20th February 2023 No Comments 

How to create a social media calendar?

A social media calendar is an overview of your upcoming social media posts, organized by date, time and important notes. It is used by social marketers to plan posts, manage campaigns, and review ongoing strategies.

It usually includes some combination of these elements for each post:

-The date and time it will go live
-The social platform and account on which it is to be published
-Copy and creative assets (i.e., photos or videos) required
-Links and tags
For great social media marketing, a dynamic social media calendar is a must, which lays at the core of it. Let us help you with insightful tips on how to create a social media calendar in this blog.

Choosing post types and formats

Gone are the days when just a static post was enough to garner a good reach, but in the current times its recommended to include a mix of content (images, videos, gifs, articles, reposts) and formats (carousel posts, reels, polls, stories, live videos).

After finalising the post format, one should focus on the types of posts to be included in the social media calendar for the month. This may include holidays, events, product launches, sales, news/updates, Q&A, roundups, etc.

Establish your posting frequency

Once you know what to post, the next step is to consider when to post.

While drafting a social media posting schedule, keep in mind your business goals, available resources, and audience engagement patterns.

Choosing the right platforms 

Prioritize your publishing aspects, such as whether you will post on a single or multiple social networks, your target audience, and your budget. Indulge in a thorough research about post timings, competitor marketing, and the presence and engagement of your target audience on varied platforms. You may start with the most popular platforms (Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn) and gradually increase the visibility on other platforms.

 

Using social media management tools 

You have an array of tools available online for social media management and calendar creation to ease your planning and sharing with your team. These can aid you in handling content planning: keep an eye on what’s being worked on, who is working on it, and when it’s due to go live. This avoids last-minute hassles and gaps in your content. Errors like posting the same thing twice, accidentally publishing an unfinished post, or a disgruntled employee posting on the company’s behalf are also removed when maintaining a social media calendar via tools.

Schedule, track and monitor your posts

Scheduling posts ahead of time not only gives you peace of mind but also gives your team enough time to fact-check the information.

Once the post is live, you may track the performance of your posts and classify the ones that are getting the most engagement and driving results. You may use these findings to implement tests on different platforms and experiment with what resonates with your audience. This will help you build a social media calendar with more accuracy that is sure to hit the target audience and generate leads.

Looking for a Social Media Marketing Company in Surat?
Social 101 is the best digital marketing agency in Surat and a leading social media company in Surat, providing the best social media marketing services with measurable results and satisfied clients.

End your search for the best advertising agency and connect with us today.

Tips to effective marketing for educational institutions - Social101
7th August 2020 44 Comments 

Digital Marketing Ideas for Educational Institutions

When it comes to marketing for an educational brand, recognizability isn’t just the only important factor. It is about building a connection with the prospective students, maintaining the reputation and to get them excited about applying. There are a few effective marketing tips that everyone in the education sector should be leveraging in order to boost enrollments and stand out from the competition.

VIDEO/ LIVE MARKETING

A video can speak a thousand words. Today, engagement stats for video content only continue to grow. Visual content is proved to be way more effective than pictures or blog posts. People are more likely to watch a 2-3 minutes short video than reading an entire blog.

Moreover, with such advancement in tools, it has become less complicated to put effort into video marketing. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, etc offer live video features which makes it easier than ever to communicate with the prospective applicants. Molding marketing strategies from time to time has also become more accessible and feasible.

Live Video Features - Social101
Video Marketing Statistics - Social101
Image source: Wondershare Filmora

USER GENERATED CONTENT

Consumers don’t always trust the brand directly, rather they trust people and their opinions and reviews. So, it is a great idea to use current or past students’ testimonials as a means of capturing the trust of new prospective applicants.

There is so much content floating around among prospective, current as well as past students. By personalizing it, you can make it relevant and tailor it in a way that your content stands out among the competition and becomes something worth consuming and sharing. You can create personalized campaigns based on events or also engage in re-sharing your students’ posts that they captured on campus.

