be interested in is a great way to explore your brand voice.
Knowing that your Gen Z customer for the “Green Sea Turtles” brand is 19 years old, loves to dress in vintage 90s clothing and watches ASMR cleaning videos on TikTok can help you to create your brand voice. Making t-shirts with “God save the sea turtles” slogan and videos promoting your cleaning products showing a Gen Z cleaning her apartment can end with her saying, “Omg so clean, thanks Green Sea Turtles.”
Knowing your buyer persona can also help you to choose the tone of voice that you will use when communicating with your target audience. If you want more tips on how to reach Gen Z customers, read our blog article 5 Tips for Marketing to Gen Z.
3. Keep your brand voice consistent over all social channels.
This includes being consistent on all your social platforms, email communication and even packaging. Think of your brand like a bundle. It would be weird if you communicate your brand in a casual, fun manner and have extremely formal emails like you’re talking to a corporate audience.
One brand that is a great example of keeping its brand voice consistent is Apple. The brand often leaves the wording simple and to the point and adds an eye-catching image to highlight cutting-edge technology. Even their packaging is simple and enjoyable to open, just like how their products are enjoyable to use.
Apple’s advertisement above for the new “unsend” Imessage feature is almost like a short movie. At the end of a message that was unsent, Apple wrote, “Relax, it’s iPhone.”
How do you know your brand voice is working?
Remember, be yourself. One way you know your brand voice is working is if your customers feel as if your company is directly speaking to them, they feel connected to your brand and they feel like they’re part of the conversation.
You can also investigate how your customers are engaging with you online to see if your brand voice is working well. Make sure to read our How You Can Use Social Listening to Improve Your Business blog article to track what others are saying about your brand, and if your brand voice is structured correctly.
Make sure to sign up for our newsletter below for more brand strategy and the latest marketing tips to stay ahead of the competition.
GoViral Case Study: Timing PPC Campaigns for In-Person Events
A common question among marketers: how far in advance should I advertise an in-person event? When should I start using my PPC advertising budget? At GoViral we’re committed to learning from experience, so let’s take a look at the numbers from three recent events.
When Should I Start Advertising an In-Person Event?
Over the past few years we’ve helped one of our clients, a global leader in business and consumer electronics, advertise their presence at in-person industry events.
When our client attends these events, they want the best bang for their buck. Their end goal is leads. Getting face time with existing and potential customers is invaluable.
But even priceless marketing activities are limited by budget. Regardless of your budget’s size, you need to think carefully about how and when to spend it. So let’s take a look at lead time. How far in advance of an event do we see results for booking in-person meetings?
Our Results from Three Recent Events
For each of our three most recent events, we launched our PPC campaign at a different point in advance of the event date. One campaign started 17 weeks before, one 4 weeks, and one just 3 weeks before the start of the event.
Keeping in mind that we define a lead as someone who schedules a meeting with our client during the event, here are the results of total number of leads acquired by campaigns of varying lengths.
As you can see, we acquired more leads with a shorter timeline ahead of the event. In other words, more time did not translate to more leads.
Furthermore, the Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) decreased as the lead time decreased. How much did we spend to acquire each lead? Considerably more when we started earlier.
Takeaways for Advertising Events with a PPC Campaign
Our overall takeaway? Don’t assume advertising an in-person event earlier means your results will be better.
There are other factors besides the timeline to consider, of course. But one thing is clear from our results: most of our leads for in-person events were acquired in the three weeks immediately before the event.
Our experience has shown that PPC campaigns for in-person events can find success even when limited to the month leading up to the event, and in fact we have had most success acquiring leads during that time.
Further Considerations
As with all marketing advice, your mileage may vary. Consider your specific situation and make strategic decisions accordingly.
Maybe your event requires early registration, or maybe there’s a competing event in a different city on the same dates. In those cases, you might want to start earlier.
Remember that a marketing campaign requires careful planning, including consideration of the buyer’s journey and other factors specific to your business.
However, if you find yourself starting your advertising efforts just a few weeks before your event, don’t despair! There’s still time to get results.
Looking to advertise an in-person event? Let us help you! Tell us more about your project and request a proposal.
How You Can Use Social Listening to Improve Your Business
Building brand awareness and connecting to customers online requires a holistic approach. Practicing social listening is just as important as creating meaningful content. In this blog post, we will introduce you to this topic and give you some tips on how you can get started on improving your brand through social listening.
What is Social Listening?
According to HootSuite, “Social listening is the practice of monitoring social media channels for mentions of your brand, competitor brands, and related keywords.” You can track any mentions online about your brand or business, which can give you insights into how people are reacting. It can also help you to quickly identify a crisis and react accordingly.
Social listening can help you:
- Understand how your customers feel about your brand/business
- Figure out what you can improve if there are complaints or other negative comments
- Find out what competitors’ customers are talking about and discover trending topics
- Complete all of this in real-time, so you can act fast if needed
Is Social Listening the Same as Social Monitoring?
Social monitoring, or brand monitoring, is when you get notified when your brand or business is mentioned online. This is useful for responding quickly when needed, but it doesn’t give you a whole picture of your brand or the industry you’re focused on.
Social listening is more expansive in that it gives you mentions about not only your brand but also conversations about your competitors, the industry and similar products. This is a more complete picture instead of just snippets related to your brand or business.
Through social listening, you can make better decisions about how to structure your marketing or social media strategy, since you have a clearer picture of all that surrounds your business.
Why You Should Use Social Listening for Your Business
1. Know your audience
By listening to what is being said about your brand or business online, you can better understand what customers want and how you can improve your offering/services.
2. Respond to crisis
If something goes terribly wrong in relation to your brand, you want to find out right away and respond quickly.
3. Build customer relationships
Social media can be a great way to talk to current or potential customers, but your goal doesn’t always have to be about selling something. Build relationships and respond to customers instead of just offering a product or service every time. Share useful information that piques interest instead of strictly pushing what you have to offer.
4. Learn more about your competitors
Social listening can keep you in the loop about what your competitors are doing and give you updates about the latest trends in your industry. This can inspire you to create new products or services.
5. Improve your social media strategy
Listening to your customers, competitors and your industry as a whole can help you create tailored content. You’ll be able to learn more about what your customers want and what content seems to resonate with them. Need help creating meaningful content for your customers? Take a look at our Content Strategies for Different Stages of the Buyer Journey article.
Tips on How You Can Start Social Listening
1. Use the right social listening tools
Depending on what you want to track, make sure to use the right tools. There are various social listening apps that can help you monitor your social channels. Make sure to do your research to choose the right one for your needs.
Buffer, Hootsuite, Google Analytics, Facebook Insights and Twitter Analytics are just a few that are worth looking into.
2. Create a Social Listening Strategy
You should structure your social listening and treat it as a project. Aside from monitoring tags or direct messages, monitor variations of your brand or business name, and the founder or other public figures associated with your brand.
3. Monitor your competitors
And not just the happy customers from your competitors, but keep an eye out for unhappy customers. What are they saying? How can you cater to them? You could find solutions to their problems.
We hope this introduction to social listening was helpful for you and that you can get started using these tips right away. There are so many opportunities to connect to your existing and potential customers by using social media and the various social listening tools available.
Want to connect with your audience, and get paid for it? Make sure to read more in our article Facebook & Instagram Subscriptions Feature: How to Make the Most of It.