Are you currently running a Facebook Ads campaign? 
 
If you are, but it’s not working out well, or if you think you could make improvements but don’t know where to begin, then this blog is for you. 
 
Facebook Ads can be a huge source of success for your business if they’re optimised right. Here are 5 things you can do to improve your Facebook Ads. 

1. Audience Targeting 

Your target audience is the key to getting your ads working. If they’re not seeing your ads, then you won’t be getting the sales or clicks you’re looking for. Check to see who your ads are being targeted towards against your ideal customer, and see if they match up. If they don’t, then use Facebook’s targeting options to ensure you’re reaching the right people. 
You can choose their gender, location, age, interests, job titles etc – anything that aligns with your target customer. If they do match up however, it could mean your audience size is too small. Whilst it’s better to be specific with your targeting, it can also be an issue if you’re too specific. Shrinking your audience size down too much will mean your ad won't be shown to enough people - impacting your click through rate and sales. By taking advantage of Facebook’s targeting options, you will be able to fix any issues with your ad’s audience, improving your reach, impressions, click through rate and sales. 

2. A/B Testing 

If your ad isn’t performing, then A/B testing is a great option for ensuring you’ll get a return on your investment. With A/B testing, you’ll change one ad variable and run separate ads at the same time – analysing the results afterwards to see which worked the best (or if you use Facebooks A/B test function, they’ll select the best performing one at the end of your test period). Changing anything like the graphic, wording, headline, audience etc might be the key for taking an ad that currently isn’t working at its best to an ad that brings in more clicks and sales than you predicted. You can’t assume which ad will be successful, which is why A/B testing is such an important step in running Facebook Ads. To read more about A/B testing, click here

3. Set Your Goals 

It may sound simple, but knowing what you want to achieve from your ad makes the entire process easier, and more likely to bring you your desired results. Aimlessly going in and setting up an ad with no plan, no idea what you want from it and minimal understanding on how Facebook Ads actually work will not work out for your business. Instead, set your goals before you go into creating an ad, which will help you with each step of the process. The type of campaign you select has to align with your goals – want website visits? Use a Traffic campaign. Sales campaigns are great if you want someone to buy a product or service. Awareness campaigns are good for brand recognition. Having a clear cut idea of your needed outcome will also help you with tailoring the right message to your audience and creating a suitable visual component to go alongside it. 

4. Be Concise 

Your copy needs to be concise and to the point. You need to grab the audience’s attention instantly – telling them that you have a solution to their problems. Having great, eye-catching graphics and a clear message that work well together can make a great impression, and if you have the option, using video allows you to get even more of your points across outside of a long stream of text. Speak to their pain points, explain how you can fix it, and then tell them what they’ll gain from using your products. This gives your audience a straightforward overview of what you’re offering them, and is much more attention-grabbing than lots of text that takes a long time to get to the main point of the subject. 

5. Measure Your Analytics 

Your analytics are telling you how your ad is doing, but if you don’t pay attention to them then you’re just putting money into something that might not be bringing you anything back. This links to you knowing your goals – if you wanted sales for example, you can use your analytics to see how many sales are being brought in by the ad you’re running. If you want link clicks, look at how many you’re getting and what this is costing you. You analytics relate to everything we’ve already discussed – strengthen your targeting if your ad isn’t working, run an A/B test and compare your analytics, ensure you are getting a concise message across and set your goals so you know exactly what to look for. Keep a track of your metrics, so you can see when things begin to improve. 
Facebook Ads often are a game of testing and changing things until they work – you can hope something sticks, but that’s not always going to be the case. If you’re thinking of making changes to your campaigns, hopefully you’ll find these tips useful in turning a poor campaign into a winning one. 
 
When it comes to creating Facebook Ads, you may have run a campaign that hasn’t worked as well as you expected, or are thinking of creating a campaign but aren’t 100% sure on whether you’ve chosen the right ad creative. 
 
If you’re in this position, then you should use A/B testing. This allows you to change different elements of your ads, run them, and then analyse the results to see which one works the best for your business. 
 
Here’s how you can use A/B testing with your ad creative. 

What Is A/B Testing? 

A/B testing is the method of changing elements of your ad and then running both variants at the same time. The point is to see which variant works the best, and then to choose the best working ad to run on Facebook.  
This helps you keep your cost-per-click low, and means you won’t be wasting money on ads that aren’t performing or are giving you a much higher cost-per-click than an ad that may be successful if you run an A/B Test. 

Testing Variables – What Should I Change? 

To do an A/B test with your ad creative, you can change multiple variables, including: 
 
- Ad headline 
- Ad copy 
- Graphics 
- Type of Ad – static, video or carousel 
- Call To Action 
 
You should only change one variable at a time. If you run an ad with a different graphic, copy, and call to action for an A/B test, you’re essentially running an entirely separate ad. You can do multiple A/B tests If you want to try different things to get the best result from your ad, using the past results to create the ultimate ad that gives you the best return on your investment. 

