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Marketing Agency

5 Reasons To Hire A Marketing Agency VS An In-House Team

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio Central FL
Content Writing, Email Marketing, Graphic Design, IT Services, Marketing, Pay Per Click, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Website Design

Should you hire a Marketing Agency or build an in-house team?

In today’s digital landscape, there is no shortage of marketing options for businesses. From freelancers and marketing agencies to hiring your own in-house team, companies have more choices than ever before, specifically when it comes to online marketing. As your business grows, you will need to consider how your marketing will be handled, including whether to hire new employees and build an internal marketing team or empower your brand through a Marketing Agency.

While each has its own advantages, a full-service Marketing Agency provides substantial value to large, medium, and even small businesses. They strive to build cohesive and effective brands, put organizations in front of their customers and audience, and drive sales through awareness.

5 Reasons to Hire A Marketing Agency

1. Unparalleled Experience

Why piece together individual talents when you can hire an experienced Marketing Agency to handle everything for you? One of the major advantages of hiring a Marketing Agency is a professional experience. In fact, a good agency will have specific knowledge in a wide range of industries and markets, along with experience facing a diverse range of scenarios and challenges never encountered by many newer business owners. Having a knowledgeable and experienced staff at your side can produce immediate results for owners, helping to quickly get your marketing efforts off the ground.

2. Broader Skillsets

It can be difficult to locate suitable in-house employees with branding and marketing skills such as SEO and graphic design. By hiring a Marketing Agency, you’ll not only have the necessary tools to achieve your vision for success but a suite of creative services at your fingertips.

For example, a full-service Marketing Agency can assist clients in everything from rebranding their company image and website, developing their print and direct mail campaigns, and creating a social strategy to boost SEO and PPC campaigns. With a Marketing Agency, a client may choose to utilize one service or all them–whereas, with an in-house team, businesses are limited in what they can achieve.

3. Fresh Perspective & Inspiration

Another major advantage of hiring a Marketing Agency is a new perspective. A marketing team can help inject new life into marketing efforts, helping to identify unseen opportunities and enhance current campaigns. One example is social media marketing. With more companies looking to broaden their social reach through sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, a Marketing Agency can significantly enhance a brand’s approach to social media, including how they’re perceived by their audience.

4. Speed, Efficiency, and Consistency

As an up-and-coming business owner, you’ll be forced to wear several hats when getting your business off the ground. Generally speaking, this will almost include tackling aspects of the business you’re unfamiliar with, such as branding and digital marketing. With only so much time in the day, it’s important your marketing approach doesn’t suffer from time restraints or inexperience. Hiring a Marketing Agency can easily solve this dilemma.

5. More Affordable Than Hiring In-House

The cost of hiring and maintaining a team of in-house marketers can be very expensive. For smaller businesses, this expense may be too much to afford.
One of the more surprising benefits of hiring a Marketing Agency is cost-effectiveness. Along with providing a plethora of knowledge, experience, and skillset, a Marketing Agency is almost always more affordable compared to hiring a full-time marketing team. For example, after hiring a marketing manager, web designer, graphic designer, content writer, and social media manager, the total cost can reach upwards of multiple six figures a year! And that’s not even including the cost of employee benefits.

Marketing is the heart and soul of any business. At The AD Leaf ®, we’ve spent the last 25 years working with a diverse range of clients — from healthcare and technology to governmental, law enforcement and consumer goods — to perfect our approach to marketing, advertising, and branding. From strategic creative direction to engaging digital marketing, our extensive marketing team is here to handle every aspect of your business.

Want to enhance your content marketing? Looking to take your social media to the next step? Contact the team at The AD Leaf ® Marketing Firm and learn how you can grow with us today!

“Loretta”: Kicking Ads & Taking Names

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio Central FL
Content Writing, Marketing, Pay Per Click, Social Media

We’ve all seen it.

The tear-jerker ad released by Google during this year’s Super Bowl commercial ad space.

This ad by Google depicts the voice of an elderly gentleman using Google to remind himself about his late wife, Loretta. This ad was also inspired by a real person, a Google employee’s grandfather. As the commercial begins, it avoids much of what Super Bowl ads are known for. Comedic humor. Celebrity faces. Nostalgic flashbacks. With so many of these pop-culture references and heavy emphasis on humor, each company and advertising agency has one of the most competitive niche ad spaces to fight over. And with a 5 million dollar price tag for a 30-second commercial space, the competition and drive to stand out becomes even more daunting.

