by Francois Muscat | Mar 18, 2019 | LinkedIn, Social Media Marketing
Think you are a pro at LinkedIn networking? Here are a few hacks and tips that you might not be aware of:
You don’t need to connect with everyone. When you share the post’s public URL, they will be taken to a short excerpt and photo of your blog post. On the left-hand side of the excerpt, your photo and a follow button will appear. This way, you won’t be asking everyone to necessarily connect with you on LinkedIn (which may be a big ask for some), but you are giving people quick and easy access to your follow button, which will keep your brand in front of their eyes in future.
- Right Click Is Your Friend
If you have a long list of potential connections, they will be displayed with a photo and a headline underneath each other. To keep your search list intact, right click on the name so that it opens in a new search bar. Doing this means you can flick back and forth between tabs instead of opening new profiles and having to go back to find your original search list.
- Manage Your Invites From The Manage Invites Page
Under the “My Network” button, you will find your LinkedIn invites. You will see a list of people with Ignore/Accept next to their names. Once again, you can right click on their names so that their profiles open in a new tab. Review their profiles before deciding whether you want to accept or ignore.
- Withdraw Invites Not Accepted After 30 Days
If you go to “My Network” and click on “Manage All”, you will see the invites you have received. Next to the ‘received’ list, you will see a ‘sent’ list. This will show you a list of invitations you have sent out that have not been accepted yet. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you may find invites that you sent out over a month ago that have not been accepted. Consider withdrawing the invite by clicking on the ‘withdraw’ button next to their name. You can also use the little checkbox next to their profiles to withdraw multiple invites at the same time.
WSI OMS offers the best LinkedIn marketing services in South Africa. Contact us for a consultation today.
by Marianna Muscat | Mar 15, 2019 | LinkedIn, Social Media Marketing
Many of our blog’s readers are already very familiar with LinkedIn. We have noticed, however, that some people are still not reaping the full benefits because they do not have a solid grasp on the post sharing settings. Read our top three must-knows:
- The Company Follow Page Is Hidden On The Company Pages
You have to find a company’s LinkedIn page and then click on the three dots in the top right corner to find the follow button. Many people who are not used to following company pages on LinkedIn might look around the page and click away when they do not see the “follow” button front and centre. Make sure you tell people where to find this follow button (it is under the three dots!). Consider including a screenshot of the profile and add an arrow so that they know where to look when they visit your company’s LinkedIn page.
- Share The Company Post URL, Not The Actual Company Page Post
If you are creating blogs or posting content to your page, then most people (including your staff) will click on the “Share” button underneath the post on your LinkedIn timeline. If you click on the tiny three dots on the top right side of the post, you will see the option “copy link to post”. This is a public link. And, wherever you share the URL, they will not only see the post image and excerpt, but also a “follow” button to your company page, which will appear on the left-hand side of the post. This is a much more powerful way to share content because it will promote your LinkedIn profile instead of sending people directly to the article on your blog.
- Copy The Link To Your Posts And Share It Outside Of LinkedIn
When you copy the link to your post (by getting the URL when you click on the three little dots), you should share this post outside of LinkedIn on Twitter, Facebook, in blog posts, in the comments of a YouTube video, etc. Anyone who sees it can click on it and view that post. The only way this will work is if you change the settings underneath the post to be “public” instead of for your connections only.
WSI OMS offers the best LinkedIn marketing services in South Africa. Contact us for a consultation today.
by Marelise da Silva | Mar 14, 2019 | LinkedIn, Social Media Marketing
According to Statistics South Africa, there were about 6,0 million people without jobs in 2018, putting the unemployment rate at 26,7%. If you are one of the many people looking for a job, then you need to make sure you have a LinkedIn profile that will compel recruiters and businesses to contact you.
Some words on your LinkedIn profile can actually be detrimental to securing a job interview. If you are being looked over for jobs that you are well-suited for, then make sure your LinkedIn headline does not contain these three words:
“Actively Seeking Opportunities”
Many people mistakenly believe that if they put these words in their LinkedIn headline, recruiters will be more likely to contact them for job opportunities. Recruiters search for keywords when they are browsing LinkedIn for job seekers, and they are looking for transferable skill sets. “Actively seeking opportunities” is not a skill set that they are ever going to be looking for. Instead of highlighting your availability, focus on highlighting your hard skills instead.
Your LinkedIn headline is valuable real estate. If you show up in a recruiter’s search, the recruiter will see your headline and your photo. If all that is listed in your headline is “actively seeking opportunities”, then it could be a major turn-off for recruiters.
WSI OMS offers professional LinkedIn profile writing services for everyone from job seekers to business owners. Contact us if you want to up your social media marketing game with a professionally written profile.
by Francois Muscat | Feb 7, 2019 | Social Media Marketing
There are currently over 1,3 billion monthly active users on Facebook Messenger and 2 billion messages are sent every month. As a business owner or a digital marketer, these are numbers that you need to take note of, especially since Facebook Messenger now allows users to buy products directly through the app.
The new comment-to-messenger feature means you can auto-message people who comment on any of your Facebook posts. Here are a few tips to help you drive sales and engagement with Facebook’s comment-to-messenger feature:
- Don’t Only Use The Feature For Customer Support
Many times, you will find that your Facebook is just another platform to provide customer support. While customer support plays a crucial part of your online community management, you need to proactively focus on engagement and sales as well.
