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What we can learn from TikTok’s Top 100 videos

03/25/2021 by scmarketing

TikTok is on track to hit 1 billion users in 2021, meaning the app has huge potential to grow your business and reach more clients. The question is… how do you stand out on such a large platform?

TikTok has now released an entertaining video called Year on TikTok: Top 100, where they run through the viral videos of 2020. You can also have a look back over the highlights of your personal TikTok year too!

The video contained 100 TikTok videos split into 10 categories:

Vibe Check – ‘cultural moments’
It’s the Meme for Me – the top trends, hashtags, and challenges
Rising Stars – Top Creators
Voices of Change – Most impactful creators
The A-List: Top Celebs
The Playlist: Top Songs
Such a Snack: Top food recipes, trends, and hacks
Glow Up: Top style and beauty trends
Biggest Little Communities: Top niche communities
Extremely TikTok: Top product elements

Now, apart from being great content to watch and enjoy as a social media agency we are always looking at what we can learn from these platforms, here are our takeaways:

The importance of hashtags and trends

10 of the TikToks were chosen based on what the top trends and hashtags were from 2020. It just goes to show how important it is to include relevant hashtags on all your posts. Make sure to do this on all social media platforms!

Explore what type of videos are trending. Look at how are they edited and what features are they using. Are you able to incorporate these trends into your content?

Choosing the right music

Music is key on TikTok. Keep up to date with what songs and backing tracks are popular and see if they could be used in your content. You can also search by song.

Tutorials and how to videos

Categories such as food recipes and beauty tutorials were very popular over 2020. Are there short tutorials or ‘How To’ topics you can film to help promote your business and what you do? For example, perhaps you are a florist and can share some flower arrangement advice.

Use the creative tools

TikTok showcased the most popular content editing tools used by creators. From green screens and voiceovers to collaboration features and colour enhancers, incorporating these features will add some texture to your TikTok.

If you need more advice we have previously explored the best ways to grow your business via this app as well tips on using other social media platforms.

When using any social media channel to grow your business you need a strategic marketing plan to build brand visibility through engaging content to help you generate leads.

At Smart Cow Marketing, we’re experts in creating successful social media marketing campaigns. Why not get in touch for a FREE consultation? We will review your current challenges and future goals, and discuss what marketing options could work for you.

Digital Marketing Croydon Resources

Using social media for inbound marketing

TikTok resource centre

08/19/202203/18/2021 by scmarketing

Social media platforms are vital for building a recognisable brand, think of them as your shop windows. The more platforms you are using the further the outreach you will have, we have plenty of advice on choosing which social media channel to use and how to make the most of them. Although that doesn’t mean you should be on all social channels, they do need to be relevant for your business and your audience. Take a look at our blog ‘is it time to discard any social media platforms’.

The TikTok app phenomenon has taken the world by storm. In a previous blog we broke down the ways TikTok can be used to successfully develop your brand.

TikTok has now created a ‘Resource Centre’ specially for small businesses to show them how to best use the 60 second time slot of a TikTok video.

What the Resource Centre includes

The centre includes a range of successful case studies for inspiration.

There are Creative Tools which allow you to best utilise the app for making professional looking ads. For example, they have video templates and licenced music.

You also have the chance to look worldwide for inspiration. Their Global Insights section allows you to browse creative techniques which have captured the attention of the TikTok community.

The new TikTok Resource Centre should be a key point of reference in any social media marketing campaign.

If your business needs an extra pair of hands, we are experts in creating marketing campaigns including social media marketing strategy. From generating consistent and engaging content on social media to defining your target audience, Smart Cow Marketing has it covered.

Our social media agency in Croydon and London works with businesses in a variety of sectors including accounting or construction creating different types of content such as blog posts, social media posts, paid advertising.

Book a free consultation today to see how we can help give your business the boost it needs!

What is Clubhouse?

08/19/202203/01/2021 by scmarketing

Clubhouse is looking at being the next social networking app to take the world by storm. It is a new and innovative networking app which is based on audio chat. People can join or start ‘rooms’ where the speakers are involved in conversations and discussions around whatever topic they wish.

This exclusive, invite only radio / podcast / conference call has some big names already registered. From tech and business giants Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg to award-winning rappers Drake and Kanye West and empowering female entrepreneurs including Oprah Winfrey. It sounds like something everyone will want to be a part of.