How To Do An A/B Test 

To do an A/B test, select your campaign and on the toolbar, click A/B test. Then, you can select the variable you want to change. Alternatively, you can do this by creating your initial campaign, copying your ad in the ad level and changing the variable for however many ads you plan to test. So, if you begin by changing the graphic, choose the alternative graphics whilst leaving everything else the same and then you can publish your ad. To get a good idea of the result, Meta suggests that you run an A/B test for 7 days, but can also run it for up to 30 days to get a full scope of how your ad has been performing. If you want, you can then keep the best performing graphic, but change the copy to see which copy connect most with people. You can test as much as you like, but you shouldn’t constantly be testing these ads and spending more and more money when you could already have an ad that works perfectly well without the need for constant changes and tests. 

What Should I Look For 

If you’re using Facebook’s A/B test function, they will automatically select the best performing ad at the end of your testing and display it to all of your audience. If you do it in the ad level, you will have to judge yourself based on the goal you set out to achieve – whether that’s the lowest cost per result, link clicks or conversions. You can use this to determine your best performing ad – switching off the others so your budget is directed at the ad that’s bringing you your desired results. 
A/B testing is an important component in your paid digital marketing efforts, allowing you to get the best results from your ad campaigns, taking a poor campaign to one that becomes a key part of your business’s marketing strategy. Try it today and see how it works for your business. 
 
Happy New Year! We’re at the end of the first month of 2025, and there have been quite a few updates over the last couple of weeks that would be worth noting if you’re using digital marketing for your business. 
 
Here’s all the news for this month! 

Reels Time Limit Expanded 

Instagram Reels have been extended to a 3-minute time limit – so if you want to make longer content to post on your Instagram, you’re no longer restricted to getting everything into a 90 second clip. This move, despite Instagram initially saying keeping Reels under 90 seconds is ideal, allows them to be much more competitive with TikTok – who has been allowing longer videos for quite some time now, and YouTube Shorts, who updated their time limit to 3 minutes earlier this month. 

Google Introduces AI Agents For Retailers 

AI remains a big topic in the digital marketing space for 2025 – with Google now offering retailers the chance to use an AI Agent that helps shoppers find exactly what they’re looking for. With AI now giving shoppers access to answers in seconds, Google expects this to be the way forward for future consumers. Here’s what they had to say: “Retailers can now use AI agents to personalize the customer experience by offering tailored product recommendations, answering questions in real-time and guiding shoppers through the buying process. AI agents can also streamline operations by automating tasks like inventory management, customer service and even loss prevention, allowing employees to focus on higher-value work.” 

The TikTok Ban 

Recently, TikTok was banned in the USA…then unbanned less than 24 hours later. President Trump gave the app a 75-day extension – with suggestions it could be purchased by Elon Musk or Microsoft, allowing it to stay operational within the United States. Whilst it doesn’t directly impact the European market, if TikTok is to get permanently banned in US, it could possibly open up a world of opportunity for businesses in the UK to capitalise on a market that has been freed up by the exit of American companies. We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but it’s certainly something that will remain a big topic in the news until the app does – or doesn’t – leave pp stores in the USA. 

Instagram Updates 

Instagram has started off the new year updating user profiles – saying goodbye to the square format on grids, and introducing a rectangular one instead. If you need to change your graphics, the new ratio is now 4:5. Boss Adam Mosseri said that the change reflects how people now use Instagram the most, but reassured those with carefully curated grids that they will be able to make changes to re-align their images: “We started with the tall grid because most photos and videos that are uploaded to Instagram at this point are vertical and rectangles do a better job showing off those photos and videos. That said, I know some of you spend a lot of time tweaking your grids and this blew all of that up, so we’re going to improve the ability to customize those thumbnails to make it easier to get back to a place you’re happy with.” 

Threads Makes Long-Awaited Updates 

Threads have made some big updates this month – which may make the platform much more attractive to marketers who’ve either been using the app or thinking of adding it to their social media marketing plans. Firstly, users can now schedule their posts within the app – giving people the choice whether to do it natively, or by using a third-party tool. Secondly analytics have been rolled out for everyone – a great sign for those using the app for marketing purposes, as now you can check how well your content is performing – whether that’s overall or based on specific posts. Finally, Meta have announced that Ads will be coming to the platform – with tests being carried out in the US and Japan before being rolled out globally. 
That’s all for January! Keep an eye out over the next month for more updates, and have a great February! 
 
Finally, your social media tip of the month is: Are You Leaving Money on the Table by Ignoring Your Email List? 
 
