What does happiness at work really achieve?

Happy people fix problems instead of complaining about them, they have more energy and are therefore more efficient at everything they do, have a more optimistic outlook and optimists are way more successful and productive.
Happy people are way more motivated – when you’re happy and relaxed, you’re much more open to learning new things at work and therefore increase your productivity. When you’re happy at work the occasional mistake doesn’t bother you much. You pick yourself up, learn
from it and move on. You also don’t mind admitting to others that you screwed up, but you simply take responsibility, apologize and fix it. This relaxed attitude means that fewer mistakes are made, and that you’re more likely to learn from them.
Happy people make better, more informed decisions and are able to prioritize their work. If people are in a good mood on a given day, they’re more likely to have creative ideas, and in our line of work creative ideas are the most important ones!
There seems to be a cognitive process that sets up when people are feeling good, and this leads to more flexible, fluent and original thinking.
So what do I do to make everyone at the office simply happier? It’s just simple things, but these little things make a huge change to someone’s perspective when they have a busy schedule. So I make it a priority to help others in the office when I’m a little loose from my own work – it could be anything from a phone call to filing to chasing payments etc. but a tiny bit of help here and there makes everyone feel better. Even a smile while passing in the corridor helps, so my main job is keeping a nice big smile on my face, it helps everyone to see a happy face in the office.
I love baking and baking makes me happy, so I also bring some of my happiness to work – and believe me everyone feels happier when there is a cake in the kitchen!

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But why?

First of all – can you think of anyone who doesn’t like a little bit of humour sprinkled into their mundane day-to-day life? We’re guessing you can’t.
Second of all there are a couple of reasons as to why showing your fun side is the way to go. Let’s explore a few of them.

It makes you memorable

Most of the time, when people think of big companies they think of the standard white office cubicles with fitted carpeting and a struggling office plant. They think about people working their daily 9 to 5 in white shirts and black trousers or skirts. They think of fluorescent lighting and dull lunches.
Okay, this probably isn’t completely true – but let’s be honest when you think ‘professional’ you’re not exactly excited. Well, no need to worry because over the years companies have learnt that you can be professional  and still be fun – Google is a perfect example.
By introducing some humour into your marketing campaigns you become more memorable – if you manage to make people laugh, or even simply smile, then you’ve managed to create a positive impression. Psychologically this means that followers will associate your brand with a positive message which will make you more memorable.
Apart from that humour can also help you stand out from the rest of the crowd.
Think about Christmas adverts. Most marketers will go to the end of the World to figure out how best to tug on your heartstrings and have you reaching for the tissues. Their strategy is to connect with their audiences through emotion (which is quite a successful way of doing things). However humour might give you the edge you need.

Why?

Because while everyone else is showing tear-jerkers which make you all warm and fuzzy inside but eventually get a bit predictable, you could be making people laugh. Let’s face it – the reality is that Christmas time family gatherings will hardly ever look like the ones we see in adverts. So why not laugh about the real situation?
Ikea did this brilliantly with their 2014 #XmasNoMatterWhat advert. They showed the reality of Christmas – the messed up cables, the burnt dinner, the failed gingerbread house. This would create a sense of relateability with their audience because after all none of us are perfect and we’ve all had those table-flip moments.
The genius behind the ad though is that while it’s funny because people can relate to it, there’s still a subtle insertion of those Christmassy warm and fuzzy feelings… because after all it’s Christmas. Check it out for yourself.

It creates engagement

People will engage with things that make them happy. Positivity breeds more positivity and creates a whole cycle of happy. What’s more is that humour is entertaining- it’s shareable and connects people because everyone loves a good laugh.
This can be seen very clearly when interacting with followers on social media. You could go down the usual professional route where the people replying to messages are somewhat robotic, or you could add a touch of friendliness and credibility by allowing the people behind your company to be themselves and show their human side.
Followers don’t want to feel like a number – they want to feel as though they’re talking to a real person, because after all they are. So by allowing your employee’s personalities to shine through you’ll be establishing a connection with the person on the other end.
So if someone writes something funny in your comments, a witty comeback (which doesn’t insult them) could win you points.
Old Spice and Cadbury have high engagement due to their quick wit.


