Social Media Marketing in the General Election

A week on from the June General Election and Britain’s political future is facing fresh uncertainty. What was meant to be a clear win for the Conservatives, turned into one of the most surprising and memorable elections to date, with the Conservatives losing the majority and seeing Labour soar up the polls with their “for the many, not the few” manifesto. However, it wasn’t just the political parties’ manifestos which were catching peoples’ eyes; social media arguably took the front seat in this election, so with this in mind we’re taking a look at how the parties managed to do this.

Twitter

Corbyn and May both saw a big increase in their followings and engagement on Twitter.

Corbyn’s personal following grew by 45% from 850,000 to 1.2 million on Twitter, while May’s grew by 20% from 350,000 to 420,000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Retweets: 18K
Likes: 27K

Scrolling through Corbyn’s Twitter, you’ll find several tweets branded with Labour’s key message during the election: ‘for the many, not the few’. Labour’s tweets focused mostly on social issues, such as healthcare and housing, and were shared almost three times more than posts by the Tories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Retweets: 1.7K
Likes: 3.3K

In contrast, May focused on a “strong and stable leadership” and reinforced her policies on terrorism with her 4 actions to tackle Islamist extremism.

Both parties relied heavily on video marketing to get across their message on Twitter and often these were the tweets that received the most engagement.

Facebook

In terms of social media, Facebook arguably took the main stage in this election.

Once again, Labour saw a 75% increase in the number of page likes over the general election period, while the Conservatives saw a rise of just 10%.

Posts on the Labour Facebook page were shared more than one million times and received more than 1.7 million likes between the election being called and the polls closing on June 8, whilst posts, pictures and videos by the Conservative party were shared 360,000 times in total during the same period.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Likes: 1.5K
Shares: 734

On Facebook, Labour tried to appeal to the younger voters with their key manifesto promises, such as scrapping tuition fees and bringing back student grants. Labour also managed to win over young voters with its variety of celebrity endorsements, including the likes of Lily Allen and Billy Bragg.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Likes: 9.7K
Shares: 3.7K

Meanwhile, the Conservatives focused on the issue of Brexit, a strong economy and once again providing “stable and secure leadership” for Britain.

Both parties also took full advantage of Facebook ads to target particular constituencies. In the last two days of campaigning, Labour adverts were reportedly displayed to voters in 464 constituencies, compared to Tory adverts in just 205. It’s also been reported that the Tories spent more than £1 million on negative ads targeted at Corbyn, in an attempt to win the majority.

Snapchat

Until recently, Facebook and Twitter were the main places for politicians; however, Snapchat most definitely saw a rise in its status in this General Election.

The app; which has more than 10 million daily UK users, worked closely with Electoral Commission to design geofilters; which would encourage young voters to register and share their vote.

 

 

 

 

 

A record 250,000 young people signed up to vote in the 24 hours before the election deadline.

YouTube

The parties were also quick to utilise the power of video marketing with YouTube.
Labour provided its 22,000 subscribers with several videos a week, featuring interviews with celebrities, as well as Corbyn himself and on key issues such as Brexit and the NHS.

In contrast, the Conservatives took a slightly different approach for its 21,000 subscribers, with videos highlighting the weaknesses of the Labour party. Their most popular video, entitled ‘On June 9th, this man could be Prime Minister’ received over 1.3 million views in the space of 3 weeks.

It’s clear that social media is becoming ever more present in politics and appears to be getting more people involved. However, will Corbyn and May be able to keep up this momentum across their social media channels once the furore surround the General Election dies down and the politicians have to knuckle down and start running the country? Only time will tell.

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Facebook takes its fight against fake news to UK newspapers

If you’re partial to acquiring your news in a print format, you may have noticed something a little different about your newspaper this morning. That’s because from yesterday (Monday 8th May) Facebook will be rolling out ads in several of the UK’s top newspapers, including The Times, The Guardian and Daily Telegraph, to give readers tips on spotting fake news.