Your community managers need to receive sales training. They need to know how to upsell and how to spot a Facebook user that is ready to buy. They also need to be able to provide that person with the right information at the right time. Your sales team, content marketers and customer support staff need to work closely together to ensure consistent and compelling messaging on this platform.
- Link Messenger To Your Store Site
Your Messenger needs to be linked to your website so that product updates and price information is reflected in it. There are three ways to integrate the use of Messenger with your e-commerce site:
- Add the Messenger sales channel to your store site,
- Add Facebook Live Chat to your e-commerce store, or
- Add the Buy Now button to your Messenger bot.
Need help with your digital marketing and social media marketing? Then contact WSI OMS today.
by Marelise da Silva | Jan 30, 2019 | Instagram, Social Media Marketing
Instagram is all about looking good. So, the more aesthetically pleasing your feed is, the more likely you are to attract followers. Except, it is not always that simple. With the increasing number of users and brands on the platform, having unique content is just as important as ‘looking pretty’ if you want to stand out. With these tips, we will help you strike a balance and create a stunning Instagram feed.
- Know Your Target Audience
If you know who you are speaking to, then you will know what to say. Making sure your content is relevant is vital to not only attract customers, but also to keep them. One way to help organise the types of content for your target audience is using “content buckets”. Content buckets (or content pillars) are defined topics/themes that identify the types of posts your audience would love to see.
Content pillars are also a great tool to streamline your brand’s message on Instagram by focusing on key themes and topics that resonate with your target audience. For example, a business can establish a few core themes for their content such as:
- Products and services,
- Company culture, and
- Customer activation.
Under these main themes, they can include topics like ‘store locations’, ‘service offerings’ and ‘product features’ under Products and Services. From there they can decide the specific types of content to feature, whether it is video, GIFs, still images, etc.
- Choose An Overarching Instagram Aesthetic
Five seconds is all you have to convert users into followers, so first impressions count. That is why having an appropriate and consistent aesthetic for your feed are important. Depending on your brand personality, you might go for something dark and sultry, sleek and minimalist or bright with lots of natural lighting. Whatever it is, make sure it is aligned with your brand.
Rope In A Graphic Designer
Great design is important, so it is worth it to get a graphic designer involved when establishing your Instagram aesthetic. They can ensure your feed is on-brand by giving your posts visual consistency.
Designers are also able to look at the nitty gritty of whether you have the correct colours or fonts and if your posts are easy to read.
- Promote Your Products Like A Pro
Used the right way, Instagram can act as a trendy catalogue for your products. Here are a few examples of how you can get creative with your product posts:
These highlight the product on its own. For these, it is great to use a simple mono-coloured background.
These are close-ups of things that you want to draw attention to. They create focus and attention to detail. Micro shots are perfect to communicate what your product is all about.
These place your product in a broader context and create associations about where and when it can be used. For example, a pair of hiking boots in a forest.
Flatlays are photos that are taken from a top-down angle. They showcase a carefully styled setting like an office table or food.
These can be short ‘how-to’ videos on how your products should be used.
If you want to get the best out of your Instagram marketing strategy, contact WSI OMS today and request more information on our social media services.
by Marelise da Silva | Jan 25, 2019 | Instagram, Social Media Marketing
Instagram has grown exponentially since its launch in 2010. According to Buffer.com, worldwide, there are more than 800 million Instagrammers, sharing upwards of 250 million pieces of content daily. So when marketing on the platform, it is vital to have an effective Instagram marketing strategy to cut through the noise and attract the right customers.
Why Use Instagram?
Instagram has a huge user-base (300 million daily active users to be exact). So, naturally, marketers should be scrambling to find customers there. Better yet, 70% of Instagram users report having looked up a brand on the platform.
Instagram, like most popular social media sites, is a great place to gain influence over your consumer base by gathering a loyal following.
The unique part of Instagram is its visual appeal. Research has shown that the brain conceives visuals faster than any other type of content. It is literally the best place to make your brand ‘look’ good.
Here are a few ways to make Instagram work for you:
- Switch to a Business Account
If you have not done so already, we suggest switching your existing profile to a business account.
It is simple, just go to your settings menu, scroll down and select ‘Switch to Business Profile’.
Business profiles have a number of handy extras like Instagram ads, analytics tools (Instagram Insights) and a contact button to boost your conversion rates.
On Instagram, discount offers work well when accompanied by sharp imagery. Who does not want 40% off a stunning pair of shoes or a delicious looking smoothie? It is a great place to show off your product and provide an incentive for your customers to purchase it.
One of Instagram’s newest and most interesting features is ‘Stories’. With content that lasts only 24 hours, you do not have to worry about it fitting into your Instagram aesthetic, it can be spontaneous and there is more room for creativity. Live video, boomerangs, GIFs and face-filters are just a few of the things you can feature in your stories. You can give your followers exclusive behind the scenes insights into your brand during live events or even just a regular day at the office (showcasing company culture).
Leveraging an influencer’s audience-base is an easy way to reach more customers on Instagram. They trust them, and so, by association, will likely trust you. It is as simple as them giving a shout out to your brand and product on their page, doing a product review or offering discounts using a unique promo code. Influencers are a marketing goldmine on Instagram.
If you want to get the best out of your Instagram marketing strategy, contact WSI OMS today and request our social media services.