Of course there are a few things you need to keep in mind – such as never crossing the thin line between being funny and being offensive, and that just because you make something funny it doesn’t mean it will work.
There’s a lot of thought that goes into marketing strategies and you must always think of every aspect and every little thing that could go wrong. Always come up with a plan B and always ensure that what you’re doing fits in with your company’s brand.
There is one golden rule you really have to follow though – you can’t have fun campaigns if the office life in your company is similar to that of a wilted lettuce leaf. If you want to have fun campaigns then you’ve got to be fun- otherwise you’re simply setting yourself up for failure.
Here at Switch we’re huge fans of fun. Feel free to drop us a line if you’d like to inject some humour into your campaigns and need some ideas!

The post H is for Humour appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

Someone who is tracking a particular person, group, organisation, etc. on a social media website or application: she remains an immensely divisive figure, but she has a million followers on Facebook – The Oxford Dictionaries

Followers – they can make or break your brand.
How do you get them? What do you do with them? Are they really  that important?
These are all questions which will flit through any social media savvy person’s mind, but in truth these questions have been around for ages – even before social media.
Brands have always worked diligently at increasing their fan base – why? Because more people means more customers and that means more money.
There are many aspects to followers and there’s a lot that can be said about them, so here’s a breakdown.

What followers can do for you

Followers can do a variety of things. They can actually become paying customers, they can be ambassadors for your brand – preaching their love for it with everyone they meet, they can create engagement, and they can also generate content. If you show them love – they’ll show you double the amount.
Followers are like a group of hard working ants, they’ll work together to help build your brand and their loyalty will reap great rewards.

What you can do for your followers

It’s simple – show them you care. You’ve got to build a relationship with your followers – neglect them and they’ll give up on you. But if you treat them with respect and interact with them on a human level you’ll be showing that they’re important – which they are, because these days your brand is nothing if it doesn’t have followers.
Simply organising giveaways, sharing their content, or even sending out a thank you note every once in a while will make sure you’ve got a permanent place in their heart. At the end of the day we all want to be appreciated, these people are human beings and your brand should be human.

So how do you get them?

This is probably the million dollar question everyone keeps asking. Marketers work their fingers to the bones trying to come up with creative ways of attracting more followers, some going to crazy lengths and spending far too much money on this. The reality is that it’s not that hard – you just need to have a good head on your shoulders and the will to work.
There is off course the easy way out, and this is to go down the desperate route and simply follow hundreds of people in the hopes that they’ll follow you back. This might work on a short term scale – but in the long run you’ll end up with a skewed follow to follower ratio and probably won’t have valuable followers who genuinely care.
If you put a little bit of effort into it though you could end up with a healthy list of followers. Just follow these tips:

• Social media flirting – Spend some time each day going through the particular social media platform. Look for people with similar interests and like their posts. Comment on things you find very interesting, and where possible interact with people who don’t have a huge following. Going for the smaller users first will help you – they love receiving attention from brands as this makes them feel important, so go ahead and see what they’re up to. They might just provide you with inspiration!
• Create valuable content – If you want people to share your content then you’ve got to make sure it’s interesting. Get creative, share motivational or useful tips, and invest in high quality copy and visuals. With a bit of effort you’ll quickly get people sharing your content – increasing your brand’s visibility.
• Remain relevant – Get with the times, involve yourself in current trends, just make sure that the trend is in some way applicable to your brand.
• Cater for your audience – Don’t share the exact same content on all your social media platforms. Write specific copy for specific platforms so that you appeal to your readers. An instagram style post wouldn’t be effective on LinkedIn and vice versa.
• Be consistent – You’ve got to have a plan. Posting sporadically will mean that you’re not constantly at the top of your followers’ minds. So keep things regular in order to see great improvements.
• Analyse – this is perhaps one of the most important things in digital marketing. Crunch the numbers and see which posts do really well and why. Look into your audience’s demographics and learn from your mistakes.

The above are actually pretty simple – they just require dedication, but with a minimum of an hour a day you could boost your brand’s presence on social media and acquire loyal, loving followers who will be more than happy to shout our about how amazing you are.
Remember, it’s quality over quantity – you’re better off having 90 followers who really love your brand than 900 who never engage with you! If you’re stuck in a rut we’re happy to help, why not drop us a line?

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Okay, so technically this isn’t one word. Forgive us for this one, but we felt it was far too important not to mention.
Those of you who are number crunching analysts might be wondering why we’ve decided to pull a Dr. Phil, but don’t worry – we’ll make it worth your while.
Developing relationships is important for obvious reasons, but in the world of Digital Marketing these reasons are sometimes forgotten. We get so caught up in calls to action, growth hacking, and KPIs that we forget what the root to all successful digital marketing is.
Marketing has always been linked to humans, stories, and relationships. Just because it has moved onto the digital aspect it doesn’t mean that this is any different. We don’t call them Social Media platforms for nothing.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, Blogs…. you name it – they all involve a complex network of relationships. If the relationships were to end then so would the social media platforms.
So in what world would it make sense to create a marketing strategy which checks all the boxes but forgets about that one fundamental core – the development of relationships?