Facebook has already removed thousands of fake news stories from its site and plans to hire 3000 more employees to review content going forward.

However, this campaign marks Facebook’s first big move towards combating the rapid growth of fake news, after experiencing growing pressure from high profile individuals and organisations, including MPs, to deal with the ever increasing issue.

While fake news certainly isn’t a new phenomenon, propaganda has been a tool used throughout the ages to influence and control, fresh fears have been raised of late about its growing visibility and impact on key geo-political events. After speculation that fake news on Facebook may have interfered with the EU Referendum and likely influenced the US Presidential Election result, there has been an overwhelming outcry for social networking sites to do more. And with the UK General Election only a month away and France’s Presidential race just concluded, Facebook’s latest campaign seems timely.

Some of the tips you might see published in your newspaper include:

  1. Be sceptical of headlines
  2. Look closely at the web address
  3. Investigate the source
  4. Watch for unusual formatting
  5. Consider the images used
  6. Inspect the date the story was published
  7. Check the evidence
  8. Look at other reports
  9. Is the story a joke?
  10. Blatant lies

This latest move by Facebook in the UK follows on from similar campaigns in German and French newspapers and will no doubt extend to other countries across the globe in due course. Will Facebook be able to eradicate propaganda as a result of its endeavours? Certainly not. Will it be able to pacify the powers that be that it is taking reasonable measures to help combat it? Facebook will be hoping so!

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How to Make Your Website Responsive on Mobile

No matter how big or small your business is, it’s important that your website is responsive across all devices, especially mobile. A recent survey found that 88% of consumers who search for a local business on a mobile device call or go to that business within 24 hours, and 57% won’t recommend a business if the website isn’t responsive on mobile. Thankfully, with just a few simple steps you can improve your website’s ‘viewability’ considerably and give your customers the seamless experience they’ve come to expect.

  1. Re-evaluate the template you’re using
    If you’re using a DIY website building site, like Squarespace or Wix, and your current template isn’t responsive, it’s time to re-evaluate! There will be a plethora of responsive templates you can choose from to replace your current unresponsive one. Take a look at them and choose one that is best fit for your business. Even if it means you have to spend some time altering the layout and content on your website, it’ll be worth it in the long run. If you have a bespoke site, created by a developer, get in touch with them to discuss making your site responsive. It might cost you a bit of money but it will certainly help your site perform better in the search engines and improve your visitors’ user experience.
  1. Make navigation simple
    Avoid long navigation bars which require consumers to zoom or make it harder for them to click the right link, as this easily puts people off. Less is more when it comes to navigation bars, so keep your options in the 4-5 range and make sure each one has a strong title with  clear calls to action. The text size is also important as consumers need to be able to easily click the link.
  1. Keep the text short and sweet
    Mobiles can’t display as much information as desktops and tablets, so it’s a good idea to review your website’s text with this in mind. Can you be more concise and reduce the volume of text? This will almost certainly have benefits outside of improving the mobile experience of your visitors. Once again, you need to make sure your calls to action are clear and customers understand what your business does, and why they need your services. Typography is also important; make sure the text isn’t too small and the spacing is even as this will allow for easier reading.
  1. Make sure your images are optimised
    Images which aren’t optimised can slow down your website a lot and could potentially lose you customers if your site is taking too long to load. JPG, PNG, and GIF files are usually fine and there are many tools you can use, such as Optimizilla; which will optimise your images for you. Images which are too big can also reduce your websites responsiveness, so make sure you check the size of your images too.
  1. Use mobile specific features
    Adding interactive maps and providing icons for your contact details are great for customers using your website on their mobile. This way they can get in contact with you much more easily than having to re-type your details into a search engine.
  1. Avoid using pop ups
    Pop ups can be a serious buzz kill, especially on mobiles as often browsers don’t support them, so avoid using them as they can easily put customers off.

To conclude, a responsive website is a necessity. By making your website responsive, mobile visitors are more likely to have a positive experience, which means they’re more likely to turn into loyal customers. Your websites ‘viewability’ will also affect where you rank on search engines, so make sure you check your website is providing the best mobile and desktop experiences frequently. Once your website is responsive you’re well on your way to success!

