Bigar Creative

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Facebook Business 101: What To Look For In A Social Media Marketing Professional

It’s funny how inspiration finds us when we are least expecting. Our team is working hard this week on transitioning another client to our services and we’ve hit a few roadblocks. Unfortunately, the roadblocks are all caused by prior poor management from another company. Sadly, we see this often especially when taking over new accounts. The Facebook/Internet marketing world is full of self-proclaimed professionals and it can be hard to separate the good from the bad especially when you don’t know what to look for in an agency or professional. Here’s a few tips…

  1. Planning. Before you get started with a new company, review their plan(s) for your accounts. A quality company will provide helpful onboarding information as well as content planning, scheduling and industry reviews of relevant content, hashtags and engagement materials.  At Bigar Creative, we provide weekly content to our clients for approval so our branding and marketing strategies are consistent. Remember, you are the client and you have a voice in your marketing plan!
  2. Advertising. In case you haven’t heard, organic reach on Facebook is dead. The best way to grow your following and increase your business is by advertising on the platform- even for as little as a dollar a day! It’s a huge red flag if a marketing company does not propose the idea of promoting content…walk away!
  3. Communication. During this most recent client transition, we found out our client didn’t have access to her own Facebook Business Page until recently!! Don’t let anyone tell you it’s their policy to not let you as the business owner have access to owning and managing your page. You have the choice to be as involved as you’d like, but make sure you have 100% ownership and access. Remember, you are hiring them and it’s NOT their page or their business.
  4. Credentials. Don’t be afraid to ask for their qualifications. Treat it like any other job interview. A good company will be able to provide active links to current accounts they manage. This is the best (and most honest) way to see their work! The Facebook marketing world is always changing so please make sure they are up-to-date on all policies and procedures (especially regarding advertising). Some of the things we’ve seen other companies doing when we take over accounts are not only bad practice, but they could get pages shut down. At Bigar Creative, we’re proud to be members of The Council, lead by Nicholas Kusmich, the world’s highest ROIing FB Ads Strategist.
  5. Contracts. This is just one way we set ourselves apart at Bigar Creative. Our services are month-to-month because we don’t need to tie people into contracts. We want clients to come back because our work provides the results they desire. We’re happy to say that since opening our doors in 2015, we’re still working with the same valued clients! Having a great relationship with your marketing company is essential. Don’t be tied into a long-term contract with someone you don’t even know. Make them prove themselves to you before you sign off.

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What’s A Lead Ad?

Lead Ads are a great way to earn hot leads for your business! They are an effective tool that marketers use to capture leads and information such names and email addresses. In exchange for that information, lead ads usually offer digital content for download like a PDF, instructional video or ebook which we call the lead magnet.

When it comes to designing your lead magnet, here are a few things to keep in mind.

  1. Make sure it offers value. Think of your audience. How can you help? Make it worth their while to download but be careful not to give too much away!
  2. Solve a problem. When in doubt, solve their problem(s)! Think: what problem or setback does my target audience face and how can my service/product deliver a solution.
  3. Instant gratification. No one wants to wait! Make sure you offer is something you can download directly from your landing page or it will appear almost immediately in their inbox.

If you want to generate leads online then you need a lead magnet. Period. Creating a lead ad can be overwhelming. There’s the setup, the landing page content, the actual lead magnet design and, of course, the follow up! Let our team of marketing professionals help you set up your lead ad so you can start earning leads for your business.

 

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How to Start Blogging: A Brief Intro

Blogging has become one of the most popular ways to communicate. It’s a great way to share content, get creative and increase your brand awareness. It’s no secret that blogs are essential in marketing your business but starting a blog can be overwhelming, time consuming and intimidating. What do you talk about? Will people even read what you write? Will anyone care? We completely understand where you’re coming from, but trust us… it’s easier than you think! We put together a few guidelines to help you start your blog in time for the new year.