Personalizing your content - Social101

EMBRACING UNIQUENESS AND AUTHENTICITY

An educational institute goes so much beyond its logo and brand name. The marketing efforts put in educational institutions must be true to its origin. Ensuring to keep the authenticity of your institute in mind and building an emotional connection is of utmost importance.

It makes sure that all your communications are going in one direction and communicating the same values that it stands for. Marketing should be a true reflection of an institution’s identity and one which existing staff and students can unite behind.

Building a brand - Social101

USE SOCIAL MEDIA AND INFLUENCER MARKETING

Social media is a great tool to communicate with your target audience. It can be used to provide helpful information about your program, campus, and more. You can also use it to answer queries that come from a prospective applicant, host live Q&As, contests, etc.

Consider using influencer marketing. It is basically a form of word-of-mouth but to a much larger audience all at once. It is very effective as it is a third party opinion that comes from someone people look up to. You can use influencers to share your content or they can create for your audience.

Social media marketing - Social101

IMPLEMENT PERSONALIZED, TARGETED AND SEGMENTED EMAIL MARKETING

While you send out emails to prospective applicants on your email list, sending out generic emails to everyone won’t help. You need to focus on individual interests and segment your email list so you can send more personalized emails. Statistics show the emails with names of receivers are opened more.

When you personalize it, it gives a feeling that you know their interests and can very well cater towards the same which in turn builds their confidence for your institute.

Personalized email marketing - Social101

These tips mentioned here are not often spoken about but play a crucial role in building a strong foundation online. Taking these into consideration while carrying out Digital Marketing activities will surely ensure growth for your institute.

8th July 2020 1 Comment 

Social Media Marketing For Fashion Business During COVID

The global pandemic has taken a toll on the economies and every business inside it. To top it off, as the virus continues to spread, there are a lot of government restrictions imposed on trade which is becoming an even greater hardship for brands.

While some of the biggest brands are either bankrupt or have stopped operations, there are some that see demand or opportunity, depending on the industry. Most badly hit industries are tours and travels, fashion retail, airlines, automobile, etc while pharmaceuticals are at a boom.

Girls wearing mask - Social101

Well, if you own a fashion brand, we’d assume that you are facing your own share of misfortune, given the government restrictions on China and it being the biggest manufacturer of fashion.

But the way we, as brands, look at different scenarios can be two-fold. Meaning, you can sure cope up (if not benefit) with this situation while also showing your customers that you care about them and build a loyal community.

Stores in lockdown - Social101

Showing you care; empathy!

One of the basic rules of marketing says, “Customer is the king”, and our brands must ensure that we are there for them in these tough times, empathize with them and also show them the same. Share inspirational music and podcasts to make them feel positive.

Customer is the king - Social101

Get in on the challenges; a fun way to keep them engaged with the brand.

The virus sure has put a pause on the world, but don’t let them come between you and your customers. Find a way to keep them engaged. Get your hands on the trending challenges, do those pillow and blanket dress challenges, create a bingo board for the brand, and get your customers to fill them.

Fashion dress challenge - Social101

Altering the existing products and campaigns; more COVID specific.

Well, marketing is very dynamic. Every campaign that you build is either based on an event, occasion, or product line. Think of ways to mold these existing ones and create something new. Replace those body-fit work dresses with comfy loungewear. It’s a great way to give a zestful touch to your brand.

Showing the process; building trust.

To make your brand stand out in a relatively difficult time like this, you can take time to capture photos and videos of what goes behind the product and how is their product made from scratch, show a sustainable aspect of your brand if you have one. This is sure to improve trust and reliability for your brand.

Making of a dress - Social101

Boosting their morale; dance, music contests & live.

There isn’t anything more fun than dance and music. Host dance challenges, create a brand anthem for your customers and give them something to hum on during this quarantine. Also, try to get famous artists on board and do live with them.

Collaborate with influencers; increase reach.

Influencers play such a major role in shaping the ideologies of people. A brand must utilize this time to increase their visibility and capture a new audience, instead of just building on an existing audience. Think of ways to showcase your brand’s creativity through different influencers. Head over to our blog to understand how influencer marketing is more effective than traditional marketing.