When I talk to business owners about their Facebook ads, one of the first questions I ask is, “Are you using your email list?” And honestly, I’m surprised how many people say no. 
 
Your email list is full of warm customers—people who already know your business and are more likely to buy. Yet so many businesses focus on cold audiences and ignore the huge opportunity sitting right in front of them. 
 
Using your email list for ads lets you: 
 
✅️ Re-engage customers who haven’t purchased in a while. 
✅️ Cross-sell or upsell to people who already trust you. 
✅️ Turn warm leads into paying customers with the right message. 
 
I’ve seen it happen time and time again. Clients who thought they’d “maxed out” their sales started targeting their email list, and the results were incredible. Warm customers are the ones who convert the quickest—and often at the lowest cost. 
 
If you’re running ads without leveraging your email list, you’re leaving money on the table. It’s that simple. 
 
 
 
If you’re thinking of marketing on social media, then you may be wondering how it can influence the behaviour of your consumers. Social commerce has become a huge part of a customer’s journey, with sites like TikTok even offering a shop function that allows purchasing to be done seamlessly without the need to leave the app entirely. 
 
Whether you’re selling on social media or building brand awareness, your marketing can influence the way consumers behave towards you and interact with your content. 
 
Here are 4 ways your social media marketing influences consumer behaviour. 

Social Proof 

Social Proof is where consumers can see what others think of your business, what they have to say and acts as a signal as to whether new audiences can trust you. Part of social proof is likes, comments, shares – any type of engagement on your post that shows if your products, services and/or business is credible. The more positive this social proof is, the better it is for your business. Responding to comments will also help you build loyalty and a relationship with your audience, showing new consumers that you care about their experience. 
 
Reviews also are a great form of social proof, and encouraging them from your customers allows you to have a stream of positive comments from those happy with your service. If you do get any negative reviews, responding promptly and professionally is the way to go - offer a solution but deal with it in private and take it away from your public timeline. Show you are willing to listen to any complaints, but also acknowledge if any review you receive turns out to be fake. Being transparent helps develop trust in your business and boosts your reputation amongst consumers. 

User Generated Content 

You can influence a consumer’s behaviour and buying intent by platforming user-generated content (UGC). UGC shows real-life examples of your products/services working and solving problems for people that your customer can recognise elements or traits of themselves in, helping to convince them your business is the right one for them. Having UGC be a part of your strategy helps to build a relatability between your brand and your audience, showing a genuine, authentic side to your content and your brand. Influencer Marketing is also helpful here. Influencers already have loyal, dedicated audiences that listen to what they have to say - 63% of people are more likely to buy a product when it’s promoted by an influencer that they trust. 

Engaging Content 

Creating content that engages your audience, is professional and communicates your brand values will all help to encourage interactions and shares – helping you reach more people. You should be using a mixture of content – videos, infographics, live streams, polls – anything that you think is helpful for your business to produce and matches with your brands style. You should also decide on a purpose for your content – what value will it bring to your audience? If consumers don’t feel swayed or interested, they’ll stop interacting entirely. Depending on the type of business you run, you must decide on a style that aligns with your brands personality and with your audiences wants and needs. 

Social Listening 

Social listening lets you discover what your audience are saying about you – being aware of the way your business is being perceived allows you to change your strategies in real time, effectively engage with your audience and identify the way consumer behaviour changes over time. Social listening is good for more than just studying consumer behaviours – allowing you to ensure you are keeping up with the latest trends and remaining at the forefront of your industry. Social listening tools can help with monitoring all of the information and data you need to study the way your marketing and business is perceived, giving you more opportunities, helping you avoid a potential crisis (if necessary) and allowing you to discover influencers you can work with. 
Consumer behaviour can be tough to predict, but the more your brand begins to understand your audience, the easier it will be for you to bring in more sales, grow your business and form loyal, lasting relationships with customers and followers. 
 
 
 
I’ve been watching the conversations around TikTok potentially being banned in the US with interest. It’s a hot topic, but the bigger question for me is: what does this mean for businesses? 
 
TikTok has been a game-changer for so many brands, offering an incredible platform to reach audiences in creative, authentic ways. But with the looming threat of a ban, businesses are left wondering whether they should still invest time and effort into the platform. 
 
Here’s my take: 
 
For UK businesses, TikTok remains an excellent platform to build visibility, connect with audiences, and drive growth. A potential US ban might even create more opportunities for UK-based creators and brands to stand out. 
 
However, it’s also a reminder that businesses shouldn’t rely too heavily on one platform. Diversifying your social media strategy is key to ensuring long-term success, no matter what happens. 
 
 
So, is TikTok still worth it? Absolutely—for now. But as with any platform, adaptability is everything. 
 