How do you do it?

You can’t exactly instantly become best friends with your consumers (without coming across as creepy) – but you can slowly build and develop a relationship with them.

Show them you’re human

If you want them to love you you’re going to give them something to love. Show that your brand is made of real people, not zombies.

Engage in conversation

Don’t be afraid to talk to your consumers. Ask them questions and reply in a genuine manner.
Simply using your first name could make all the difference.

Share content which they can relate to

Sometimes all it takes is a simple post which makes them smile. It could be as easy as a post related to Monday morning madness, or something about the weekend.

Be a Social Listener

Keep an eye on what people are saying about your brand. Do they love it or hate it and why? Reward those who love you and speak to those who have any problems.

Why do you do it?

You do it because you can. You do it because you’re human, and part of being human is the development of relationships. Gone are the days when companies shout at their audience in an attempt to get their attention. 2015 is the year of Human to Human marketing, so make it your aim to start developing relationships with your audiences in order to earn their loyalty.
If you’re still struggling to understand why developing relationships is so important then take a look at this:

So tell us… will you be bringing the love back?

The post D for Developing relationships appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

Digital is Human

We launched recently and already have a tonne of responses (and we haven’t even started boosting properly yet!). Digital is Human will be a series of free lessons on marketing for humans and two lessons will be uploaded in the form of blog posts every week. We kick off on the 2nd of June with Rik’s post which will be an introductory one. This is going to be a huge team effort and is the first of it’s kind on this beloved rock of ours.

 

^ Jus’ sayin’

BeeWits

If you haven’t heard, BeeWits has pretty much exploded thanks to the Hourly Rate Generator Tool
We’ve also got over 1000 subscribers to the BeeWits newsletter (1663 to be precise) … that’s not quite over 9000 but we’re getting there! We’ve been mentioned on LifeHacker.com, FastCoDesign, CreativeBloq, DesignTaxi and Contently and it generated more than 2000 shares over Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn etc and @BeeWitsApp got mentioned and retweeted hundreds of times

also here’s a lovely blog post which will give you great resources if you need some contracts.

The Office Bloggers

Simon’s blog post has just been published and you can find out what he has to say about client/agency relationships – really worth a read! Teri will be up next with hers.

The A-Z of Digital Marketing

We’ve gone back to primary school and started a new series of blog posts (no more 10 before 10:00) called The A to Z of Digital Marketing. Monday’s blog post was on A for analyse, next Monday’s will be B for Brand, the week after that will be C for Content, the week after that will be D for Devel- you see where this is going.

 

The Intro Series

Here’s Richard’s guide for writing a Digital Brief, part of the Intro series – a series of blog posts served to provide an introduction to digital marketing and which explains particular topics in more detail.

Aaaand that’s it.
Quite a productive week if I may say so myself!

Of course we do more than send out office e-mails in order to improve our office spirits. We emphasise team work in everything we do, “Stop collaborate and listen” is more than just a Vanilla Ice lyric for us – it’s policy. That’s why every Friday we meet in the boardroom for a brain storming session where each week a different member of staff puts together a presentation, game, or team building activity.

Apart from that we’ve got The Office Bloggers series where every week a different person from the office writes a blog post about what it is that interests them about their job. This shines a light on everyone’s work and shows the dynamic characters found in an industry like ours while giving a voice to even the quietest person in the office.
If that’s not enough we’ve got the ultimate secret weapon which brings us all together – a love of food. To some of us food is functional, to others it’s a passion – either way, the quickest and easiest way to get us all into a room for a chat and a laugh is through food.It’s also the best way into our hearts, so if you ever show up on our doorstep please bring cookies.
So what do you think – is it time for you to focus more on the people behind the work? Is it time for you to become more human?

The post How to keep colleagues in the loop appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

Trust the agency’s expertise, but share all of yours

It seems terribly self-serving to start with this point, but it’s true. The reason a client comes to an agency should not be solely about knowledge in implementation, but about our expertise in delivering a sound strategy too. We can’t stress this point enough. No matter whether you were a digital marketing expert 6 months ago or whether you’ve never run a digital campaign in your life – trust the experts with the strategy, but have blind faith in their tactics.
The online marketing scenario changes daily, and a good digital marketing agency reads up about the industry obsessively. If you want to be ahead of the curve, then trust their knowledge, but make sure you brief them well. We might know a hell of a lot about online marketing, but you need to teach us all there is to know about your industry, your audience and your objectives.

