Facebook Pages used to be a lucrative way for brands to connect with customers on Facebook. However, pages have seen a decline in organic reach in recent years, with the average organic Facebook Page post now seeing an engagement rate of just 0.07%. Ouch! This data doesn’t mean it’s time to pack up the team…

Anyone who works in social media for government agencies understands the importance of public trust. Generally, agencies do fantastic work and are rightly proud of their efforts. However, as marketers, you can’t afford to assume people will take your words at face value, with just two in 10 Americans saying they trust the government to…

Higher education social media marketers face unique challenges. Far from managing accounts for one or two brands and sub-brands, they might be responsible for managing social media profiles across dozens — or even hundreds — of different departments. They must ensure that each department consistently creates and posts suitable types of content and find reliable,…

It’s hard to imagine anyone not using social media today. Yet the industry continues to expand, with the global number of social media users climbing to almost 4.6 billion in 2022. Image source But not all social networks enjoyed equally strong years in 2022. Facebook has plateaued since 2021, adding fewer than 50 million new…

A communications strategy sets out how you reach, engage, and convert your target audience, including: Who they are Why you’re talking to them How you talk to them What content should you create Which channels to share it through Social media for government should form an integral part of any agency’s communications strategy, with 82%…

Social media for government agencies is about demonstrating your expertise, building trust and credibility, and providing audiences with fast, reliable, unambiguous information. It’s been a game-changer for the sector, transforming previously faceless organizations into teams of real people doing valuable work. Lots of agencies are doing an amazing job at showcasing what they do (and…

User-generated content (UGC) is highly impactful in any industry. Research from TINT found that: 72% of consumers believe reviews and testimonials submitted by customers are more credible than brands talking about their products 93% of marketers agree that consumers trust content created by customers more than content created by brands Six out of 10 marketers…

Content marketing is one of the best ways to set your business up for growth. Knowing how effective a well-made piece of content can be at reaching, intriguing, and converting audiences, it’s no wonder that 64% of businesses spent more than 10% of their total marketing budgets on producing and distributing content in 2021. Nor…

It’s fair to say 2022 has been a busy year for social media marketers. According to McKinsey, inflation has put a dent in consumer confidence, with shoppers feeling twice as pessimistic about the economic outlook as during the pandemic. This pessimism has prompted a change in shopping behavior as consumers look to “trade down,” with…

Life used to be a lot simpler for social media marketers. There were fewer platforms, and users were still attracted by the novelty of social, which helped content cut through. Today, marketers face various social media-related challenges, from figuring out the right platforms to post on to developing new content ideas and turning them into…

Today’s consumers are fast-paced, overloaded with information, and short on time. We skim content, interact with chatbots, and gravitate toward convenience and instant gratification. We spend more than seven hours daily using the internet, including almost 2.5 hours on social media. Image source In this new reality, brands must humanize and connect with their audiences…

Facebook has a whopping 2.9 billion monthly active users, with an estimated 71% of internet users in the US using the platform regularly, from college students and young professionals to seasoned execs and stay-at-home moms. Just because everyone is hanging out there doesn’t mean posting for free will help you achieve your marketing goals. Nor…

One of the most challenging aspects of social media marketing is consistently creating high-quality, engaging content over an extended period. This is backed up by data, with research from Visual Objects ranking consistent content creation as one of the top five social media challenges for marketers. Matt Hamada, Digital Engagement Manager for the City of…

It’s hard to remember when we weren’t all glued to social media. Yet the proportion of marketers using social media to reach new and existing audiences has risen every year since 2013: Image source With so much competition from other marketers, you must take the time to develop smart strategies for social media marketing to…

For years, government agencies have been an attractive target for marketing campaigns. But increasingly, agencies realize the benefits of flipping the script, transforming themselves from prospects to marketers. It makes sense. Marketing can help you connect with end users who benefit from your services, build a support base among thought leaders in your sector, and…

Social media marketing is tough. There are plenty of roadblocks that could stop you from delivering the results you want to see. The seemingly simple processes of planning and posting content are the biggest challenges. Indeed, one in eight social media marketers at small businesses say they struggle to post content consistently, while one in…

No longer the bright new thing in the social media world, TikTok is now firmly established as a key element in many higher ed institutions’ marketing toolkits. Marketers love the short-form video platform because it generates far higher organic engagement than other platforms. That’s a massive advantage in higher education marketing, where budgets are often…

It’s hard to understate the importance of social media in higher education marketing. Why? Because teens – in other words, the ideal target audience for most higher ed marketing campaigns – use social media a lot. According to Common Sense Media, US teenagers average almost 7.5 hours of screen time daily, with about 16% of…

A year-and-a-half ago, no one had ever heard the phrase “non-fungible token.” It’s fair to say things have changed somewhat since then. According to a Security.org survey, familiarity with NFTs has skyrocketed in recent months. In 2021, two-thirds of Americans were unfamiliar with them, whereas only 7% don’t know what they are today. And while…

Local, federal, and national governments on social media have a tough job. They need to educate their audiences, build trust, communicate essential information, and respond to complaints and queries. When it comes to reaching and engaging audiences, Facebook is still hard to beat. According to Pew Research Center, seven in ten Americans use the platform,…

Investing in content marketing can secure exceptional results for your brand. It’s why 97% of businesses had a content marketing strategy in place in 2021. And it’s why 72% of organizations plan to increase their content marketing budgets in 2022. You probably know that focusing on quality and consistency is crucial to content marketing success….