What are your thoughts? Could a TikTok ban open doors for UK businesses, or would it signal a shift in social media priorities altogether? 
 
 
 
 
 
Social Media Marketing can become an important part of your overall marketing plans, but you’ll only start seeing results when you target your audience correctly. Not having an idea of who your ideal customer would be, or just posting content without considering a specific audience in mind will mean your marketing efforts won’t work as well as they could do if you’d targeted your content or ads at the right people from the beginning. 
 
With that in mind, here’s what you need to consider when targeting your audience on social media. 

Platforms 

You need to ask yourself which platform your audience is most likely to be on. This will help you decide which one you should use if you want the best chance of making your social media marketing a success. If you want to target a younger demographic, Instagram and TikTok may be the way to go. If you’re looking for other businesses, use LinkedIn. You may find older audiences on Facebook. Knowing which platform you’re going to use will also help you when it comes to creating content, e.g TikTok is video based, Instagram is image based. 
 
Now, lets look at the different types of targeting. 

Demographic Targeting 

One of the first things you need to think of is your audience demographics. This includes their age, gender, income, education and more, and creates an initial idea of who your ideal customer or audience member is. For example, you may have a luxury, makeup brand that you need to target. Therefore, you may want to select women, earning over £30,000 a year, in full-time employment and between the ages of 25 and 50. With this information, you can the begin to create a content plan that speaks directly to your chosen audience – you wouldn’t use Gen Z or Gen Alpha references or lingo if you’re targeting generations who are older as they won’t resonate with your message. Having a basic understanding of your audience demographics will then help you to form a bigger picture of the people you want to be interacting with and purchasing from your business. 

Geographic Targeting 

Geographical targeting is based on where your audience member lives. You need to think of the area your business is located in, or if you’re solely online where you ship to. This is particularly important if you’re running ads, as it allows you to select the location your audience is based in so your ad can be displayed to the right people. If you live in the UK and ship to the UK, then you’d make your targeting only aimed at those in the United Kingdom. If you also ship to Ireland, then you’d include that in your Geographic targeting. If you are a physical store based in Derby looking for visitors, you may only select Derby or Derbyshire as a location, or branch out a little further and include surrounding areas in the region like Leicester and Nottingham. When it comes to Facebook Ads, you can also change the radius around the area you’ve selected, allowing you to be a bit more specific if you want to target only a certain area of the city or county you’ve initially selected. 

Interest-Based Targeting 

Interest-Based Targeting is exactly what it says it is – targeting users based on their interests, hobbies and activities. As per our example, if your beauty brand is only using natural products, you may target those interested in natural or vegan products. You can also target interests like beauty, makeup or skincare too. Whatever your business is, you should know what your audience could be interested in so that you can define them further and figure out your messaging. Ads can also be delivered to those who interact with content similar to your own. Again, sticking with our example, if you have an audience who often watches beauty content, follows influencers in this field and frequently purchases makeup items, if you are running ad’s, you can target them to be shown to these audience members based off their online activity. 
Targeting is one of the most important aspects of marketing, forming the foundations that you’ll build your marketing plans on. Before you begin creating content, start by discovering who your audience is and decide what aspects you need to target to bring in the most engagement. 
 
Video Marketing can form an important part of your businesses digital marketing strategy, but with both YouTube and TikTok offering different benefits for marketers it can be difficult to find which platform is the right fit for your business. 
 
In this blog, we’ll look at what TikTok and YouTube have to offer, helping you make an informed decision as to which site will work the best for your marketing efforts. 

YouTube 

YouTube sits just behind Facebook as the 2nd biggest social media platform, with 2.5 billion active users each month. Known for it’s long-form content, YouTube is popular across all generations, allowing creators to easily find their target audience when their content is optimised correctly. YouTube allows for long and short form content, and with the introduction of Shorts, the platform truly gives you the opportunity to find the right strategy for your video marketing plans. 
Whether you want to create a podcast to go alongside your business, you want to upload quick product clips and promotions or you plan to educate your audience in your videos, YouTube allows you to find your niche. You can also share your videos across platforms, by clipping bits out to post on places like Facebook or TikTok whilst linking interested, already existing audiences to your channel and to your full video. 
 
YouTube is owned by Google, who will show videos in search results if they're optimised well. In your channel and video description, use relevant keywords as this will help YouTube with promoting and suggesting your channel to the correct audiences. Make sure these keywords are also included in your video title, which should be eye catching and not too long. Add tags to your video to boost visibility. When it comes to the video itself, pick a thumbnail that grabs the audience’s attention, relates to your content and stands out amongst your competition. You should make sure your content is clear, concise and is edited well, has moments that keep the audience hooked in and displays your industry knowledge perfectly. 