Having grown from 600,000 to 10 million users very quickly, Clubhouse’s aim for 2021 is to ‘welcome more voices’ and to open it up to the world.

So, in planning for this we will give you a quick rundown on what exactly Clubhouse is and how it could benefit your business.

How Clubhouse works

Currently the Clubhouse app is by invite only and currently only available on the iPhone app store, although an android version will be coming soon.

Like any social media platform, you will have a profile consisting of a picture, bio, followers and those you are following. Your Bio is the first chance you get to promote yourself and your business and you can add links to your other social media profiles too.

On joining the app you are asked to choose your interests such as tech, business, marketing, accounting etc. With this information the app will recommend individuals and conversation rooms to follow and join.

Conversations rooms are digital conference rooms. They consist of two or more speakers discussing their topic of choice.

As a listener you will not be able to join the conversation, although there may be an opportunity to asks questions at certain points, however you are able to click through to the profiles of speakers and listeners to learn about their background.

What it could do for you and your business

There are a whole host of benefits and opportunities this app could provide for you.

Clubhouse is all about collaboration, sharing ideas, and providing insight into endless amounts of topics.

As a listener you will be able to learn from market leaders and likely accumulate lessons and advice you can apply to develop and grow your business. At some points in the conversations, you may get the chance to ask questions yourself.

Furthermore, while listening you can browse through the profiles of other listeners who are interested in the discussion and create new connections with them, whether as potential clients or collaborators.

As a speaker you will be driving many interesting and insightful conversations. Being an active contributor to these discussions you can network and showcase your company to the listeners.

Build connections

After a year of isolation this might be the app to build connections and further your outreach and make up for those precious lost networking events.

In the meantime, Smart Cow has many tips and techniques to grow your business and increase your social outreach. We have a host of resources dedicated to creating effective social media campaigns; making the most social media channels and providing professional digital marketing action plans.

If you are looking to grow your business in Croydon and the surrounding areas get in touch with Smart Cow Marketing today for expert advice on digital marketing and web design.

What can LinkedIn Sales Navigator offer my business?

08/19/202202/16/2021 by scmarketing

LinkedIn is the social media platform for business networking. It’s not about posting filtered images of lovely cups of coffee (unless that’s your business of course), it’s about networking with people to support and grow business. But how can you find the right prospects in a more efficient manner and in a way that’s not intrusive?

This is where using the Sales Navigator tool by LinkedIn can help.

What is LinkedIn?

Firstly, here’s a quick recap about what LinkedIn is. Think of LinkedIn like attending a local monthly business breakfast group, you go there to network find business opportunities and help connect suppliers. The difference is that LinkedIn is a social media platform. But the principle is the same, you engage, network, support, share updates and insight.

Whilst you would have your own individual profile, you can also set up a company page for your company. You can post updates and add links back to your blog post on your website. These provide quality links which in turn helps your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy and being found in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).

Over time you will build your network with followers through ongoing engagement with topical social media posts and the type of content relevant to your audience.

Lead generation campaign

There’s so many social media analytics to draw on from your LinkedIn company page including, seeing who has just followed you, the companies to track as well as engagement rates on posts so you can get a feel for what your audience likes to hear about most.

However, you can also ramp up your lead generation strategy with the adoption of LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The professional features mean that you can get more targeted and reach a wider audience from LinkedIn’s network.

Key benefits include being able to see who has viewed your profile allowing you to engage with them as a warm lead.

You can add tags to your prospects enabling you to filter and then synch back to your CRM (Customer Relationship Management).

You can view job changes in real time, alerting you to new business opportunities.

The benefit of networking is connections and once you are aware of a mutual link then this makes it easier to engage with a prospect. The TeamLink connection filter allows you to reach prospects that match your search criteria and have a mutual connection. It taps into the networks of people in your company.

There are three levels of Sales Navigator package to explore from Professional for individuals, through to Team and Enterprise. Find out about LinkedIn Sales Navigator here.

Your social media marketing strategy should form part of your overall inbound marketing. Don’t look at social media in silo. Make sure your approach to reach your target audience is holistic and also right for your business. If you’re not already on LinkedIn but feel you should be, then get in touch. As one of Croydon’s top social media marketing companies we can discuss your social media marketing plan, the social media channels for your business and a tailored approach.

There’s no one size fits all which is why we provide a mix and match digital marketing solution for our clients so we can offer a proactive approach utilising different elements of digital marketing to suit requirements.

Book a FREE consultation