Always “start with why”

Simon Sinek coined the term globally, but we’ve been saying it (in a slightly different context) before we heard of him (yeah, we’re hipsters that way). Hubspot have a great article about applying “Start with why” to marketing but we also like to apply starting with why to our briefing process.
So ask yourself (and tell us): Why do I want to run this campaign? What is it that is driving you to come to an agency to run a digital campaign? This is different to defining the campaign goals – we’re not after whether you want more leads or more impressions, we’re after the reason that drove you to start working on a brief and put money behind the campaign, specifically online.
Also ask yourself why you’re going to an agency, and what you hope to achieve by working with one.

Define goals

Once you’ve understood why you’re going to start an online project, be it a campaign or a solution, then it’s time to start defining your goals. Painting a clear picture of what you hope to achieve from the exercise will help the agency understand better what you will be judging their performance on.
Goals can vary greatly based on the type of job you’ll be giving your agency, but make sure you take the time to sit down and discuss whether your targets are realistic and whether they make business sense at the end of the day. It might be very fancy to say I want to reach 1,000 Facebook likes by the end of the month – but if you’re marketing a product that is bought by enterprise-level CEOs, then that might not be the right goal to be aiming for at this point in time.

Define audience

Which brings us to the audience. As I stated earlier, we know our stuff, but you know your stuff better. So tell us who your ideal target audience is, and we’ll go after them like a heat-seeking missile.
Be very clear when communicating this though, and let us know whether this audience is the one that will naturally be attracted to your product or service, or whether it is a new market that you would like to tap into. Both goals can be achieved, but they need very different approaches.

Be clear about budgets

“Online marketing is free, though, right?” Erm. No. “But I know how to boost posts on Facebook, so I can handle it myself, right?” Erm. No. We usually point our customers in the direction of my micro introduction to online advertising (and part 2) at this Online marketing, when managed correctly, offers a phenomenal return on investment, but it’s far from free.
So next time you’re looking for a digital marketing provider, set a budget for your campaigns. If you’re lost, get in touch with one and you can get a list of suggestions. Don’t make one mistake, however. Don’t come to an agency like ours and define the amount of “airtime” spend vs agency fees (we’ve had this happen to us, really). Any self-respecting agency will show you the door. If you’re used to spending 10% of your “airtime” on production fees for something like TV or print, then think again.
A TV ad is filmed once and shown repeatedly, so whether you show it once or a 100 times, there is only one contract to be negotiated and signed. You’re done in a few hours and you see the commission rolling in every time the ad is shown.
Digital ad campaigns are very different. They take constant monitoring and tweaking and need to be reported on regularly. And that’s just advertising. If you want to see your ROI shoot up you should be working on an inbound marketing strategy – ratios there would usually be closer to 80:20 (fees:ad spend), but your return on investment will usually go up by about 60%. Remember, it’s not who you spend your money with that counts, it’s what you get out of it.

Tell us what you love

Okay, so I already said you should not dictate strategy, but hey, this does not mean I don’t want to hear your side of the story. Digital marketing is human after all, and we need to communicate your story in a way that reflects your (and your brand’s) personality.
If you’re after a development project, then it is far more important for you to tell us what other sites you like using and what the market leaders in your field are doing. If you can, also tell us why you love what you love – tell us why you think a particular site is working.

Tell us what you hate

This is just as important. We don’t want to offend anyone with our efforts, and we sure as hell don’t want to have an irate customer on our hands because we designed a site in a way that does not work for them.
Just as crucially, you should be in a perfect position to tell us what your customers hate. So tell us, and tell us at this not after we’ve spent three weeks coming up with a creative concept. Remember, at this stage marketing transcends political correctness. So if you have an audience that would go better with a particular minority or would have a great problem with another one, let us know now and we’ll keep it in mind.

Tell us what to keep in mind

Sometimes clients also have wild-cards. They have agreements with personalities, they have brands they can’t compete with or others they have to compete with, suppliers they have to use (or avoid) etc. Let us know about these as early as possible.
This can change the way a campaign or project goes drastically, so it is imperative that we know before we work on it. So if your e-commerce site needs to plug into your cash register – give us the brand at brief stage so we can look into the technology that will join them together now, not a week before we launch the site.