TikTok 

Created in 2017, TikTok has become a huge part of the current make up of social media – it’s popularity boomed during the pandemic, and has become a hub for younger audiences. With nearly 31 million daily users, the average user will open the app up to 20 times a day - giving you ample opportunity to be seen by your audience. 61% of users have discovered a new brand through TikTok, with 92% taking some kind of action after seeing content on the platform (such as likes, comments and shares). 
 
On TikTok, viewers are expecting short form content – and this means you have a limited time to get to the point of your video before people scroll past. If you’re advertising, then TikTok found that ads with an emotional message perform the best, with 63% of ads that convey their message right away being successful. 
 
You also don’t need to worry about the production being high quality – you can easily make a TikTok using your phone, their editing tools or a site like CapCut. This low-cost expense shouldn’t eat too much into your allocated budget, and gives you room to make tweaks and edits for free or for a small cost. 

Which Is Best For Your Business? 

You should choose YouTube if you have a broader target audience in age range, want to create in-depth content, have the equipment or budget available for high—quality and professional content creation and you plan to build long-term visibility using search. 
 
You should choose TikTok if you have a younger target audience, have plans to create short, snappy content that is posted more frequently, have an interest in creating and leveraging viral content and trends and if you have limited resources for video marketing.  
 
Alternatively, you can use both if you feel it’s necessary taking advantage of each platforms strengths to create a winning video marketing strategy. 
Picking a platform for your business takes time and careful planning, but when you have an idea on the best fit for your business start drafting up your video ideas and create content that brings your business success. 
 
Social Media Marketing is constantly evolving, and with the end of 2024 fast approaching we can now predict some of the trends that we may be seeing in the next year. Staying ahead of the curve, keeping updated and implementing these strategies and tips into your 2025 plan can boost your marketing performance. 
 
Here’s a look at the trends to watch in 2025. 

Short Form Content 

Short Form Content, thanks to TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts, has been on the rise in the last couple of years, and now is the content being pushed more and more across social media. Attention Spans have been decreasing, and with the fast-pace style of social media nowadays if you’re not hooking people in straight away, they’ll just move on to the next thing – which is why you need to ensure your short form content impresses in just a few seconds.  
There are no signs that audiences are shifting away from short form content, so having it as part of your marketing strategy in 2025 can boost your performance and unlock new avenues and new platforms your business may not have considered before. 

AI-Powered Content 

AI has slowly been on the rise the last few years, but saw it’s first big boom in 2024 after social sites, scheduling tools, and search platforms integrated it into their models. Whilst there are ethical concerns around using AI, and many complaining that it removes the personalised feel that users on social media are craving in recent years, it hasn’t stopped the big social platforms from pushing its usage more and more. ChatGPT was the first real significant sign of change after it’s release in 2022, and things have only sped up since. McKinsey research suggests Generative AI usage has increased by 32% in 2024, and whilst you don’t have to use it many marketers are now looking at how they can use AI features to boost their content output, design and ideas. 
 
Don’t just use AI because you can though – really get to grips with what the platforms you are on are offering, learn how to use them best for your business and then discuss with your team before implementing it as part of your business model. As we’ll see later, consumers are actually leaning towards more ethical marketing practices – which could make using AI tricky, especially with concerns about the environmental impact of using sites such as ChatGPT – but it doesn’t seem like there will be an uprising against it any time soon, so if you feel like it’s right for your business, use it responsibly. You could always keep going with the plan you have now to – if AI isn’t something that will enhance your marketing that’s currently performing well for you, don’t just bring it in because everyone else is. It could just become your niche to be the business that doesn’t rely on artificial intelligence! 

Social Commerce 

More and more people are using social media for finding products and services than they are with search – and with Gen Z now becoming the star generation for targeted marketing, social media is the way to go for advertising. Gen Z have now reached a point where they’ll be earning their own money, and as the first generation to grow up with the social media we know today at their fingertips, they are far savvier with what they’ll purchase, and what marketing speaks to them. If they’re your target audience, think about the types of content that is popular with this generation – short form video content, general video marketing and influencer marketing – and what platforms they’re most likely to frequent – TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram. TikTok, Facebook and Instagram all allow you to have your own in-platform digital stores, which will help you sell and advertise products without having to take your audience off these social platforms. Utilising paid advertising is also a great way to sell through social media – though this may lead people off the platform, it will help you to connect with your audience and boost conversions. 

Ethical Marketing 

Ethical Marketing is a technique based on your company’s values and principles, focusing on honesty, transparency, user privacy, responsibility, and sustainability. Now more than ever, audiences are conscious about data protection and the impacts company’s and products are having on the earth, and will often look for businesses that meet their own values, and those who are completely transparent about their products and services. Being honest about your practices, how you’re working to become a more sustainable business and how data is used will all help to build trust whilst also making your commitment to being a more ethically and environmentally conscious clear. 