Statistics showing the impact of Influencer Marketing - Social101

Communicate beyond your brand and products; ask questions, INTERACT!

One of the best ways to keep things going smooth is to simply COMMUNICATE. This communication goes beyond your brand and your product. Ask questions about your customers, get to know where your customers are from, simply ask them how they have been coping up with this, understand your customers’ likes and preferences. This is literally the best time that you can get to know them, you might as well use it to it’s fullest.

STOP and use your Social Media for adding community value; educate.

Alright, this last one is really important but not a lot of people might talk about it. Brands should not just be about themselves but also about the community. Don’t show your obsession with your brand, but rather add value to the community.

Educate them on precautions to stay safe during these times, tell them how they can cope up with this stress, sprout a stable and greater mental health.

Stay home - Social101
Wash your hands - Social101

Marketing is a dynamic field; one that has to adapt skilfully to every new event shaping our world. As we find ourselves in the midst of a situation that is pretty much as extraordinary as imagination may go, the nuances that go into marketing a brand will have to alter promptly in order to survive and strive. And social media is the current fad for carrying out marketing activities. Head over to our other blog to see how social media can be used as a growth catalyst. Have a great day!

8th June 2020 No Comments 

Social Media as a Growth Catalyst after Covid-19

When the first case of corona virus was reported in India on January 30, 2020 none of us imagined that we would be locked up in our homes for months straight to protect our lives and also the lives of our loved ones. 

COVID-19 has forced governments around the world to impose lockdowns which have disrupted businesses, jobs, and livelihoods of countless people. Lockdowns have forced individuals and companies to adopt digital. 

Even the Kirana store near my apartments are now accepting online orders through Whatsapp or a third-party mobile app. These brick and mortar stores who were until now technologically disabled had to learn new technologies to survive the lockdown & COVID-19’s forced new normal. 

Many companies are laying off employees as part of their cost cutting policy in order to survive this pandemic. Economies of the countries are hurt badly. The first department which is to be faced with a cost cut is Marketing.

Given that Marketing of a product is generally outsourced for most companies so it is an easy target to chop budget from that department.

By carefully analyzing what our customers were doing, we tried quickly to understand what was going on. Within a few weeks, it became clear that this crisis was different. 

While certain industries like Travel and Hospitality and Retail were hit very hard and it felt like they may take a while to restart, many other industries it seemed could see a tremendous need and opportunity to invest in Digital Marketing technology.

Huge Cost savings:

Now is the time for the businesses to switch from print advertising, hoardings and billboards to Digital platform. This will help to reduce your marketing cost drastically. 

Also it is said that the internet consumption in India during lockdown rose 13%. As Marketing channels continue to proliferate and as brands look to deliver relevance through personalized content and creative, these costs have significantly escalated. 

Marketing consumer goods is imperative:

We have to accept the fact marketing consumer goods is more important now than ever. The consumer market is going to face a change in the buying behavior. More and more online and cashless buying will be preferred. 

Thus it is very much important for small businesses to reach the local audience by portraying the importance of their product using online tools like customizing the audience who will be able to see their products on their online feeds. 

Similarly, quick service restaurants (QSR) also are facing a bit of an existential crisis as dining out becomes risky and consumers instead are opting to order in. 

So, brands like McDonald’s, Subway, Chipotle that focused most of their Marketing efforts on brand awareness need to shift gears quickly to 1:1 personalized digital marketing — it is important that they direct consumers to their own or other food delivery services in order to survive. 

So here we are explaining how to amp up your digital quotient on various platforms through effective social media marketing.

Facebook:

5 Ways to Dominate 2020 with Social Media Marketing on Facebook

As per the reports of brandwatch, there are 60 million active business pages on facebook at this point of time. That’s a huge number. So how can my business cater a significant amount of reach, engagement and awareness amongst my targeted audience.

Since physical marketing has taken a blow back, it is important for small businesses to market their products on facebook. There are 2.6 billion people who actively use facebook. 