To be fair, there were so many ads that were incredibly well-done and clear in their communication. From the Cheetos commercial with MC Hammer dancing in those…pants, to the dog that was the survivor of heart cancer, to the loveable Ellen ad showcasing life before Alexa, the lineup was chock-full of heavy hitters in the marketing space. Then there’s this Loretta ad that had us holding back tears and smiling without even trying.

The commercial opens with slow typing on a familiar Google search browser. The typing was the immediate initial stand-out element. It was slow, more intentional. Before a male voice could be heard I knew this was going to be potentially an elderly person behind the keyboard. Then the words “How to not forget” are seen, typed into the search bar. The stringed music begins to play, creating a somber ambiance. As the commercial continues, you can feel both sadness, but not mourning; a relatable “human-ess” but also a hope for one’s own life.

Then we hear an elderly man asking Google Assistant to help him remember different aspects of his wife, Loretta. It takes a moment to realize, but the more you watch you begin to realize that Loretta is the man’s wife, and she is unfortunately no longer with him. The commercial is of an obviously kind and warm widower who is using Google to help him remember things of a woman he loves but is no longer there with him.

As you continue to watch you see slideshow and videos that are obviously taken from a real individual from a real marriage and a real life. This is so important because if this was done any other way, an ad like this (which is already a big risk due to the nature of the ad) could be seen as insensitive, manipulative, and morbidly crass. But as you watch you see over and over pictures and videos of a real couple, happy and in love. Google is right there, helping this man remember Loretta’s favorite foods, how she liked going to Alaska, and how she hated his mustache he grew one time. Heart-warming doesn’t even begin to describe all the feels we feel watching this!

“Remember, don’t miss me too much, and get out of the dang house.”

Here we see that she truly is gone, but we also see a beautiful snippet of her relationship towards him, not just his towards her. It alludes to a moment he had with his wife, probably one of the last. Google helps with the heart-string tugging here by including the last little note from Loretta that said, “…and get out of the dang house’ helping the viewers navigate this sad topic with life and humor. The commercial ends with us hearing a human voice, the voice of the widower, and a door opening as he leaves the house with his dog, ending on a beautiful, real note.

Google’s “Loretta” ad embarks on a risky balancing act of sadness and joy, life and loss…and does it beautifully. Check out these stats from the data-driven video marketing agency, Unruly:

“Loretta” earned an EQ score of 6.5 thanks in large part to its large emotional impact. Nearly half (49%) of viewers had an intense emotional reaction to the ad. It was a 58% more intense reaction than the average U.S. ad and the highest of any of the 40 Super Bowl ads tested by Unruly. According to the company, “Loretta” was nearly twice as likely to make viewers smile, almost four times more heart-warming and 12 times more sad than the average U.S. ad.
The emotional reaction also seemed to translate to brand impact, leading to the highest brand favorability of any of the Super Bowl ads Unruly. Nearly half (49%) of all viewers reported a favorable view of the brand, compared to a U.S. average of 37%. What’s more—46% of viewers also reported purchase intent, with 47% saying they were willing to find out more about the brand.

“The Super Bowl is traditionally the chance for advertisers to bring home the laughs, yet two of the top three ads leaned heavily on more serious emotions. Google’s ‘Loretta’ ad had the highest score for sadness in the top 10 and both Google and New York Life Insurance had some of the highest scores for warmth at 32% and 26%, respectively,”
The data and the results shine a burning spotlight on one (there are obviously many more) glaringly important fact when it comes to marketing: In order to win big, you must risk big.

When I say risk, I mean to dare to take the road that others aren’t taking. Google did it perfectly in this ad because they counted on seeing the same trend of humor and nostalgic ads, all clamoring for a spot as top dog (Speaking of the dog, the other ad in the top 3 tier was about the dog who had heart surgery!). Google specifically and deliberately swam against the proverbial current by taking not the humorous and nostalgic road which is always a safe choice that “works”, but by daring to forge a new path by sewing themselves into your lives through appealing to something that binds every person together: Love. Google was making a simple and yet incredibly effective claim that we need Google for the most important things in our lives.

In order to win big, you must risk big. Sure, you can spend too much money on a 30-second ad space to create something brilliant, funny, and feel-good. Most of the ads we viewed and analyzed were indeed incredibly well thought out. But what about making something memorable? By appealing to different emotions than the typical niche space of the Super Bowl ad space, Google dared to be an outlier.

This is why Google’s Loretta is brilliant marketing. It perfectly goes against the trend by taking big risks in appealing to unusual emotions, while implying that we need Google for life’s most beautiful things.

And won.

Is your business ready to take the road less traveled and make something not only great but memorable? Consider partnering with us at The AD Leaf ® and let’s start kicking ads and taking names together. Call 321-255-0900 today.

SEO Specialists

What’s Going On With Google’s New Featured Snippet Update?