Niche Influencer Marketing 

Big Influencers are no longer the go-to for audiences, as niche influencers are on the rise. Whilst they may cultivate a smaller audience pool, they allow you to connect with influencers who’s content revolves around the same audience you are looking to reach out to. It’s a highly targeted form of advertising through using influencers to promote your products, which unlike using big names who have potentially irrelevant audiences to your business in their followers, the niche influencers will be talking to people who need a product just like yours. It’s a great way to boost sales, and with many audiences gravitating to these smaller, authentic influencers finding ones that align with your business can be great to use in your strategy for 2025. 
Social Media Marketing is always changing and evolving, and keeping up can be difficult when you’re also trying to run your business. Using these trends, you can prepare in advance and enter 2025 with the experience and knowledge in these growing, popular digital marketing efforts. 
 
 
The end of November is here, and before we move into the Christmas period, we’ll be taking a look back at the biggest and most relevant social media news from this month! 
 
Here’s the latest news from the last month… 

Following Hashtags Removed on Instagram 

After a surge in unrelated content being used under hashtags on Instagram, Meta have announced that users will no longer be able to follow hashtags on the platform. Whilst they’re still able to be used in posts, users will now have to search a specific hashtag instead of seeing it pop up on their feed as it would if they were following it – a potential limitation to marketers who rely on hashtags for visibility. 

Reddit Overtakes LinkedIn & X in The UK 

Reddit has become one of the UK’s most used social media sites, overtaking both LinkedIn and X. Why? Well, Google updated their search function this year, giving Reddit a huge boost in organic search traffic. Ads on Reddit appear in threads and on the homepage as if they’re part of the conversation or just another post, which is great for functionality and for getting the attention of users. Whilst the 97 million global user mark is smaller than some of the big-hitter platforms, it still remains one to keep an eye on over the coming year. 

Bluesky On The Rise After US Election 

After Donald Trumps Victory in the 2024 US Presidential Election, the announcement of Elon Musk’s new position in Government has caused a stir in the world of Social-Media. Musk, owner of X, has had a controversial run since taking over the platform – removing the way blocking works, adding in a subscription-based service, de-boosting posts with links, changing link reviews, pushing his own content onto timelines, and of course, changing the name from Twitter to be more in line with his own brand. Due to his affiliation with the US Government, many users have been looking for an alternative, with Bluesky emerging and growing at an incredible rate. 
 
The app was in development before Musk took over X, and was created by developers who were behind Twitter in 2019, including former CEO Jack Dorsey (who left the project recently). It was an invite-only platform up until February 2024, and saw an uptake of users after X was banned in Brazil this year. Now, it’s growing beyond expectations – gaining over a million users a day, it’s completely overtaken another alternative – Threads – in both usage and growth. Bluesky shot to the top of the Appstore charts after the election, with X continuing to struggle, and whilst it’s still very much in development users haven’t yet been put off by some of the missing parts that made X an attractive platform originally. 

TikTok Launches AI Studio 

In order to help you with marketing 24/7, TikTok have launched their new Symphony Creative Studio – which they have explained by saying: “Input the information and assets for your brand or product, or import them directly from a URL. Symphony Creative Studio generates a range of video options with unique layouts and scripts. These videos draw inspiration from TikTok’s top-performing content and incorporate licensed assets - videos, images, sounds, and avatars sourced from partners like Billo and Getty Images - all cleared for commercial use to help make your content TikTok-ready.” 
 
Whilst the use of AI has been debated, especially when it comes to marketing and the shift in audiences favouring authenticity, the new system has proved popular in China – so TikTok will be hoping that success translates worldwide. 
That’s all for November! Have a great Christmas if you’re celebrating, and keep an eye out for any updates over the festive season in the social media and digital marketing world. 
 
Finally, your social media tip for this month is: Anyone can create an ad campaign... 
 
Doesn't mean it's going to be any good though 
 
Any business owner can log into an ad account, click a few buttons and launch their first campaign 
 
I'm not going to tell you that you can't... because you absolutely CAN 
 
You may even get a few quick wins 
 
But you'll likely get nothing or results that aren't as successful as you need them to be 
 
But it's OK because you can then say that "paid ads don't work for my business" 
 
But do you truly believe that?! Or is it just to save face from the failed campaign 
 
It took me years of learning (you never really even stop learning). I've spent hundreds of thousands on paid ads but I've got the results to back up any claims I make 
 
Endless split tests, creative testing’s, analysis 
 
Evenings spelt learning new ways, testing different things 
 
Thats the difference... 
 