It’s time for executive leaders in higher education to step out from their ivory towers. Across all industries, there’s plenty of evidence about the benefits of people in leadership roles interacting with their audiences via social media. For instance, research from Sprout Social discovered that 70% of consumers feel more connected to brands when the…

Social media listening tools give you the power to discover what your (current and future) customers really think about you. That’s something we’d all like to know, right? After all, research from SuperOffice shows that the number one reason customers ditch a company is because they think that company doesn’t care about them. But it’s…

Building a brand community isn’t about improving vanity metrics like engagement and follower count. Or at least, it’s not just about that because it delivers real, measurable results. According to a survey from Vanilla Forums, 58% of brands say their communities improve customer loyalty. That’s a big deal, with research from KPMG revealing: 86% of…

Chelsey Holts currently serves as the Director of Social Media for UNC Chapel Hill’s flagship accounts. In her role, she advises leadership on strategy and reputation and also works with a team to create and amplify engaging content for the school’s various audiences. Check out our interview with her in anticipation of the upcoming Social…

Xenia Muether is the Founder and CEO of Pink Orange, an agency launched in 2019. The fully remote agency has a global presence, with its team in London, Spain, Nigeria, Singapore, and South Africa. Check out our interview with her in anticipation of the upcoming Social Media Strategies Summit for Higher Education. Please briefly describe…

Remember when influencer marketing was a hot new trend? Those days are long gone. Today, it’s become integral to many brands’ marketing strategies — and it’s only getting more popular. Google Trends data shows that search interest around influencer marketing has increased fourfold in the past five years: Image source It’s no surprise that Influencer…

Want to start advertising on TikTok? You’re in good company. For many brands, TikTok is no longer the hot new thing in social media; it’s become a staple of their marketing strategies. According to eMarketer, the platform’s ad revenues will reach almost $6 billion in the US alone by 2022, growing to more than $11…

Jadis Tillery has over 22 years of marketing experience specializing in social media. She has received industry awards, is an industry speaker, and has been asked by social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp to lead global product beta tests. Check out our interview with her in anticipation of the upcoming Social Media Strategies…

It’d be easy to dismiss Instagram Reels as a shameless TikTok clone. Whether it is or isn’t, that doesn’t change the fact that people like it. Since its launch in August 2020, search activity around Reels has caught and overtaken another of the platform’s video-based features, Instagram Stories: Image source Additionally, research from Whistle Wise…

Deanna Stevens Ulrich serves as the Social Media/Community Manager within University Communications and Marketing at Kent State University. She is responsible for managing the university’s institutional accounts, along with assisting with developing and implementing the strategy for the university and presidential social media presence. Check out our interview with her in anticipation of the upcoming…

Brands in the US are expected to shell out more than $56 billion on social media marketing in 2022. But it’s not necessarily true that the highest spenders will see the best results. With the average internet user having 8.5 social media accounts, marketers must invest in the right platforms and create the right content…

As a marketer, it’s important to balance how much time you spend on social media and the results you get. That’s where time-saving strategies for social media management can help you. Expert marketers use these strategies to get the most out of their social media marketing efforts. But why do you need to optimize your…

Sarah Barnes has more than 20 years of experience as a writer and editor for print and digital communications. At Harvey Mudd College, she is part of a small but mighty communications team that produces everything from web content to alumni magazines to academic department newsletters to social media and more. Check out our interview…

The average brand spends almost 15% of its marketing budget on social media. That’s a lot of time and money. The problem is that it’s still barely scratching the surface for small social media teams. You want to spend your precious resources on the tasks most likely to drive fantastic results — things like analysis…

Whether you fill up your social media calendar months in advance or post content on the fly, you will need to have a steady source of content to post on social media. Consistent content is a challenge for many social media marketers. Alongside an increase in the number of businesses on social media, we see…

Creating and publishing next-level content is one of the best ways to invest in your brand. And, if you take a glance at people’s internet usage habits, you’ll find out just why. In 2021, the average person spent 6 hours and 58 minutes online. During those (almost) seven hours, 61% of people primarily went online…

Livestream shopping is an e-commerce marketing strategy that sees a host — often a celebrity or an influencer — promote products via a live video stream. Also called live shopping, it’s essentially the 21st-century answer to home shopping channels. But with all the action taking place on digital platforms, the opportunities for interaction and engagement…

Are you tired of winging it when publishing social media content? A social media content calendar is the need of the hour to ensure that your content is published consistently and on time. It’s a smart way to schedule your social posts as it eliminates the stress involved in coming up with content on the…

TikTok might not be the first channel that springs to mind regarding government social media. The video platform’s most popular content categories include topics like entertainment, dance, and pranks – not necessarily the sort of thing you’d expect a government agency to be posting. There are lots of other social platforms, and you likely don’t…

People don’t read nearly as much as they used to. (Just ask all those Goodreads users who failed, yet again, to complete their annual reading challenge last December.) And they do even less reading when they’re browsing online pages. Websites are now optimized for skimming. Brands serve consumers hours of content every day, and attention…