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio Central FL
Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

Google had released a significant update for featured snippets on January 22, 2020. This overall update affects the first page of search results, and the organic traffic following featured snippets. However, what exactly happened and how will this affect search engine optimization (SEO)?

In the past, Google used to give any ranked URL two spots on their search engine results pages, which are also called SERPs. This would occur when a URL was ranked with a featured snippet, which is also called position zero as it would appear ranked above position one on any average search result. However, this no longer occurs with Google’s newest update on featured snippets. In fact, if a URL shows up as a featured snippet, Google will no longer duplicate and show the URL on any position past position zero. This entire procress is called deduplication, which is when Google removes duplicated URLs from SERPs containing featured snippets.

Google’s SearchLiaison posted the following facts about deduplication on Twitter:

 

Performance reports will not change at all as a result of deduplication, as Google SearchLiaison had explained. Basically, if a site loses position one of organic search but is still a featured snippet, it will still be considered rank one on any performance report.

However, how will this update affect any SEO efforts overall?

SeoClarity conducted some research to see how search ranking has been affected. Prior to the final update, the research revealed that 28% of duplicate listings appeared in the search results’ second position to any featured snippet. In addition, the following graph reveals that the ranking positions of the duplicate listing for about 250,000 keywords that had been found on featured snippets:

Google’s Featured Snippet Changes & Impact on Organic Traffic [STUDY]

 

However, now that sites on featured snippets have been deduplicated the first page of search results, SEO specialists and site owners are wondering how organic traffic and SEO will be affected overall. Luckily, with seoClarity’s study of traffic, they have found that traffic has been consistent from the lat 14 days to the final implementation of the Featured Snippet Update (from approximately January 10, 2020 to January 23, 2020). So, SEO specialists and site owners can relax as there is no significant change.

This is a good sign so far for all those who are concerned. Yet, it will be interesting to see if Google implements any changes relating to this situation, over the upcoming months. Be sure to contact The AD Leaf ® Marketing Firm for more information on the services our SEO specialists provide.

How TikTok is Taking Over and What This Means for Digital Marketing

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio Central FL
Marketing, Social Media

Social media is constantly changing with new platforms coming in and rising in popularity every year. TikTok is one of these new social media platforms, and it’s one of the most popular networks of 2019. TikTok is currently the world’s most downloaded app, and its popularity is only expected to grow. For those of you still in the dark about this new social platform, TikTok is a video sharing app that allows its users to share 15-second videos that could be funny, artistic, musical in nature, dancing, and more. The app originally gained popularity with high schoolers and middle schoolers. It was originally founded in China, but in 2017 it made its way to the U.S. bringing major changes to the social networking world as well as pop culture. In 2018, TikTok broke records by achieving 100 million downloads just within the first half of the year. 

With every new social platform that gains popularity, digital marketers have to consider the possibility of marketing on that platform. The quicker marketers utilize platforms such as TikTok, the faster they can get ahead of the competition and potentially gain popularity for their company or companies on that network. Some companies like Chipotle have already hopped on the TikTok train by creating “challenges” on the platform for their customers to do. One of these challenges was having people dance for free guacamole in honor of National Avocado Day. To get the free guacamole, customers had to post a video of them dancing on the app with the hashtag #GuacDance. Chipotle was the first restaurant chain to partner with TikTok in the U.S. Its first challenge was in May of 2019, and it resulted in Chipotle’s highest digital sales day. Stephanie Purdue, vp of brand marketing for Chipotle, says about the company’s arrival on Tik Tok, “Our digital sales have grown significantly — we’re up 99% versus last year — and they now represent about 18% of our sales. Half of our customer base is Gen-Z and millennial, so it’s important for us to show up where they are. We really like being in unexpected and uncluttered spaces, and we felt like TikTok was one of them.” Chipotle plans to continue pursuing the market on this platform, and it also plans to significantly increase its digital marketing budget in the hopes of reaching more and more social networking users.

Starting TikTok with your company can help to maintain consistent communication with your customers which can help your company reap social and financial benefits. Almost half of all Gen-Zers are online for more than 10 hours a day which means leaving popular social networks like TikTok out of your marketing plan could be preventing you from reaching an audience that could be an important part of your consumer market. TikTok may not work for all companies depending on what demographic you are trying to reach, but understanding the platforms your customers follow is an essential part of business strategy and digital marketing. Breaking into the market on those platforms can allow greater communication between customers and the company and increase social growth overall.

If you are trying to figure out which social media platforms are best for you, we, at the Ad Leaf, can help. We are proud to say we know all the ins and outs of the digital marketing world. We make it our priority to find the best social networks to fit your business and to fit your customers. Let us help you navigate the difficult world of digital marketing. To schedule your consultation today, please call us at (321) 255-0900.