You can go learn it yourself if you want results in a few months or even years (but you more than likely want those results now) 
 
 
 
When your business starts marketing on social media, you’ll be competing with others in your industry who already have established strategies. As a “new” business to the platform, you will need to build your presence, create unique content and attract a loyal audience who’ll come to your business over others every time. 
 
In order to do all of this, a competitor analysis is key to understanding what you’re up against, and can give you pointers into where your business can take advantage and excel to becoming an industry lead. 
 
Here’s all you need to know about a competitor analysis, and how to do one successfully. 

What Is It? 

In a competitor analysis, you’ll be reviewing your direct competitions social media accounts and making notes based on everything you learn about their content, interaction with their audience, branding, SEO, keywords etc. You can then use this analysis to form your own strategy. 

Find Your Competition 

First, look up your competition and make a note of them. You can’t do a competitor analysis if you don’t know who they are, and when you’ve found them, you can separate these businesses into the following categories: 
 
Direct competitors – brands with the same product and audience. 
Indirect competitors – businesses offering the same product, but solving a different problem for the audience. 
Legacy competitors – established, well-known businesses that are trusted and known. 
Emerging competitors – new competitors that are trying to find space in the same market, similar to your business. 

Analyse Your Competitors 

You now need to look at your competitor’s social media and begin to learn more about them. Learn about the quality of the products they sell by looking at reviews, see how much they charge, check their style of interaction and customer service, see what their brand reputation is and discover how active they are. If you’ve already started out on social media, you can use some of these insights and compare them to your current marketing. Alternatively, you can use this information to form the foundations of your social media marketing strategy and craft the way you operate on your chosen platform. 

Look At Their Keywords 

What keywords do they use? You need to take advantage of using relevant keywords or phrases so that audiences can find you, so looking at what your competitors use will help you understand which keywords are delivering the best results. You should also be unique with the keywords you choose – there will obviously be some overlap, but coming up with terms or phrases that relate more to your business will help when users search those words or phrases. Keywords tell the algorithm what your business is about, allowing others to find your content easily when searching for a specific topic. 

Look At Audience Feedback and Engagement 

How much are audiences engaging with their business’ content? Are they frequently commenting, liking or sharing post? Is there a specific form of content they’re producing that’s attracting the most engagement? Even if they’re leading the industry, audiences may not enjoy their content if it’s not 
getting a lot of engagement. If you see a post with a lot of feedback noting that their audience enjoyed a piece of content, then you can use this post as inspiration for when you start to design your own content. Don’t copy them however – create something original and individual that touches on elements used in successful content by competitors. 

Identify Gaps 

Finally, look for where there are gaps in content produced by competitors, make notes, and then fill those gaps with your content. For example, if they’re making video content but don’t have any captions or chapters, you can add these in when you create your video content to make them more accessible to your audience. Alternatively, if they don’t respond to comments, you should make this a key part of your marketing strategy. By identifying the weaker areas in their strategy, you can ensure they’re covered and strengthened in your own plans, advancing your opportunities to attract the platforms existing audiences. 
Competitor Analysis’ are key for your business to carry out. Not only can you get to know other businesses in your industry, but you can use it to better your own output and show your audience that your business should be their go-to choice. Create yours today and see how it helps you with your marketing. 
 
Video Marketing has been booming for the last decade thanks to YouTube, TikTok and Reels – 91% of businesses use video as part of their strategy, with 88% seeing it as an important part of their strategy overall. 
 
There are things you need to keep in mind when using video marketing – from your budget to your audience, crafting the perfect plan for your videos will help to set you up for success. Here are all the things you need to consider in order to do video marketing right. 

What Do Your Audience Want? 

Statistics show that videos that are educational and instructional videos are what engages audiences, along with testimonials. This doesn’t mean you have to stick rigidly to this style – your audience is unique, and you may find a different video style matches what they’re looking for more so than something that educates them, so when you first start test our a few different ones – testimonial, behind scenes, teasers, demonstrations etc. – and go for the one that brings in the best engagement from your audience. 

Balance Your Budget 

Investing tonnes of money into your video marketing may seem like the way to go, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get results. Having a high production may look good, it may look professional, but that doesn’t mean the viewers will watch. Funnelling money into video marketing that doesn’t work leaves less resources for the areas of your marketing that does work. You can build your budget over time, but when you start out you may not have the most-fancy equipment, confidence or style you’ll eventually acquire – and that’s not a problem. The better you get, the better your videos get, and you may even find your viewers engage more with lower produced videos than they do the ones made with more budget, allowing you to find your niche. 

Have A Goal 

What do you want your videos to achieve? If you have an idea of what you want to create, the next thing you need to think of is the goal of creating them. Providing value to the audience is a must, but what steps do you want your audience to take? 90% of marketers have said videos have increased brand awareness so this could always one of the things you aim for, alternatively you could want videos to instead push your audience to purchase a product, you may want to generate leads, you could increase your web traffic, or you could get more engagement on your social media pages. Whatever it is, make sure this goal is clear and defined – follow the SMART model and make sure your team are all on the same page. SMART stands for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound. 