Finally

Remember: “If you fail to communicate, you’re communicating failure”, goes the oft-quoted mantra. Which is why there is no surer road to creative failure than a miscommunicated and subsequently misunderstood job.
Take your time to come up with the best brief possible and you will be sure to reap the rewards at the end of the campaign. You’ll also have a happier agency – and hey, we’re human too 🙂

The post Your Guide to Writing a Digital Brief – The Intro Series appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

You care

Start by working on having a genuine care and concern for your customers’ goals, objectives and needs. This is the foundation for everything you hope to build with them. It can work with B2B too, if you keep in mind that there is a person sitting at the heart of every business decision.
As marketers and brand stewards, client relationship is key. The structure and goal of individual campaigns may change from time to time, but if you think about it a little, there is always one constant: We are all seeking to move a person to take action, to buy our product and to do business with us. Ultimately, those people won’t do business with a logo or a mission statement, they’ll do business with people they know, like and trust.
If you keep this relationship in mind and speak to them truthfully, as regular people, using a voice that is both clear and authentic, you’ll begin to build that trust you’re after.

You collaborate

Social platforms are here to stay, and as we’ve said over and over again, it’s no longer an option for brands to avoid the social media landscape. The most successful companies to use it won’t be the ones using social to market to their customers, but those marketing with them. (Last week’s post was all about ‘being social’ as opposed to ‘doing social’, if you missed it.)
Giving customers a seat at the table has never been easier or more important, and this is where collaboration with affiliates comes in.
According to the 2014 Ipsos Social Influence Study, user-generated content is more memorable to readers, and 50% trust it more than they trust other media. In fact, millennials trust peer reviews a lot more than they trust professional ones – think about your online shopping habits: don’t you check the user reviews before you place an order?
You can use peer reviews to your advantage to make your brand more trustworthy. A collaborative approach that focuses on including your customers will make the conversation around your brand more positive – a refreshing change to the old approach of interrupting clients to blast them with one-way messages, don’t you think?
This is exactly why we at Switch Digital are in constant contact with the largest network of bloggers on the island. Through collaboration with bloggers, we’re able to encourage and, to a certain extent, manage the creation of quality blog posts that generate trustworthy brand awareness among blog readers.
Tapping into resources like this could get your brand well on its way towards becoming a household name through effective endorsements and quality affiliate marketing.

You inspire

Heart-centered marketing is what won President Obama his 8 years in office. The same strategy can also sell anything from an idea, to a service, to a bottle of water.
By getting to know your customers through the collaborative dialogue we just discussed, you’ll learn what it is that drives them on an emotional level. More importantly, you’ll be able to give them exactly what they want. You could speak to them with confidence, knowing that that you are offering something they find valuable. Just like Obama did.
The results will then speak for themselves: People will give you ‘likes’ because they actually like you, not because you badgered them into it. People will know about you because you’ve taken the time to get to know them. People will appreciate that you have invested in the relationship and listened to them. And when you then speak from the heart with the intention to better your customer’s life in some way, you will leave people feeling inspired.
TL;DR – What’s love got to do with it? As it turns out, a whole lot.
Finding the authentic voice of your brand and respecting your customers enough to develop and cultivate a real relationship with them will lead to a win-win scenario which seriously pays off in terms of long-term equity and loyalty. Heart-centered marketing FTW!

The post Be Trustworthy: Why heart-centered marketing could be your game-changer. appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

Everyone wants to “do social”, when in reality, the secret is to be social

Let’s backtrack a bit and think about this for a second. Social media is called social for a reason. Nowadays, everyone is always online, always accessible and always sharing things that strike them as valuable – including their favourite brands. Now, more than ever, people turn to social media as a way to stay connected and up-to-date with the brands they love. This makes authenticity, transparency and real-time engagement for brands a must.

Think about the time you spend on networks: you scroll through posts from friends and colleagues telling you about their last meal, trip or shopping spree. Chances are, you click through to the people or organisations tagged in the post to find out more. Within seconds of landing on that page, you make a decision to stay and engage with the page or to jump ship altogether. That split-second decision is based on your immediate perception of the page. Does that sound about right to you?
First impressions are everything. Being open, genuine and authentic on the digital landscape means a great deal to the audience that wants to genuinely engage with your brand on social. Many brands struggle with this, probably because they find words like ‘genuine’ and ‘authentic’ rather… vague. But it’s important to find your own, personal voice to have an even bigger impact on the social sphere. This is not a new concept: Forbes mentioned in 2011 that the battle for social media authenticity is about showcasing the human side of your business to make your audience truly feel a part of your brand. Authenticity builds credibility – be real, be genuine and above all, make sure that your motivations aren’t manipulative (fans will sniff that out in a second).
It’s not that alien a concept, if you think about it. Just look at your personal relationships: they’re built on trust and communication, and it’s safe to say that transparency and engagement are two key priorities. The question is, how do you make it work with your brand?