Imagine you, shedding lacks for hoarding, in the busiest area of your locality and being just able to reach the local audience. What if I say that you can reach a wider audience at just 1/4th of the budget of your physical marketing? Facebook does this for you.

Facebook is based on interest, not intent. Not every update you send out on your Facebook page should be promotional. Rather, 80% of your updates should be social. Otherwise, users won’t hesitate in clicking the unlike button on your page (it’s just a click away).

Approach your Facebook page from the mindset of building a community. Add value and start conversations with your audience.

It’s best to vary your posts to include different types of content:

Brand story posts

Authority building posts

Lead nurture posts

Personal posts

Instagram:

5 Easy Tips to Skyrocket Your Instagram Marketing This Year

On Instagram you need attractive images and grab your audience attention there. The focus is not much on content but the aesthetics of your page. Invest in photo editing tools for your content. 

Whether it’s Adobe Photoshop or VSCO, your content has to be stellar to grab audience eyes. To avoid being overly promotional but still market your brand, consider branded Instagram hashtags. 

Make effective use of free instagram tools. You can use various statistics like impressions, engagement data and can also view the breakdown of your followers like the age group, geography and active hours.

As said earlier, Instagram is more about how you can visually play with the graphics and attractive pictures. You can release small teasers about your product and increase the curiosity amongst the audience about the final launch. This will help you in keeping them glued. 

You can also use the sponsored ad features that will help you in increasing the reach and engagement with your audience. This gives brands the ability to target their audience in a whole new way. 

Post at the right times and avoid overposting. Post one to two times every day and check out when your followers are most active. Schedule posts to go live during those days and times.

Finally, be sure that you track the right metrics to see how your Instagram marketing efforts are paying off.

Twitter:

Expert Guide To Twitter Marketing

Twitter is a great place to have one on one interaction very quickly. Things move very fast at this platform. The first and the foremost thing on twitter is to have a really attractive bio. It has to be short, crisp and an engaging one.

Tweet during peak hours. There are certain hours in a day when you users are more active. Make sure that you are using twitter analytics in the next possible way.

Unlike instagram where hashtags are important, use minimum hashtags on twitter. One of the easiest ways to create more activity on your Twitter page is to create a Twitter poll.

Twitter is one of the best places to increase brand awareness and generate new leads, but things move quicker on the platform than any other social media network.

The average lifespan of one tweet is just a few minutes, and thousands of new tweets are generated every second.

At the core, Digital marketing agencies across the world are helping their clients to increase their online visibility on social media platforms even at a time when the offline world has come to a halt. This helps them to establish their relevance to their target groups and reassure them that they remain dedicated to providing the best quality services and products, even during these difficult times. Most importantly, even as the lock-down is gradually relaxed, it helps companies to not only sell their products but also increase their sales and earn significant profits.

27th May 2020 No Comments 

Effective ways to boost your restaurant marketing.

Have a restaurant that serves awesome food? Great! But guess what? That alone won’t bring more people to your doorstep. You need to bring more power to your brand to gain more customers.

No longer do restaurant owners depend on the word of mouth marketing for  their restaurants. However, considering the vicious competition with a 60% failure rate of the restaurant business, it is vital that you get your marketing strategy not just right but top-hole.

Worried? Don’t be.

Here is the proper guide to make you go from zero to a hundred.

1. Go Social

We are in the era of food porn and social media platforms are buzzing with several pictures of delicacies that make people shed extra money. There are tons of social media platforms out there when it comes to food, Instagram is King, Facebook is Queen and the rest are puns. Having a website for your restaurant business is equivalent to having a food shop serving in every part.

A website opens up opportunities for a much larger market of consumers. The key to going social and gaining profit is posting top-notch food pictures and video clips. If you don’t know where to start, consider hiring a social media expert to give you valuable insight right away.

The Ultimate Guide to Restaurant Online Marketing - SinglePlatform


2.  Don’t leave Email and text promotions

If you’ve been gathering info from comment cards or promotional cards, don’t let that list of email addresses rest. There are two ways to grow your email list; by getting customers to fill forms in-person and by getting them to fill forms online.