 

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Spring Budget 2017: What Marketers Need to Know

Phillip Hammond delivered his first Budget as Chancellor last week. Whilst it was perceived as being a fairly lacklustre affair by many, there were elements that had a relevance to marketers. From education to technology, here are some of the key proposals and facts marketers need to be aware of:

  1. The economy is growing faster than expected
    Growth in the UK economy picked up more than expected in 2016, despite the turbulence of the Brexit vote. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) had initially predicted the economy would grow by 1.4% in 2017, however the Chancellor announced a new forecasted figure of 2%.
  2. .Large investments to be made in 5G technology
    In a bid to make the UK one of the leaders for 5G, Phillip Hammond announced that £16 million would be invested into trialling the technology with a view to making it available nationwide. The Chancellor also announced that a further £200 million would be invested in local projects to provide more reliable broadband networks. Consumers are becoming ever more demanding when it comes to their mobiles, and staying connected it fast becoming a perceived necessity. It’s important marketers remain in touch with these evolving expectations and stay alive to the opportunities they afford.
  3. T-Levels to be introduced by autumn 2019
    The Government announced the introduction of T-levels. T-levels will provide 16-19 year olds with technical skills across a variety of industries and disciplines; which many argue are desperately needed to boost UK productivity. With a huge demand for digital, creative and design skills in marketing, these qualifications are sure to be welcomed by many in the industry.
  4. New ways to protect consumers
    In an effort to protect consumers and make them better aware of their legal rights, the Chancellor also announced that the Government will be introducing new ways to protect us. This includes making online terms and condition simpler and fining companies that mislead or mistreat customers. Marketers need to be careful, therefore, to be clear and fair when it comes to promoting their products, services and content.
  5. Sugar tax confirmed
    Phillip Hammond also confirmed that the controversial sugar tax will go ahead in 2018. The tax; which will affect soft drinks with more than 5 grams of sugar per 100ml, will be a blow for many marketers in the UK soft drinks market. Companies will have to seriously rethink their marketing strategy if they want to persuade customers to pay more for their products.

If you spotted anything else in last week’s budget that stood out to you from a marketing perspective, please let us know. In the meantime, enjoy and good luck with your marketing!

 

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How to Provide Great Customer Service through Social Media

Social media is changing the way we interact with customers, and it’s no longer just about whose posts get the most retweets or who has the most followers. An estimated 67% of consumers now use social media for customer service, and this online social support is becoming increasingly important for businesses wishing to maintain or develop a reputation for good customer service. If you want to improve your customer service through social media, read our top 5 tips below and take a look at a few industry examples we’ve found:

1. Respond quickly
Customers expect quick responses on social media; in fact 42% expect a reply within 60 minutes! Social media is all about immediacy and it’s therefore important to keep on top of all your social media accounts; look out for possible new messages, mentions or reviews and reply as quickly as possible.

2. Don’t just acknowledge the positive reviews
Of course no one likes a bad review, but if you can acknowledge it and show that you’re willing to resolve the issue, it shows that you’re dedicated to providing good customer service. It’s your chance to turn a negative review into a more positive one in the future. For example, if a customer is unhappy with a product they’ve received, you may offer to send them a new one free of charge and offer them an exclusive discount for their next purchase.

3. Engage with your customers
Customers spend 20-40% more when brands engage with them on social media, so don’t just wait for your customers to come to you. Reposting images or initiating conversations shows you have a genuine interest, and gives your customers a more personalised brand experience, which never goes unnoticed.

4. Be creative with your responses
Customers value professionalism, but they also like brands that show a bit of personality too. Customers don’t just want to talk to a generic robot, they want human interaction. So whether it’s adding a bit of humour or responding in a chattier manner; if you think it’s appropriate, give it a go.

