Two Questions To Ask Yourself Before Your Brand Joins Snapchat

Snapchat is one of the most popular social media apps and one of the fastest growing of 2015. But is the app right fit for your brand? This app allows users to take videos and pictures that only display on your screen for a limited amount of time. Some brands have found creative ways to use the app to reach their audience but trust us when we say, this app is not for everyone. Here are the two questions we think are the most important to ask yourself or your team before making Snapchat a part of your marketing campaign.

1. Does My Audience Use Snapchat?

The Who: Snapchat is extremely popular among millenials with 71% of users being under the age of 25. If your audience is this generation, then Snapchat might just be an option for you. With no real data or metrics to see how much individuals are engaging with your brand, knowing that out of 100 million users each month, the majority of them will be your target demographic, is pretty strong. Make sure that you understand your audience and that more importantly, it fits the demographic that is using Snapchat.

The Where: North America, has the highest percentage of Snapchat usage. If your product is only available in Australia, Snapchat may not be the most strategic move.

Understanding the who and where of your target audience is important when deciding if Snapchat is right for your brand.

2. Is my brand/product visual enough for Snapchat?

Make sure that your brand is visual or personal enough for Snapchat. Snapchat is about telling a story or showing what is happening in the moment. Many brands have created ways to infiltrate Snapchat into very specific campaigns. The NBA successfully announced Kevin Durant as the league’s MVP and NARS announced their new collection. Both were genius ways to use Snapchat to reach a specific audience. If your brand is not very visual or doesn’t have ways to engage an audience with quick tidbits of videos throughout the day, week or month, don’t spend a ton of time on Snapchat.

Snapchat is rapidly growing with more than 1 billion stories being viewed per day and 400 million snaps sent per day. Its an exciting feature that more brands are starting to use, but don’t force it. Focus on social platforms that will work for you.

For more help with social media and communications for your brand, please email us at info@theburnetteagency.com or contact us here.

Did Social Media RUIN Public Relations?

A few months back, I met with a friend who insisted that social media was ruining public relations (insert eye roll emoji here). This friend expressed her concern about potential clients who see the word public relations and automatically think social media. But, is that really such a bad thing for the industry?

When I was in school at THE Florida State University, the social media craze was just beginning. Facebook, the social powerhouse was expanding its reach. Twitter was all the rage. And LinkedIn was changing the entire professional networking makeup. Social media was making its mark and in my biased opinion, public relations, was the only industry that could easily integrate social media into their current work. Marketing enthusiasts may argue this point. But the truth of the matter is that marketing and social media became much better partners when targeted posts, advertisements and more tangible components of measurable bottom line effects were put into place.

In the mid 2000’s PR firms jumped on the idea of offering their clients more than just the one off press release and pitch to targeted media outlets. They were able to use the communications materials they already had and their thorough knowledge of their clients’ brand, and turn it into social media content that would help in building beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.

Social media, before the heavy revenue generating days of pay to play, embodied the essence of public relations. Mutually beneficial relationships. And it still does!

That is why so many PR firms created digital teams to better serve their clients. We already had the message. We already knew what the brand was trying to portray. And now, instead of having to convince reporters to talk about our clients we had a direct line to the very customers our clients were trying to get in front of.

Social media, changed public relations, but it didn’t wipe public relations out. Too many times, we see articles about the press release being dead; or about public relations professionals not being able to build relationships with reporters. All of these are just excuses. The press release isn’t dead. Maybe your story just isn’t compelling.

The art of traditional public relations may not be as heavily taught as it once was, but it is still effective. Especially, when used in conjunction with social media.

Social media changed the face of PR. Any PR professional would agree. Whether you think it is ruining public relations, well that is a rather close-minded opinion.

Marcus Lemonis, said it best, ‘If you’re not evolving, your dying.’

Clearly many PR firms didn’t want to dig their own grave by ignoring the social boom. By quickly evolving to integrate social media into their list of services, some would say, that social media saved PR! But… that is another blog post for another day!

Let’s just leave with this, public relations and social media are two separate entities that when used together properly, can do wonders for your business.

Do you think social killed PR?  Sound off below!