Facebook Ads: 4 Best Practices

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio Central FL
Marketing, Social Media

 

Working in social media marketing, there are so many constantly changing variables to keep track of. For some, this is why they love marketing. For others, this is a point of frustration. Personally, I love the ever-changing landscape that is social media marketing. Daily it feels like there is something new to discover and (inevitably) some new challenge to conquer.

A brand standard is non-negotiable. This is a concrete value or practice within your brand or agency. For example: Daily we show up here at The AD Leaf ® at 8:00 am. This is a company-wide standard. 

A best practice could be the different routes we all take to get here at that set time. One day it may be that I take US 1. A colleague of mine may take a different road depending on traffic. The start of the workday is set. But the way to get to work may change depending on a plethora of variables. This is what the best practice is like.

This changing landscape is something to keep up with as we mentioned above. How do best practices fit within creating Facebook ads? Below are 4 best practices that we perform (at least for now) when creating Facebook ads. Contemplate these for taking your ad strategy to the next level.

#1 Your Facebook ad must be visual.

2020 marketing predictions show that social media is only going to become more…well, social. This means that there are going to be more image-based interactions, especially within branding and product search with areas such as eCommerce. In order for you to keep up with the times, your Facebook ad must be visually compelling. Having a visually engaging Facebook will cause the Facebook algorithm to treat your ad more favorably. Have you heard of the old saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? Unfortunately, the Facebook algorithm (and honestly, the majority of the social media niche) didn’t get this memo. To stand out and be memorable, you have to have a visually compelling image. This will cause Facebook to not only treat your ad more favorably, but your ad will also be more likely remembered and shared across platforms. 

#2 Your Facebook ad must be relevant.

The success of your Facebook ad strategy hinges greatly on not only the visual potency of the ad but also the relevance of the ad. How relevant is the ad with your target audience? This is huge. You wouldn’t want to create an ad for artic snow parkas and marketing it all the way down south in Palm Bay, Florida! Not only that, but you want to place the ad before not only the right audience but the right intentions of your audience. This is critical, as you are spending time and money and need to ensure the ad you are running gets in front of the right people with the right intentions. 

#3 Your Facebook ad must be enticing. 

What makes your ad different than any other? Why should your viewer click on your ad to view more? Why should they visit your website? These are great questions to create a great, enticing ad. You should compose it in a way that is believable. For example, saying something like “Get a free roof today!” isn’t believable to me. I would read that and think it was a scam. But if a company was upfront with me I would trust them more and be more willing to click on their ad. If it read something like this I would definitely stop to find out more: “Did you know that going solar can get you a new roof in the process? Contact us today to learn how this happens at no cost to you!” When I read that, I see how this could be possible, and I don’t feel trapped by the transparency of the ad. 

#4 Your Facebook ad must have a clear call-to-action.

As stated above with the second free roof example, I ended it with “contact us today to learn how!” Your ad needs to cause your viewer to finally do something with your ad. Imagine this process as a link in a chain: each one builds upon one another for a specific and intended outcome. I saw a huge increase in getting leads when I pushed past my personal apprehension to asking the viewer to do something with the ad. When I began saying things like “Go here to get 20% off” or “Click the link below to get a FREE quote” I started seeing great conversion rates. It’s always helpful to create a sense of urgency with your call-to-action. What problem are you solving for the audience? In our scenario, we are providing a service by making it known to new homeowners that they have a way to get a free roof when getting solar panels installed. So what problem are you solving with your clients? Let that be the motivator for creating a great call-to-action.

Great! We hope that these Facebook best practices will help create the links in the chain creating greater conversion rates for your Facebook ads! These are great best practices to help take your Facebook ad strategy to the next level. Looking to take your brand to the next level? We at The AD Leaf ® would love to work with you by creating cutting edge, smart marketing campaigns to help you and your business prosper. Call us today to begin.

Craft an Instagram Bio Like a Boss

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio Central FL
Marketing, Social Media

Ah, the wonderful world of Instagram. Did you know that June of 2018, Instagram had one billion users scrolling and double-tapping photos for that month alone?

One. Billion. Users.

That is a significant amount of people utilizing the platform. Instagram is different from other platforms such as Facebook in various ways. For example, Instagram is a heavily image-based platform where people and communities gather around images specifically, where other platforms such as Twitter or Facebook are more copy based with many more options to build out a profile. This is one of the more unique things about Instagram versus other accounts is its simplicity. Being largely a photo-based platform connected now with Facebook, along with the rise of 3+ smartphone cameras, we’d say that Instagram isn’t going anywhere soon.