Use Live 

Your videos don’t all have to be pre-recorded! Mix things up by going live and speak directly to active audience members. You can get them involved beforehand by asking them what they want to see and answer any questions they have instantly by engaging with the live chat. Most platforms offer a live feature – whether that’s video or audio – and are great ways to put a face or voice to the name and display your expertise and knowledge beyond text-based posts or pre-recorded content. 

Creation Of Videos 

Make sure your videos are clear, concise and edited before going out on your chosen platform. If desired, create an eye-catching thumbnail that draws in your viewers. Answer any pain-points your audience have and show them how your business is the solution – display what your products can do, using slick transitions and text on screen to add extra details where needed. Creating a map of how you want your videos to look before you start creating them will give you an idea on the direction to take. 

Use The Right Format 

The right format is key to ensuring your videos are displayed properly. Most platforms now support both vertical and landscape videos, but working out which format you’re more likely to go for will be great when setting up your content. If you’re thinking of vertical videos, then TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts are great options. If you’re business leans more towards landscape, then YouTube, Facebook, and X are the right ways to go, and Instagram potentially too. 
Videos are a powerful marketing source, and one that requires time & attention from you an your team to perfect. By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to creating fantastic videos that play a key role in your marketing. 
 
Social media is an essential part of marketing for businesses, allowing them to directly contact their customers and showcase their services or products, values and personality. 
 
However, it’s easy to make mistakes that hinder growth and engagement. Whilst there are many things that you need to keep in mind before you start your social media marketing, these are some of the most important to be aware of. Here’s how you can avoid these top 5 mistakes and create a winning social media strategy. 

Ignoring Analytics 

Mistake: Many businesses will put a lot of time and effort inro creating and posting content, but fail to analyse their results to see how this content is performing. Ignoring your analytics, or being unable to find space in your day to monitor them means you miss insights that could help to improve your future campaigns. 
Solution: Regularly reviewing your analytics on each platform, paying attention to key metrics like your engagement, reach, click—through-rate, cost-per-click and follower growth help you identify what content is resonating with members of your audience, which areas require improvement and when the best time to post is. Outsourcing your social media, or using third-party tools can help if you don’t have time to do these yourself. 

Inconsistency 

Mistake: If you don’t have a posting schedule, and do things on a whim or when you have a free minute, it can make your brand look inactive when there’s large gaps between your content. This may result in followers forgetting about your business, or losing interest in future posts. 
 
Solution: Creating a content calendar will help you keep on track with your posting schedule. If you don’t want to log in and post every day, using platforms like Buffer or Hootsuite will let you plan your posts in advance, so they’ll be posted without needing your involvement on the day. You analytics will help you figure out the best time of day to post so you can get the maximum engagement from your audience. 

Over-Promoting 

Mistake: Whilst you can make the mistake of not posting enough, you can also promote your products too much. If all of your post’s focus on selling, your content may begin to be viewed as constant advertising – turning your followers away. 
 
Solution: Create a plan centred around when you post your promotional content, and when you post your value content. Think about customer stories, industry insights, behind the scenes content, more information about your brand, tutorials – something that will keep your followers engaged for the type of business you own. Social media is all about being social, not all about selling. 

Neglecting Engagement 

Mistake: Posting then going silent means you’ll miss out on building communities and loyalty to your business. Neglecting engagent will end up with people no longer commenting, sharing or liking posts as they won't feel acknowledged.  
 
Solution: Make it a habit to respond and interact with your audience, post user-generated content and answer any questions that are asked. Regularly check your messages and try to promptly respond to build brand trust. Your audience need to know you appreciate them which is why staying active is key to crafting a business page that puts your customers at the heart of what you do.  

Ignoring Feedback 

Mistake: Ignoring your feedback means you won’t know how your business is being perceived, or if there are any negative comments you need to clear up, take on board or clarify are false. Even worse than ignoring feedback is responding angrily and informally to bad reviews – so make sure to avoid this too. 
 
Solution: Address your feedback promptly and professionally. Offer solutions, take conversations off line so they can be dealt with privately. Handling complaints, can help to turn these dissatisfied customers into loyal ones if you’re able to get things sorted quickly. Alternatively, acknowledging great reviews can help you encourage more happy customers to leave 5 star reviews and shows your brand to be reliable and trustworthy. 
These mistakes are all rectifiable, and by avoiding them you can grow your business on social media. Even if you slip into any of these habits, making sure you make changes as soon as possible will help to get you back on track with your marketing and returning to your strategy for success.