The Burnette Agency offers public relations and social media services to a variety of clients. For more information on our services, please visit our website or email us at info@theburnetteagency.com

Do You Think Your Brand Is Wasting Time On The Wrong Social Platforms?

Time and time again, we hear companies say that they are having a hard time keeping up with all of their social media channels. They’ve been told, that it is critical for their brand to be on every social media platform available.

We couldn’t disagree more.

Trying to be social everywhere can be a disaster. Sure, if you have a dedicated team that is solely focused on managing your social media sites and can strategically and effectively handle each platform, then the idea of social ubiquity is appealing. But even still, is it the right step for your brand?

When trying to decide which social platforms to be on, ask yourself the following questions.

1. Are your potential clients on this social network? - This should be the first and arguably the only question you ask yourself or your team when choosing if a social platform is right for your brand. If the goal is to connect with clients and increase revenue, what is the point of being on a social platform if your audience is not there? You will be wasting time and money existing on a platform that will not be able to show you any return on your investment.

2. Is your brand a good fit for this particular platform? - If you are a diaper company, trying to connect with moms and sell diapers, are you really going to invest in funneling content, photos and the latest discounts on a LinkedIn page? No. You have to understand what each social platform has to offer and if you can strategically use it in your social media marketing strategy. If not, it is okay say that a particular platform may not be the best fit for your brand, and move on.

You can’t be everything to everyone and you shouldn’t try to be.  Invest on the social platforms that are the right fit for your brand!

For more information about The Burnette Agency, please e-mail us at info@theburnetteagency.com.

Clickbait. Is Your Brand Guilty?

How would you feel if you clicked on something and it was not even remotely close to what you were expecting?  This my friends, is conveniently called clickbait! Customers hate it when they are baited into clicking an ad or promotion only to find out that it is not what they were looking for.  News sites and brands across the country are luring customers with this unfortunately popular tactic. But is it worth it?

The importance of staying current with trends and topics is one hundred percent necessary. But when the trend of the day is not compatible with your brand, do not try to force it.  This quick fix to get people to your website, blog or product, leaves customers frustrated and makes it less likely for them to click on your content in the future.

All of this can be easily avoided by creating and implementing a strong social media strategy (you can read more about this topic on our blog).   Creating a social strategy will help your team better navigate and sift through relevant topics that fit with your brand.   Many companies are getting it right when it comes to latching their brand to current trends, but there are even more getting it wrong.  Be creative, be current, be organized. But please, whatever you do, don’t try to force your brand into a popular trend just to drive more traffic to your website.  Create a social strategy and stick to it.  You will be pleased with the results and be better prepared for the upcoming trends that align with your brands message.

- The Burnette Agency Team

Take Your Conversation OFF of Twitter

The concept is pretty simple! Don’t have a full-blown conversation with your friends, colleagues, enemies, etc. on Twitter. Twitter is supposed to be used as a micro blog, where individuals, groups or brands come to share tidbits of information that link you back to longer stories or spark a specific conversation of interest. From international news, to sports, to social change, Twitter has become the number one source of news and information for a multitude of topics. So when you start to have a conversation with Sally, Joe or Sue on your timeline, it starts to throw people off.

Utilizing Twitter properly can be subjective. No one can tell you how to use it or what to use it for. That truly is the beauty of social media.  But, if you are trying to grow your twitter following stay away from the back and forth conversations with your friends that are riddled with inside jokes, weekend shenanigans, or random thoughts. Find your niche and really expand upon that. People want value added information when they follow you. Not an insight into your everyday private relationships.

As a rule of thumb keep your conversation to a maximum of two tweets. After that, please move your conversation to a smartphone near you.

Best,

The Burnette Agency Team

The New Layout

Collages are not new.  Since the dawn of the digital era and our desire share every waking moment of our lives, collages have been an easy way to fit as much as we can into one picture.  Thankfully, there are a multitude of apps that can assist us with our digital collages. And, it looks like we have one more that we can welcome on to the scene, Layout.