 

An Instagram bio is something that many users don’t think much about. You have 150 characters and a link to communicate your brand. If you think about it, the bio is the “greeting” of your account. Social media accounts can be and often are extensions to your brand, so how you craft your bio is a reflection of the brand you are wanting to communicate with the one billion users who are scrolling. An Instagram bio is not a separate part of your profile: it is apart of your profile. Your Instagram feed and your Instagram bio are one message; and that message matters. So what are some tips on crafting an Instagram bio like a boss?

  • The first rule is that there are no rules when it comes to creating a bio. There are best practices, but as is relevant for all social media, there isn’t one set, hard drawn line in the sand saying that this is the only right way to do something. So we encourage experimentation! Think about your brand. What do you want to communicate? Do you want a lot of information? Remember: you have 150 characters to work with. 
  • Let your bio be a call to action. This means using verbs, for example, is a good idea. Think about what the “one thing” you want your brand to communicate, and then craft that for your bio. Then add a call-to-action directing your audience to the link you have there.
  • This brings us to the next principle: Make your bio link count. This is important. Let this be an extension of the one message you want to communicate. If you have any links you’d like to direct people to try signing up for a free multi-link account such as Linktree to house the various places you’d like to direct people to.
  • Another tip would be to be creative with the layout of your bio. It can be tricky, but adding things like line breaks within your bio can help take it to the next level by creating a list format that is quite popular. But if you’re like us, you’ve bumped into the frustration knowing exactly how to create a different bio layout within the app. To get around this, try logging into your Instagram account through a desktop browser. There, you will be able to add all the line breaks your heart could desire.
  • Next, try adding an emoji to your bio to really catch people’s attention! Sometimes this can feel inappropriate, but understanding that the goal of social media and the context of these emoji can be different than traditional business formatting will help you make the jump. Just make sure that if you do use emojis that they are on-brand with your profile and/or business. Some great ways to use emojis for the more professional profiles can be the telephone emoji to add a business number, a laptop emoji to link a website, or a world emoji to indicate that your business is worldwide. 
  • Our last tip would be to utilize hashtags if you see fit. This can be a great way to create greater discoverability of your page, brand, ideas, or products. Hashtags can also be a great marketing tool if you have a business or idea you are promoting. Don’t forget to change your bio regularly, especially if you have a promotion going on. Remembering that your bio is a part of your profile, not a separate entity, will help you grow in valuing the importance of the bio. So use those hashtags to help your profile become more discoverable!

There is no one way to craft the perfect Instagram. The choice is completely up to you and the message you want to communicate.

Remember that you only have 150 characters and a link to use – so make your bio count.  Craft it around the “one thing” you want to communicate. Don’t forget to make it a call to action by potentially using verbs that direct your audience to specific links. Log into Instagram on your desktop to be able to get creative with your bio’s layout that you aren’t able to perform in-app. Sprinkle in some emojis that are on-brand that will catch people’s eye, along with creating greater discoverability by utilizing hashtags. As you implement some of these best practices, you will be crafting a bio like a boss quicker than someone can create a new boomerang. 

Let us help you not only craft that incredible Instagram bio, but also take your company to the next level. Give us a call to discuss all the ways we at The AD Leaf ® can help you not only create compelling bios, but also capture a greater audience through engaging, creative, and unique content tailored just for you. Call us today at 321-255-0900.

A Business-Owner’s Guide to Instagram Stories

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio Central FL
Marketing, Social Media

More than 500 million people post and view Instagram stories every single day. That is the population of an entire continent! Instagram stories are one of the most popular and most beneficial tools for both users and marketers. As a business owner, it is now critical to add Instagram Stories into your marketing strategy.

Instagram stories are short posts that are pinned to the top of every user’s home page that disappear after 24 hours. They are ultimately “prime real estate” considering that your posted Story is now the first thing that all of your followers see when they log in. There is a colorful ring around a profile to indicate if something is added to a story. Having something posted to your Instagram Story increases the likelihood that your profile will draw attention to users.

Creating Instagram Stories is just like creating a regular post. From the home page, swipe left or click the camera icon in the top left-hand corner. You can either choose to take a picture or video in the moment, or upload from your camera roll. There are several filters, stickers, and tags to choose from. Like traditional posts, the user is able to add hashtags and location tags for anyone to see that looks up that tag on explore. Making your posts more exciting and more visually appealing will catch the attention of more users and will be more likely to drive engagement.

Now that you know how to create Instagram Stories…what’s next?