5. Don’t forget to follow up
Just like with any customer feedback you’d receive offline, don’t forget to follow up customer responses you’ve received on social media. Once again, it shows that your business genuinely cares about its customers, which means they’re more likely to stay loyal to your business.

Here are a few examples:

1. Starbucks

 

 

 

 

 


2. Pizza Express

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Tesco

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Domino’s

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How to Increase your Email Open Rate

Millions of emails are sent out and read every day, and it’s estimated that over a third of the world’s population will be using email by 2019. However, with UK businesses only achieving an average open rate of 24.7% last year, it just goes to prove no matter how great your email is, if you can’t get them to open it in the first place, you’ll never be able to convert them into loyal customers. With this in mind, we’ve summarised some of our top tips to increase your emails’ open rates.

1. Create an engaging subject line
The subject line is the first thing your subscribers will read, so it’s vital you start off strong. There are several ways to improve your subject line. Personalisation is a great way to engage the reader, and don’t forget to keep it short and sweet. Avoid words and phrases such as “free” or “save cash”, as these aren’t only uninspiring, but they’re more likely to send your email to the spam folder.

2. Make sure your email is responsive
Ever opened an email and found yourself frustrated by having to alter the text or images because they don’t fit the screen? Your subscribers probably feel exactly the same, so it’s important that your email is responsive on all devices, and not just desktops. Nowadays there are many sites you can use that have responsive templates you can use to design your emails. Other tips include not using too many images and avoiding menu bars.

3. Send your email at the right time
Yes; even timings can affect your open rate. If you want to know what time is best to send emails, carry out a few tests before sending your final version to see when you have the highest open rate. For example, if you’re sending your emails to people’s work email addresses, you’re not going to want to send it on the weekend, when checking work emails is the last thing on their minds. You’ll not only want to consider which day of the week, but also what time of day you want to send it. On average, emails in the UK had a higher open rate between 10am and 11am in 2016, but it’s important to find what works for your business and audience.

4. Quality not quantity
Don’t forget that your email needs to be well written, as well as visually appealing. Make sure you proof read your email several times before you send it; looking for grammar mistakes or ways to improve your wording. Sloppy mistakes never look great and are likely to decrease your open rate.

5. Segment your subscribers list
It’s important that you’re sending your emails to the right people. By segmenting your subscribers into lists based on factors such as location, buying habits or gender, you’re more likely to send your customers relevant emails, which are therefore more likely to be opened. For example, if you’ve noticed that a selection of customers are buying the same products from your website regularly, make a subscribers list for them, which you can use to send them emails when their favourite products are on sale.

6. Revise your subscribers lists regularly
If you’ve done all of the above, but still aren’t getting a good open rate, it may be wise to review your subscribers list. Remove inactive email addresses or email addresses with misspellings, and don’t forget to check that the lists your subscribers are in are still relevant. You don’t want to be making avoidable mistakes, like sending existing customers’ exclusive offers only available to new customers! Not only will this improve your open rate, it’ll also save you money.

 

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5 Things that Mattered this week in Marketing #MarketingMoments

As always, it’s been another busy week in the world of marketing. Here we’ve summed up the top 5 marketing stories to keep you up-to-date on the latest news and views in the industry.
1.Netflix and YouTube enter top 10 best brands list for first time

Youtube and Netflix have entered the top 10 on YouGov BrandIndex’s annual list of the UK’s top brands, for the first time this year, showing the increasing importance of online streaming services for consumers. YouTube placed 9th, whilst Netflix ranked 6th position.

Read more.

2. Twitter launches its new discovery tool Explore

In a bid to make the app more consumer-friendly, Twitter launched its discovery tool this week, to help make it easier for users to discover the latest trends and keep up with live news.

Read more.

3. A fifth of UK agencies lost business due to Brexit

A survey of over 200 advertising agencies in the UK has found that 22% reported losing business due to June’s Brexit outcome.

Read more.

4. #ThisGirlCan campaign makes a return

The hugely successful #ThisGirlCan campaign started its comeback this week, with a series of posters aimed at not just teenagers and their Mum’s, but now their Grandma’s too. The new TV ad is due to come out later this month.