Layout is a new app produced by Instagram that allows you to place all of your photos into a single image.   Once you open up the app, you are able to choose several photos and the format/arrangement in which you would like them shown. From here, you can flip mirror or change the image before posting on on the social platform of your choice.

There is nothing innovative or terribly interesting about this app. But, it is created by Instagram so the ease in which you can use the app with existing programs is convenient. Plus, we won’t have to worry about those pesky mandated outside logos or app promotions.

Check out Layout and let us know what you think!  Try integrating this into your marketing strategy to showcase several of your products!  Don’t miss out!

For more information or social media assistance, please email info@theburnetteagency.com

To Boost Or Not To Boost?

Boosting posts is an extremely popular option right now. And honestly, sometimes it’s the only way to get people to see your content. Businesses want their posts to be in front of the right audience and rightfully so. But, are you boosting the right posts, the right way, at the right time? Here are some tips to make sure you know that you’re successfully boosting the right content.

The only way to know if you’re “boosting” the correct posts, is to do your research. Every single post does not need to be boosted because every post is not going to appeal to current or potential customers. Make sure that you study your audience, understand your demographic and document their trends. This will help you determine what posts should and shouldn’t be boosted.   We generally feel that there are three MAIN types of posts that you should boost:

1. Posts that send people back to your website
   • Think about it this way. You are spending X amount of dollars on a post that is essentially acting as an ad. When you place an ad you are trying to generate a sale or build brand awareness. Boosted posts should work to either increase website traffic or get people to like your Facebook page so that they can learn more about your brand.
2. Posts that endorse sales
   • If you have a product or service that is going to be on sale and you are trying to announce it to your followers or a specific audience (for a short period of time), a boosted post is a great option. This can quickly help you get the message out and get in front of the right audience without having to create a full blown ad set.
3. Posts that give tips/advice to your audience
   • People love tips or ideas on how to better use the products they’ve invested in. If you have ideas, blogs, tips, etc. that are going to add value to the consumer, boost away! This will get your message in front of the right audience and if done right, can generate a multitude of shares.

Boosting posts can be great for your business if done right. Don’t boost every single post. It is a waste of money and not the point. Be strategic about it and implement it into your social media strategy.   Organic reach is still important so we try to always let a post sit for 2 hours to generate organic likes and shares!

- The Burnette Agency Team

For more questions or help with your social media, e-mail: infor@theburnetteagency.com

Retweet Me. Somebody. Anybody.

 

The Twitter world is brutal, it’s honest and it’s real. Everyone is not going to like you and that’s okay.   Accept it, own it, deal with it! But don’t sweat it.   With millions of followers, Twitter has so much content, until it hurts! You can’t possibly read every tweet of individuals you follow, or keep up with all of the conversations that are going on. But, you can keep your Twitter sanity and still add value to an audience near you!   Here’s how.

1. Be You
   • No one wants to be friends or follow, anyone who is being anyone but him or her self. Twitter is an extension of you. It is an extension of your brand. Make sure that what you are saying and how you are saying it reflects your style and the points you are trying to get across. There is no need to try to be something for the sake of followers. Authenticity wins you points and keeps you consistent.
2. Be Relevant
   • Talking about last week’s news is not going to get you more followers. In fact, it will lose you quite a few. Make sure that what you are talking about is relevant to what is going on within your community. Tie topics into what’s hot in the news at the moment and piggy back off of hashtags that may coincide with your posts or conversations. As long as it’s a proper connection, it is perfectly acceptable.
3. Be Different
   • Posting the same information every day is dreadfully boring. Don’t post the same quotes, talk about the same topics or repopulate the same content over and over again. Switch it up every day for your sanity and for the sanity of others. Also, add your own twist. You are already different. Sprinkle those differences throughout your social conversations.
4. Be Engaging
   • The fact that so many individuals and brands are still not utilizing the visual stimulating capabilities of social media is beyond me. From pictures, to videos, to memes you are able to do so much to engage your audience. Make sure that you aren’t just tweeting 140 characters every day. Throw in a visual image to stimulate your followers and even more importantly, talk with them. If they respond to you, Retweet you, or favorite a post take the time to interact with them. After all social media allows us to connect with others.