  1. Pick a theme.  What type of blog do you want to write? It should have some connection to your brand but don’t be afraid to get creative with your content to make it interesting. Once you’ve chosen what you want to talk about, you’ve won half the battle. Make a list of ideas using an old-fashioned brainstorm session! You’ll be surprised at how many ideas you have.
  2. Stick with WordPress. It’s free and fabulous! WordPress has more than 82 million active users, making it one of the biggest platforms out there. It’s also very user friendly so you can save yourself a lot of headaches. Whatever platform you choose, keep your demographic in mind. Use eye catching photos (check out Pexels and Unsplash) to get attention and clicks. Try to keep your look cohesive so that readers can tell that it’s you when they see a post. This blog is your brand, make it look like one. What can help is designing a logo then basing the rest of the pages off of those colors and themes.
  3. Plan your content. This is KEY! Quality content is planned content. Sit down at the beginning of each month and write down some blog topics. Think about the type of content your audience wants to consume. What’s relevant or helpful? You don’t always have to write the great American novel. Keep things short and simple!

Draft a couple posts before publishing your blog. That way you have posts on hand in case you get busy. Make it a goal to publish a new blog each week to keep your content fresh and interesting. Use grass roots marketing to help promote your blog if you don’t have the budget for sponsored content.

Get out there in the social world! The more you talk to people on social media platforms, the more people will see your logo and your name. That kind of recognition will gain you a great follow base. Check out our upcoming blog posts for more in depth details on how to start your own blog and be successful. It’s a really fun time for bloggers right now, especially if you have a passion and want to share it with the world!

Take advantage of our social media consulting services to get your brand off to a great start in the new year!

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How to make the Instagram algorithm work for your business

Everyone’s thinking it, we’re just saying it; Instagram’s new algorithm can be frustrating! In 2016, Instagram moved from a chronological lay out to this new algorithm. On average, users miss about 70 percent of the content in their feeds. However, it’s not all Instagram’s fault. There are nearly 700 million active users which means there’s more content available than anyone could manage. In an effort to keep your timeline clean, Instagram implemented their algorithm so that you only see posts you care about (or one’s that the algorithm thinks you care about) 

How do they do it? Instagram figures out what posts you’d most likely care about, and places them at the top of your feed. In an interview with Business Insider, an Instagram spokesperson said the algorithm considers several different factors to find out what you care to see. The first is timeliness. No, the order isn’t chronological but Insta still considers how many times you hit refresh or log in. Engagement is next. The algorithm boosts posts that are gaining more likes and comments (sound like a catch-22 anyone?) Comments are weighted more heavily than likes since they take more effort. It considers relationships. The depth of your relationship with an account is determined through likes, comments, and tags. Lastly, profile searches and direct shares. The more times you search an account, the higher they’ll sit on your timeline. Sharing an account’s posts is also considered.

So how do you apply to information to your business? While it’s true people may not see your post right when you share it, it’s still important to post at the right time to maximize engagement. Engagement on a photo you post is what will best boost your post to the top of people’s timelines. And what if you’re not getting engagement? Start building those relationships. Engage with your followers, look at their posts to see what they like, and tell them you like it! Gaining a loyal and active following isn’t easy, but without it, the algorithm will not work in your favor.

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How To Make Graphic Design Simple

canva

Social media marketing is all about the picture. Really, that’s Step 1. Quality content, research, timing, proper hashtags, engagement etc. are all important but the only way to get someone to stop scrolling through their feed and look at your work is by using an eye-catching photo.

At Bigar Creative, we include graphic design services in our price because, again, good pictures get results. We create our content using stock and original photos from clients using the free design software called Canva. This program creates everything from blog graphics, social media photos and even posters (we did a great in-house poster for a cafe using Canva).

Though Canva is simple, it does take some clicking around and practice to understand all of its features. You can really make some great looking graphics once you understand the use of elements, layering and other advanced features.

Need help getting started with Canva? Give us a call today!

 

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Bigar Creative is a digital marketing agency specializing in maximizing the effectiveness of your business through the use of Social Media.

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