Read more.

5. Brands take a stand against Trump

Brands, including Starbucks, Nike and Airbnb, have been breaking their silence this week on Trump’s newly imposed Muslim-majority country ban, by offering individuals affected support, from jobs to places to stay.

Read more.

 

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5 Things That Mattered Last Week in Marketing #MarketingMoments

As always, last week was another busy one in the world of marketing. Here we’ve summed up the top 5 marketing stories to keep you up to date on the latest news in the industry.

1.Marketing budgets stay strong for 2017 despite growing uncertainty over Brexit

Despite the uncertain financial forecast, marketers are still predicted to spend more than ever on marketing this year. There will be a continuing focus on online marketing and a shift away from sales promotions, according to the IPA’s quarterly Bellwether report.
To read more on this story click here.

2.Vine is officially shut down

Twitter officially shut down the much loved video app Vine last week, after it announced the app would be closing down back in October last year. However, it’s not all bad news for fans, as the app will be transformed into Vine Camera, which will allow users to create 6 second videos that can then be uploaded to Twitter.
To read more on this story click here.

3. Over £600 million was spent on non-viewable ads in 2016

Despite a growing effort to improve ad visibility, advertisers in the UK still spent over £600 million on non-viewable ads last year according to a report carried out by Meetrics, leaving the UK significantly behind other European countries in terms of ad visibility rates.
To read more on this story click here.

4. Moneysupermarket.com top ASA’s list for most complained about adverts in 2016

For the second year running, moneysupermarket.com has topped the list for the most complained about adverts in 2016. The hard to forget ads racked up a total of over 2500 complaints last year.
To read more on this story click here.

5.Facebook introduces tools to combat its fake news crisis

Amid growing pressure to tackle its fake news problem, Facebook has introduced a new tool which will allow users to report an article if they think it’s fake. Facebook introduced the tool in Germany last week and is the first country in the EU to trial it, as German politicians fear it could influence the country’s upcoming election.
To read more about this story click here.

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Digital Marketing Trends to watch out for in 2017

With 2016 but a distant memory, 2017 is now in full swing. We are certain it is going to be another exciting and unpredictable year…and that is just for digital marketing.  From chatbots to video marketing, with lots in between, the industry is awash with talk about this year’s most important trends.  Here we’ve rounded up some of our favourites and why you need to be watching out for them in 2017.

1.Live streaming
We saw the buzz of live streaming first-hand last year with the US Presidential election, but it’s set to get even bigger in 2017. Most recently, Instagram has followed in the steps of Facebook and launched a live streaming service on its story feature. Virgin Media also received high praise for its live TV ad, which was created by piecing together live footage from 18 locations into a 60 second feature. Not only does live streaming allow brands to get creative, but it can also be more cost-friendly and allows consumers to interact on an even deeper level.

2.Chatbots
Chatbots are set to be the next big thing in messaging app technology and will reshape the way we communicate with consumers. Companies such as Google, Facebook and Amazon have already started using them, so we’re sure many other businesses will follow suit.  While some are still unsure about chatbots, many argue that they’ll increase both sales and communication.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.Video marketing
From Android’s ‘Friends Furever’ to Always’ #LikeAGirl campaign, video content is gaining ever more popularity amongst both consumers and marketers. While creating video content can be daunting, when done right it can be extremely effective. Videos generate 1200% more shares than text and images combined and it’s predicted that 74% of online content will be video by the end of the year.

4.Further personalisation
In a survey carried out by Swirl Network in 2015, it was found that 88% of shoppers were more likely to shop with retailers who offered personalised experiences.  From emails, to your homepage, personalisation can be done easily and effectively.  Research has also found that customers spend up to 48% more when their experience is personalised, which is revenue that no business can afford to lose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing has been around for a while now; however, businesses are now moving towards what are known as “micro-influencers”. These people may not have millions of followers, but they have the niche audiences businesses are looking for. You no longer have to be a big business either to use influencers; smaller businesses are constantly using them to bring about brand awareness, making it a useful marketing strategy for businesses of all sizes.