Using Instagram Stories to promote a business or even to just get your name out there is fairly simple because there are so many options. Research shows that posting on an Instagram Story at least once a day is the most beneficial. This shows followers and other users out there that your page is alive! People will be more likely to engage with your content and join the community of your page. Stories allow for quick, in the moment updates of how your business operates. The priority is to show your audience something more about you and what you offer. This helps to create an informative and engaging community that people will want to join by following.

So get posting! Here are our ideas and tips about how to use Instagram Stories for business:

#1 Behind the Scenes Action

Give your followers sneak peeks or access to content that usually wouldn’t be posted on your feed. This adds more excitement and creates a better chance of someone becoming interested in your page and your business.

#2 Turn posts into stories

Is there something you posted on the main feed that you don’t want to lose into the vast sea that is Instagram posts? Encourage your followers to visit your post by sharing it on your story. Simply click the arrow icon next to the like and comment button on the post you would like to share, and choose “Add post to your story.” Users can then tap on the post in the story and it will take them directly to the full post on your profile.

#3 It’s a way to post more frequently

We all know those accounts that bombard your feed with posts every hour, and you have no choice but to unfollow. Unlike regular posts, instagram stories allow you to post multiple things to share more information in one convenient place without annoying your followers. You can use Instagram’s bulk stories uploader button found in the upper right-hand corner when browsing through your camera roll to select multiple items to make multiple Stories.

#4 Share posts from followers and fans

Instagram Stories are a great way to share what your followers are putting out there. Featuring followers on your profile encourages them to continue posting about your business which is also seen by all of their followers. Promoting this encourages your business to be advertised to a larger audience for free! You can repost things on your Instagram Story such as when someone leaves a good review, shares a picture of your product, or posts at your location.

#5 Engagement tools and stickers

In addition to stickers and hashtags, Stories have engagement features which drive audience participation. These tools include a poll, multiple choice quiz, questions, countdown, and a slider tool with an emoji of your choice. Use these to learn about what your audience enjoys and what they want to see more of.

#6 Link directly to shop or website

Business profiles with more than 10,000 followers have the option to link a website directly to an Instagram Story. The user simply swipes up and it redirects them to your website instantly. People are more likely to purchase a product or visit a website if it is convenient for them. With this tool, it takes no more than a second for them to be on your website or wherever you want them redirected to.

These all sound like wonderful ideas, but do these Stories really disappear after only 24 hours? Well yes….and no. The story itself on the top of the homescreen will in fact go away after 24 hours. However, you have the option to create Instagram Story Highlights which save these archived posts directly to your profile under your bio. These highlights allow for viewing of the previously posted story forever! There is no limit to how many highlights you can have, so if you’d like, you can have different themes of highlights for different types of posts. This allows your followers to easily view something that they are looking for or for something that interests them.

Instagram Stories are becoming one of the best places to increase exposure, drive engagement and improve brand awareness. Now that you know the basics, take your phone out and get snapping!

We here at the AD Leaf have a staff of trained social media marketing professionals to help you improve your social media utilizing tools such as Instagram Stories. We’ll help your business get the exposure it needs on all social media platforms. Give us a call at 321-255-0900 to schedule an appointment with us.

Instagram and Facebook Updates At-A-Glance

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio Central FL
Social Media, Uncategorized

Are you struggling to keep up with the changes that occur on social media platforms almost daily? Algorithms are updated routinely, new features are tested out in select locations or industries on a regular basis, ad targeting options seem to change weekly; it can be a lot for a business owner to keep up with, especially since social media is just one part of a successful digital marketing strategy. That’s where we come in. Having an agency at your disposal who stays at the forefront of trends and breakthroughs in the industry is vital for an effective and successful digital presence and overall marketing strategy. Today we’re going to catch you up on the latest changes with a quick overview so you can get back to running your business and we’re also going to give you a little sneak preview of some changes that may be coming in the near future. 

 

Facebook

Top Fans and Exclusive Content

For Facebook pages with over 10,000 followers, you can exclusively target your followers who engage the most with your content now. These users receive ‘Top Fan’ badges and everytime they comment on your content the badge is displayed by their name. You can publish organic content that only ‘Top Fans’ can see on your page enabling you to test new campaigns with your most engaged audience members before rolling it out to everyone or provide special offers or exclusive information to your most loyal fans. 

Mobile Content Gets Compressed

Last month, Facebook updated the layout of the mobile experience for users by changing the aspect ratio on screens from 2:3 to 4:5 and reducing the number of text lines shown from 7 to 3. This means any text past the 3 line limit will be hidden and users will need to click see more to read the rest. This just means it’s even more important than ever to hook them with those first few lines. 

