Good Morning and welcome to April 1st.
Normally there would be a joke about what day it is, but this isn't normal times now is it? What a month its been! Unbelievable time here in Ireland - with schools closed, pubs and cultural institutions closed and so much more. Social Distancing and all but lockdown imposed. In the same breath I want to commend all the amazing businesses and supporters for all the good news stories that have been popping up over the past 2 weeks in my social feeds. Never have I ever been through a time like this before and probably won't see the likes of it again in my lifetime.
The majority of businesses that follow my blog would be small to medium sized, so do please let me know how you're fairing and tag me in any posts or tweets so I can share your news and updates - I'm happy to share my audience.
Everything that involves promotion these days is "social" but what is the difference between "social media marketing,", "social media advertising" and now "social selling"? Let's explore in this blog post from Hootsuite.
Facebook says it's going to launch various features over the next couple weeks to make Facebook Live more accessible and easy to use, particularly for people who might not have a lot of mobile data. These include closed captions and an audio-only capability. The updates will be global.
As more and more people use Going Live to reach their audience Facebook has had to make it easier and faster for people less used to this medium to make the most of it. Read the full details in the article here.
You may notice when you go to your scheduled posts over the coming days that there will be a notice saying "Post, videos and video insights are moving to Creator Studio. This page will no longer support those features starting in March 2020."
They had given you the option to use both for quite some time however the basic scheduled posts section didn't give you a preview instantly, you had to click preview. Well now this update has forced part time and full time schedulers to explore the studio. It's actually very user friendly and still sees fairly familiar. Maybe try it one day this month?
Personally speaking I have become quite adept at not seeing Video ads in YouTube as I tend to switch them off very quickly and I rapidly find it more annoying the longer I stay in YouTube. Well now Facebook are going to be doing the same with Instagram and adding Video ads to their platform :(
I realise its a great way to grab your audience and I'm sure it works a lot. I find it disappointing though to be bothered by uninvited advertising but I'm just a dinosaur...
However the Millennials, bless their little cotton socks, lap up this sort of stuff so bring it on, we need to reach our audience right?
One new addition that Google My Business has added has been pushed through fairly rapidly because of the pandemic. It's a "temporarily closed" button that can be seen in Google Maps just to let people know that the business is there but has been closed as directed by the HSE and Government.
Have you subscribed yet to out Marketing podcast? Over the last month we have discussed:
This last week myself and Esther talked about "Acts not Ads". Listen into why we say no to ads right now and what we suggest you do in the meantime. A 10 minute podcast!
I was delighted to be invited to Eimer Duffy and Phillip Twyfords podcast earlier last month. In fact they had me back twice! Hear my talk about Facebook Ads here on episode 11 and 12.
Supports for Businesses, Frontline Workers and Education in #COVID19 Outbreak - Melanie Boylan
#COVID19 Pandemic: "When I'm just a Cashier" Became a Keyworker - Melanie Boylan
Why Use Instagram Highlights? - Eimer Duffy
Twitter Lingo and What it Means - Samantha Kelly
As usual, if there is anything I can help with, please do let me know. It's a tough time for everyone, even me! My training has all fizzled out at this and I do appreciate that Social Media Management is a luxury that a lot of people can't afford. I'm not going any where for now though! I will continue writing and assisting where I can.
Working with clients Nationwide from base in Mullingar.
