Posts from January 2025

 
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.