I would suggest you pay close attention to the latter because the world is moving rapidly towards digital. Offer monthly 2-for-1 deals if people sign up with you or leave their business card. Target the customers back if they revisit, through email and text promotions.

3.  Collab

In today’s online-driven environment, ease of use is the king of the game. Many online delivery services streamline the ordering process, and people these days often love taking advantage of such delivery services.

Providing special coupons and everyday deals can be the main attraction for food lovers, one such app is Deal box.

Here are some delivery partner services you should consider:

– Zomato

– Swiggy

– Foodpanda

Also, you can partner with local delivery services to grow more.

5 Restaurant Digital Marketing Strategies That Work | WebConfs.com


4.  Tap into the power of Food bloggers/ Influencers

One of the greatest marketing strategies today is grasping on the network of other businesses. As a restaurant owner, you can leverage the network of local food bloggers and influencers by connecting with them and getting them to share content related to your restaurant.

If you are new in the restaurant business, this can be the best way to promote it. You can provide them incentives such as free meals to popularize your brand among their connections.

5. Customer Validation

Reviews play an important part in growing your business. So never miss an opportunity to re-share the customer reviews as it will drive you a new customer.

User-generated content is always a great way to develop personal and intimate engagement with users. Host a photo contest by asking customers to share their favorite meal, and share the entries on a dedicated content page which will leave a personal touch.

6. Paid and Unpaid Advertisement

The key difference between social media management and advertising is that social media management and its strategies for digital marketing for restaurants primarily deal with organic growth.

However, with social media advertising, you will have to set aside a designated budget to run ads on Facebook, Instagram, or another platform. Ads can be of different types but target the most efficient and traditional called Geo-Targeted Ads which will get the most value out of your online marketing efforts by investing right.

Geo-targeting ads help you save money, ensuring that only users in certain cities or within a specific radius see your ads (eliminating non-relevant clicks, which can cost you big ad bucks).

Along with ads, you can run several campaigns related to expanding the views.

7.  Show off

Social media marketing is one of the most powerful tools for any business. Social media marketing can put your restaurant in front of thousands of potential customers and can even break you in front of them.

Sharing your delicious dishes and menu can drive more customers as they know what they are paying for. Share beautiful pictures and videos and promote them. Sharing staff details and story will always give a personal touch to customers.

Share your successes and struggles, behind the scenes, workshops and anything else that might interest your customers.

8. Don’t miss out

Never miss out on any opportunity to make customers feel special. Plan festivals, birthday, anniversary coupons so that you be their first choice. Promote or share stalls in exhibitions, events, and promotions going nearby.

This is a lot of tricks and tips to start with. It takes time, organization, planning, patience, exclusive content, and creativity to create a successful marketing strategy. From building the foundation to keep trying different ways to better manage your restaurant, setting up your strategy won’t be a hassle if you follow the steps, tricks and try the resources mentioned above.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

21st May 2020 7 Comments 

What is Digital Marketing? How can you make a career in Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing is a term we use to relate to all the online activities & efforts by companies to connect, communicate or engage with their audiences having internet access.

Resources like Search Engine, Social Media, Websites, and Emails are all used by marketers to connect with current and potential customers.

With the advent of advanced internet in the 1990s, people began to spend more time online than offline. In the 2000s, with mobile phones and laptops, more people got access to the internet and the accessibility helped marketers to find an effective way to attract, engage, and convert their target audience anywhere in the world.

The Evolution of Digital Marketing and Demand Generation in The ...

With internet penetration of more than 59% in the world out of which over 60% is through mobile phones, it has become very important for the brands to have their presence online.

What all is included in Digital Marketing?

Anything and everything that can promote your product or service to its right customer(s) online is a Digital Marketing tool.

Some very common and generally accepted tools are:

1. Website

It is a group of web pages with multimedia content and is generally used for creating primary online presence.

2. Blog Posts

It is a personal journal of an individual who shares his thoughts and ideas with like-minded subscribers on a frequent basis.

3. Email Marketing

Sending promotional mailers to a small or large number of people who have subscribed to your list.