Update to Facebook’s Terms of Service

With all the media buzz around privacy and Facebook’s lack of transparency around user information and security, the social media platform has updated its terms of service to include things like details on how they make profits, information on content removal and intellectual property and more. You can read them all here.  This change was put in place to offer a more straightforward and transparent relationship with users. 

Cracking Down on Health Claims 

If you’re in the health and wellness space you will be especially interested in this one. Facebook has begun ‘downranking’ posts that talk about sensationalized treatments such as magic pills to get instant results or DIY ideas for losing weight that are dangerous. The key here is ‘sensationalized’ phrases. As usual, Facebook does not release details on algorithm changes so the exact phrases being targeted are unknown. Stick to medically proven health and wellness content and you should not be affected. 

 

Instagram 

Desktop Publishing Abilities 

In the past, the only way to work on Instagram was through third party software or through the mobile application itself. That means marketers and business owners could only use Instagram through their mobile devices. Most busy business owners and marketers take time to sit down at their desktops to do this type of work in depth. Now, thanks to the Creator Studio in Facebook, Instagram photos and videos can be posted to the platform along with the ability to check and respond to messages. This will save time for so many and as you know time = money!

Ad Placements Now Available in Explore 

If you’re not a heavy Instagram users you may not know about the explore tab. This is a place on Instagram where the platform shows you content you are likely to be interested in based on your behavior and actions taken in the app. So if you love watching cat videos, your explore feed may feature lots of pics and videos of cats. It’s usually got a good mix of things and in the past did not allow for ad placements. This is great news for business owners and marketers as it’s a brand new space to promote your content. 

Study Claims Instagram Engagement is Down Platform Wide

According to a study of 1.4 million Instagram posts by consulting firm Trust Insights, the average number of interactions on Instagram is down 18% from the beginning of the year. The study notes that brands as well as individual influencers are feeling the pain of dropping engagement rates and are still looking into what the potential cause could be. 

 

What’s Coming Next?

Facebook and Instagram Likes May Disappear 

Are you obsessed with comparing how many likes your posts get compared to others? Facebook and Instagram are testing hiding that feature from you in select countries. You’ll still be able to see your own likes but you won’t be able to see anyone else’s if they decide to roll this feature out permanently and in the United States. 

 

To stay up to date on all the changes being rolled out on your favorite social media platforms be sure to check back on our blog for future updates and join our newsletter list to get the latest and greatest information sent right to your inbox. If you want to learn more about how our agency can help you define and deploy a digital marketing strategy to include web development, SEO, content marketing and social media marketing, give us a call today at 321-255-0900 or email us at info@theadleaf.com. 

 

Social Media Marketing

Three Tips to Help Your Writing Not Suck

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio Central FL
Content Writing, Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

So you are about to publish your client’s next post on their social media platforms. You skim it one last time, slide the mouse over the longed-for “publish” button, and…click.

It’s away.

Transmitted.

Flying through the internet.

Public. Seen. Exposed.

 

But what happens if you don’t have a basic understanding of composing well written and compelling copy? Failing to proofread your own work can be detrimental to the success of the client you are representing, and the firm you work with. We are professionals here, so the way in which we conduct our work, including our written conduct, should reflect this! But if you do not have a frame of reference and some basic best practices under your belt, and you publish your work…who knows what could happen.

See, if you are in Social Media Marketing, you most likely have to face this obviously large giant, glaring down at you. It’s up to you and up to me to develop our skill set so we can slay that giant, and prosper everyone around us. While it’s true that people make mistakes, as professionals, it is our goal to prosper others, we need to do everything we can to ensure that our work is the best it can be, and there are plenty of smiles not fading under a metaphorical sun.

So how can we better engage with our audience, produce eye-catching content, and keep the smile alive? Below are 3 tips for writing better, stronger content.