At the end of the day it’s not about the amount of followers or the amount of likes or the amount re-tweets. It is about building an audience or a following that is going to interact with you and be interested in the things you have to say. If people don’t care about what you are saying, they aren’t going to follow you.   But be patient, your Twitter following isn’t going to grow over night. Organic social media growth takes time. You will get there.

- The Burnette Agency Team

For more tips or questions email info@theburnetteagency.com

Google Maps + Pac-Man Your Dreams Are Coming True

If you need a mental break today head on over to Google Maps, you won’t be disappointed. Google is giving you the option to turn your map into the iconic Pac-Man arcade game that many of us know and love! Break for a little nostalgia and turn your childhood streets into the Pac-Man like grid that will have you mesmerized for hours! I’m pretty sure our team just spent about a half hour dodging Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde and giving our fingers a little mid-day workout!  We can't get enough of this little treat!  Head on over to Google Maps, click the Pac-Man button at the bottom left of your screen and voila!  

Hope you enjoy!

- The B Team

Georgia + The National Educational Initiative

The Burnette Agency is proud to be a part of the National Educational Initiative (NEI) campaign that is infiltrating states across the country.  Yesterday, February 18th at 9:45 AM, Governor Nathan Deal and John Ratzenberger announced the adoption of the National Educational Initiative in all 932 public middle and high schools in Georgia.  Georgia is the first state to adopt the initiative that  aims to educate students on the importance of manufacturing jobs and eliminate the stigma of a profession that is the backbone of America. We are looking forward to watching states across the country adopt this initiative.  One down, forty-nine to go! Congrats!!

The Impact + Importance of Social Media Data

The Impact + Importance of Social Media Data Here at The Burnette Agency, we are little bit obsessed with data. So it comes as no surprise, that we literally track and measure every aspect of what we do for our clients. Keeping data to many may seem intimidating or just daunting. But it really doesn’t have to be! Social media data in particular is one of our favorites as it is readily available at our fingertips. Here are three reasons why we think you should take data seriously.

1. Track Your Clients Social Media Growth

Every client is different but they will all want to know how social media is benefiting their company/organization. Whether you are tracking likes, follows or posts interaction, knowing the rate at which your clients social media is growing can be a huge benefit for both parties.

2. Grow Your Business

Potential clients love stats! This reigns true for any business but especially when you’re talking about social media. Other organizations want to know what you are capable of doing and want to see how you have helped others grow their brand. Keeping the data on all facets of your client work will only help you to better build a case on why social media is important and necessary.

3. Understand Your Audience

Whether you realize it or not, your audience gives you the key to success.   The more you post, the more you are able to recognize trends. Do your clients respond better to questions, videos, motivational posts, etc.? Understanding your audience is vital and can be a secret weapon in helping you to consistently grow your following.

Data is important and necessary for future strategic growth. Make sure you are taking time to look over your social data so that you can take the necessary steps to optimize your reach. You won’t regret it.

The Burnette Agency can help you with all of your public relations and social media needs.  We would love to work with you. Click here to contact us!

- The Burnette Agency Team

Behind The Logo

“What is that!?”   It is not uncommon for people to ask what our logo is, what it stands for, or what it means. Some may not agree with the philosophy of logo obscurity, but I love the fact that our logo is a conversation starter and enjoy explaining the meaning behind it. The blue oblong structure you see is actually a 3-D lower case b.

I knew from the moment I saw the logo that it perfectly represented The Burnette Agency. The 3-D ‘b‘ shows the creativity of who we are. Its soft edges show our flexibility and willingness to work with clients. And the color, blue, stands for our depth and trustworthiness.

Creating a logo is no simple matter. It takes a vision from the organization and a designer who is willing to stop at nothing to bring that vision to life. Hundreds of companies have logos that started out with no meaning to its consumers. But with consistent brand awareness campaigns, and compelling messaging, many brands have mastered the art of instant logo recognition.

Our hope is that The Burnette Agency and the work we do for our clients will be as unique and as much of a conversation starter as our logo.  Make sure to stay tuned to see how we use the ‘b’ to generate brand awareness.

- The Burnette Agency Team