4. Ebooks and White papers

Digital version of a book. It is generally used by marketers to attract leads for a product/service.

5. Social Media Marketing 

Promoting your brand through different social media platforms for engagement, brand awareness or attracting site visitors.

6. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Optimizing your website to rank higher on different search engine result pages, therefore increasing organic traffic.

7. Search Engine Marketing (Most common, Google Adwords)

Promoting or advertising your content on search engines such as Google using PPC (Pay-per-click) methodology.

8. Influencer Marketing

Using influential people to promote your brand online. Most common platforms for influencer marketing are Instagram and YouTube.

9. Online PR 

To get featured in digital publications, blogs, and other content websites. SImply, Offline PR using digital medium.

10. Content Marketing

Leveraging content  online in any form to drive action from your current or potential customers.

Why is Digital Marketing so important?

Accessibility

Your brand can engage with their current and potential customers in Real-time.

Reach

Your brand can communicate anywhere, anytime and with anyone with less than the fraction of offline marketing costs.

Customization

You can create different messages for different customers based on their preferences and personality.

What are the main ingredients to an amazing digital campaign?

It has to be an integration of 

Good Design

Worthwhile Experience

Knowledgeable Content, and

Latest Technology

How can you make a career in Digital Marketing?

Career in Digital Marketing Social 101

To become a successful Digital Marketer you need to follow these steps:

1. Think

Yes, the very first thing you need to do is to understand your passion and goals. What is it that excites you the most and kicks you out of your bed (or that NETFLIX marathon) everyday.

If the answer to that question is to create stories, imagine the impossible, influence people towards an idea, give a human voice to digital communications or as simple as sharing ideas/opinions on Social Media, you’re ready to jump in.

2. Be Online

Create a strong online presence by engaging in relevant conversations, discussions and arguments. Create and share original content online to create a fan-base and understand the dynamics of Online Media.

3. Feed your Creative Juices

Read Blogs, browse good design on Pinterest & Behance, watch youtube videos & podcasts, follow content-rich pages on Facebook & Instagram, and go through the top winning designs on Awwwards.

4. Learn through Online Courses (Opt for a Certification) &

Read Books

There are plenty of courses available (few of them for free) that you can avail at Hubspot, Udemy, EdX, and Coursera. My personal favourite is Hubspot Inbound Marketing & Complete Digital Marketing Course at Udemy. You can also buy books from Amazon to learn basic or advanced Digital Marketing, for a beginner ‘The New Rules of Marketing & PR’ by David Meerman Scott is a must-read. Also follow his informative blog here.

5. Network

Meet like-minded people in your college or LinkedIn or Alumni Association. Discuss your ideas with them and ask for reviews, you will get an unbiased opinion of how good/bad your ideas are. Don’t get demotivated by criticism, take it in a constructive manner.

6. Work, work, work

There’s no alternative to work experience. Look out for internships using LinkedIn, Internshala or LetsIntern. If you want to freelance, find your clients at Freelancer. If you don’t like both the options, start working on Dummy Projects (you dad’s business or your friend’s startup, anything) to build an amazing portfolio.

7. Say ‘Yes’ to anything

Don’t carry your pride while looking out for work, it won’t get you anywhere. Be ready to do every kind of work because there is no such thing as bad work experience.

8. Build your personal brand

Share your thoughts and ideas on online forums or through comments section in Blogs or Social Media. Become a LinkedIn pro by forming strong connection and engaging is frequent conversations. Publish and share your blog with everyone in your circle and offer free advice.

9. Form new ideas

It’s a good thing to get inspiration from others’ ideas and build your own around them but the world acknowledges only those ideas that are new & fresh. Try out new concepts, you have got nothing to lose.

10. Just f**king START

To make it possible you need to Start. Not tomorrow, not next week but today. You can always make time for things you love so don’t give me that bullshit. If you really want to be a Digital Marketer, start with a small step, but start Today!

If you want personal advice for your career or you want a Digital Marketing Agency who can do the hard work for you, I would love to meet and know you.