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TLC Business Marketing Lunch-11 tips to get more from your marketing in 2017

With 2017 just around the corner, it was time to host our annual Marketing Lunch. This year’s event took place at the Southampton Science Park in the Innovation Centre and we welcomed over 20 local businesses for a jam-packed session. The theme of this year’s event was ’11 tips to get more from your marketing in 2017’ and we’ve summarised below some of the points:

1. Social media-Know your audience

It’s important that you’re using the appropriate social media platforms for your target audience. Instagram for example has a largely young demographic, with 37% of its users aged 16-24, making it an essential tool for businesses targeting younger consumers, but not so much for older consumers who make up only 3% of Instagram. It’s therefore imperative that you do your research beforehand.

2. Google reviews

Not many businesses understand the importance of Google reviews, but if you want to help your business’s presence on Google this is an excellent place to start. Not only will Google reviews give your business reputability, they’re also favoured by Google and the more you have the further you’ll move up on the search engine results. You don’t necessarily have to be the biggest business in order to top the rankings.

3. Social media – 5 things not to do:

• Being too salesy
• Choosing quantity over quality
• Taking on too many channels
• Posting irregularly
• Repeating posts on every channel

4. Have an SEO checklist

While SEO can be a daunting subject for many marketers, it’s an important tool to get right. Use our checklist to get started:
• Google Analytics installed?
• Google Search Console installed?
• Use GSC tools for 404 / 500 page errors, duplicate content etc.
• Used Google’s Keyword Research Tool – to find relevant keyword per page?
• Incorporated primary keyword into page url?
• Title tags created and correct length?
• Meta description tags created and correct length?

5. PPC – Understanding your quality score

Your quality score can have a big impact on the cost and effectiveness of your paid search campaigns. Quality score is Google’s rating of the quality and relevance of both your keywords and PPC ads and it’s used to determine the price of cost per click. You can improve your quality score in a few ways:
• Structure your campaigns into smaller yet targeted ad groups
• Ensure your landing pages are directly relevant to your chosen keywords
• Decrease your landing page load times

• Ensure your ads are directly relevant to your chosen keywords

6. Retarget consumers

Retargeting is a cookie-based technology that uses simple codes to anonymously ‘follow’ your audience all over the Web. When customers visit a website, the cookie is able to ‘follow’ them round as they search the Web and leave reminders in the hope of them returning to the site and making a purchase or undertaking an action. Retargeted visitors are 70% more likely to convert into buyers, making it a powerful marketing tool.

7. Email marketing – some more top tips

• Personalisation – personalising your emails is more likely to generate engagement.
• Context is everything – don’t be fooled by top words to avoid or included in subject lines.
• Mobile-friendly- make sure your emails are responsive.

• Split test – review subject lines and content

8. The best content for B2B vs B2C

Social media is still the most popular way of providing content for B2B and B2C marketers; however there are some differences when it comes to other tools they use. Blogs for example are more popular with B2B marketers and make up 92% of their content marketing, but only 67% for B2C. It’s important to use tools which are the most effective for your audience.

9. Start creating more video content

It’s estimated that video will make up 74% of online traffic in 2017, making it one to watch. We can expect to see trends such as live streaming and 360 degree videos developing within the next 12 months, so it’s the perfect time to practise your video skills and master creating video content for your consumers.

10. Make the most of Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a free service offered by Google that helps you monitor and maintain your site’s presence in Google Search results. Keywords, impressions, CTR, site error, broken links and more, Search Console provides you with key data you can’t afford to dismiss if you want your website to be effective.

11. Book your free ideas session with us

Here at TLC Business we offer a 1-2-1 session for SME businesses looking to improve their marketing. If you’d like to know more email emma@tlc-business.co.uk or call 01962 600 147.

We hope you find this useful and would like to thank everyone who attended. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

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