  1. Grammarly – This one is basic but absolutely essential. Grammarly is a free extension that you can download (they also have a Pro version that you can pay for) that is essentially spell-checker. As you are creating copy for your clients and you are typing furiously across the keyboard, it will gently point out when you misspell a word. There is nothing worse than composing an email, an important response, or even worse…a social media post, and finding a glaring typo. The dread! Typos create an unprofessional view of not only yourself but also the clients you are representing. This is one problem that can be easily resolved by downloading the Grammarly extension. It’s free and keeps your content looking that much more professional for your client base.
  2. Open Loops – I remember watching The Office a couple of years back. There was an episode where Jim and Pam finally (and quite scandalously if I might add) kiss. It was the long anticipated moment that we all deep down hoped for because they were so obviously into each other, and well…Roy was not the nicest guy. But then the episode cut and  at that point, I thought to myself, “Wait, what? Do they get together? Will they date? Will Roy punch Jim in his face?” So naturally, I binge-watched the next 10 episodes. Why did I do this? This was not an accident. The producers created a psychological effect called an Open Loop which “pulled” me to want to watch the next episode (or 10). The lack of resolution made me continue. Resolution is something we all crave. We can implement this same psychological principle to generate more leads. We need to create Open Loops within our copy that was to pull the audience to “watch 10 more episodes” of whatever “show” you are playing. Create a question or something that draws the reader in to continue reading by dangling something in front of them without giving everything upfront. This is an Open Loop.
  3. Star, Chain, Hook – The Star is you/your business/what you offer. The Chain is the surrounding, supporting evidence that validates the Star. Lastly, the Hook is the call to action. The key ingredient in this writing formula is the chain. The chain is the supporting facts/statistics/analytics/evidence that validates you and what you are offering (the Star). This is the factual and emotional argument that you are right, and your audience needs to join you. These facts form a chain that envelopes you to your future clients. This is where the call to action comes in. So you’ve presented the Star (you as a company or your services) and you have also laid out the Chain (the facts as to why going with you is more advantageous) and now it’s time for the Call to Action. At this point, you want to gently put pressure to encourage your readers to make a decision. Like Voldemort from Harry Potter. Just kidding. But you get the idea. Present who you are. Lay out the chain links of why you are the winner to go with, and then ask them to join your dark army.

Let’s say you are representing a coffee company’s social media campaign. What does this company’s definition of success look like? This is the motivation behind the star you are presenting to the public. This is the question that you are answering for others. Why should they buy their coffee? Figure this out, and present the star proudly and confidently to the general public. After this shiny beautiful star is presented, it’s time to reinforce why it’s the best coffee. It’s time to describe, link by link, evidence by evidence, why their coffee is the best. You could describe the low carbon footprint the company makes, the exquisite attention to detail they pour over every cup of coffee they make, and the social impact they strive to achieve. Lastly, the hook. A hook grabs people. Now we lay before our audience not only the reasons why this coffee is better than all others, but the reason they need it. This coffee is ethically sourced. This coffee supports these farmers. This coffee is the way coffee is supposed to be made. These hooks are nudging people to make a choice. This choice can be blatant: “Come on by today” or it can be not as obvious “We are open all day Saturday”. The choice is yours as you factor in other elements from your campaign.

With these 3 principals, your copywriting skills will hit the stratosphere! There are an endless plethora of social media marketing resources out there that are available. A lot of this content was inspired from content on Buffer’s website which is another great resource for those wanting to learn.

The marketing game is entirely other-centric. Our job is to help you and your job do well. To win. And because when you win, we win. By being proactive, we close the gap in preventing mistakes, creating better content, crushing the competitors, and making the world a better place. Let’s get writing!

Graphic Design services in {{lpg_city}} can be used to help your business grow

Getting More Out Of Your CMS

Posted on | by The AD Leaf Studio Central FL
Marketing, Website Design

Every Content Management System or CMS has its own sets of advantages and disadvantages. A CMS really gives the power to website creators and website owners to add content and change or modify it as needed. How well it can build a website for your business depends on your skills to deploy it and market it. Here are some useful facts to consider when trying to get the most out of your CMS.

Customization

Every CMS allows for some amount of customization, some allow a lot more than others with the availability of themes and plugins. Plugins are what really allow you to expand on what your CMS is capable of right out of the box. Many CMSs can be enhanced with add-ons and plugins that can turn a basic blog into an e-commerce site, a forum, or a web application. Your plans for the new site could steer you towards one or two Content Management Systems that offer the plugins that you’ll need.

Usability

You don’t need knowledge of HTML or CSS to edit your website if you use a CMS. a CMS offers editing tools are provided for you in a clean and simple way and there’s very little to learn. Some CMSs do include complex content editors that are similar to popular document processing software, and some let you edit page content in a live view. If you ever have a problem using your CMS, many of the popular platforms have very large and well-established communities full or users that extend their expertise and help users with solving their problems on the platform.

SEO Responsiveness

You should never use a CMS platform that does not assure you about the site’s search engine optimization. While it’s true that most CMSs are equipped with search optimization tools, their effectiveness varies. You won’t be able to make your website prominent in the search engines without the proper tools that are needed to boost a site’s rank position. You need to be careful in picking the platform that has inbuilt SEO features or SEO features that can be easily added with the help of a plugin.

If you aren’t using a content management system to manage your website content, making the switch will certainly save you a lot of time, money, and frustration. The key is to choose the right CMS that closely aligns with the functions, extensions, and flexibility that you require.