That’s easy – start with the humans

It really is that simple. People like people, and the easiest way to connect with an audience is to show that your brand is made up of people just like them. After all, if it wasn’t for the people on your team, there wouldn’t be much of a brand, would there? Embrace their individual values and leverage them – everyone, from the top of the ladder all the way to the bottom rung. Write about them, give your audience a peek at the behind-the-scenes and be the leader of the conversations taking place about you and your brand by giving your audience something to talk about!
Now, before you roll your eyes, let’s quickly bring this back to you: the business owner. That’s right, there is business-sense in all of this. We are living in the age of the consumer: the key driver of your product or service and the person behind the all-important purchase decisions you’re looking to influence. Those consumers are the reason behind being social.
In short, treat your customers like insiders. Remember that sharing is caring and give your brand advocates something positive to share with the world. Talk with them, not at them, and build a dialogue that encourages your customers to interact and support your brand. We’re positive that with enough effort, this will lead to social media success.
Want to know more about improving your social media marketing strategy? This might be what you’re looking for. 

The post Be Human: Why brand authenticity reigns in social media appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

It’s all about the timing

Schedule your emails, tweets, updates and blog posts to go live at a time that’s suitable for your audience.
When’s that? Well, that depends on three things:

– The platform you’re using: Twitter is usually buzzing around lunchtime, while LinkedIn is always a ghost town on Fridays. Think about the network you’re using before scheduling posts.

– The audience you’re targeting: If your audience works from 9 to 5, for instance, try to publish Facebook posts during the afternoon slump, as most people won’t check social media during the morning rush.

– The type of engagement you’re after: Looking to build awareness about a promotion? That’s great material for early mornings posts, when people sneak a quick peek at their phones over coffee. Do you want people to read your blog posts? Save it for late afternoons, when people will have more time to spend.

While these guides are a safe start, we would definitely recommend running your own tests before deciding on a time – every brand is different, after all.

Respond to direct interactions from followers

One of the most important things you can do within your profiles is to respond to any direct messages or comments you’ve received from followers or fans. Remember that these interactions represent people who have made the effort to engage with your brand on a higher level than simply viewing your content.
Whether the interaction is good or bad (in the case of possible negative reviews) it’s imperative that you respond to them as quickly as possible to return the effort in making that connection. Not only will you create a connection with a potential client, but it will also humanise your company profile and make it more accessible for future visitors to contact you directly.

Add a call to action

Do you want people to click? Ask them to. Want them to comment? Let them know.
Social followers are often so overloaded with information on their news feeds that it takes a clearly defined request to encourage them to take action. According to the Buddy Media report, Facebook posts with questions generate 92% higher comment rates than posts without questions, so a clear call to action could make all the difference to your post engagement.
As for Twitter, well, see for yourself:

A word of caution – please, please do not ask questions on every single one of your posts. Moderation is key, and overdoing it could make your posts less engaging and more annoying in the long run.

Use images

It’s about a lot more than a pretty picture: Kissmetrics finds that posts that include photos attract 53% more ‘likes’, 104% more comments and 84% more click-throughs than posts that are purely text-based.
It makes sense, if you think about it: As humans, it’s in our nature to communicate visually, and most people process images a lot quicker than text.
Here’s the caveat, though: Posting a stock image of a pretty face won’t do much. Ideally, your chosen pictures should be self-explanatory. The most obvious example of these are graphs or infographics, images that don’t need a caption to be understood. All in all however, the use of good visuals in your posts will make them more sharable and engaging. And bang on cue, here’s an impressive little graph to demonstrate the effectiveness of images in tweets, courtesy of Buffer:
 There you have it – 4 tips to improve your social media marketing effectiveness. Making small improvements like these could get you to know your audience better and interact with them on their terms. By making it easy and attractive for them to engage with you, you can elevate your brand and continue to drive revenue through your efforts. Not bad for 140 characters or less.
Want to know more about improving your social media marketing strategy? This might be what you’re looking for. 

The post Be Effective: 4 Tips to improve your social media marketing strategy appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.