Dungarvan Enterprise Centre
Old Friary Building
Lower Main Street
Dungarvan, Co. Waterford

Tel: 058 23598    Email: info@dungarvanec.com
 

4 Simple Ways to Nurture Your Customer Relationships


4 Simple Ways to Nurture Your Customer Relationships


If you are worried that you are not looking after your customers enough, you feel you could be doing more to drive positive sentiment towards your brand, then please read on ...

Here are some simple ways to develop your relationship with your customers:


Use analytics to develop the perfect personas


The more you know about your potential customers, the more successful you will be developing meaningful relationships with them, i.e. build a detailed profile of your customer's needs, preferences and key characteristics.  This is sometimes referred to as customer persona.

Customers are more inclined to turn to search engines and social media to carry out their product research than to hard sells.  As more businesses begin to acknowledge this, they have thought more about analytics that can inform a more effect approach.  Customer analytics will provide you with a better understanding of your existing and potential customers' buying and living lifestyles.  This will allow you to predict their future buying, streamline your targeting, and deliver marketing messages to customers most likely to respond.  Because you will be delivering the right message to the right customers at the right time - you'll be maximizing customer loyalty and positive sentiment. So Customer Analytics are an essential first step to securing a relationships.


Send personalised, relevant emails

Step two.  Email is the single most powerful channel you can use to communicate with and engage customers.  If a customer has agreed to giving you their email address, they are at this stage aware of your brand and willing to receive correspondence from you.

If you send your customers personalised emails, you have the opportunity to show your brand's investment in their unique needs and interests.  If they have been spending time on a product page, you can follow up with more information on that product.  Keep in contact with them!  Tailor  your emails, use your personalised marketing emails to provide valuable, informative and authentic content.  Show you care - then you will reap the benefits.


Repeat customers spend, on average, 67% more than new customers


Be social

We are all aware at this stage that Social media is increasingly, the preferred way for communicating and connecting.  Some businesses though make the mistake of thinking that they can use it solely for building brand visibility and extending their audience.  This however is not the case, the moment you establish an online presence with your customer, it is up to you then to look after your customer!

How do you do this?  By responding to queries as soon as possible and sending a "human touch" along with your communications.  No one wants to wait an age for a response or even worse for no response whatsoever, especially if it is a dissatisfied customer!  Implement a system that will allow you to prioritise your customers communications, the more you can do to promote a positive social customer experience, the more likely it is that your customer will recommend your business to others - step three!



Aim to retain - final step

Regardless of what type of business you are in /  audience you a targeting, content marketing is a top performing retention tool and at the same time strengthens your customer relationships due to its personalised nature.  Once again you can use analytics to send emails to customers tailored to their individual personas based on their preferences and their previous buying behaviour.  If your customer hasn't opened your emails in a while or be it purchased anything for sometime, you can use incentives such as a special offer, a competition, etc to entice them.  (Remember to state this in your subject line!).

And finally, the best way to develop positive customer relationships and loyalty, it to reward your customer.  You can do this by sending them a gift or including them in exclusive deals, points towards a purchase, etc.  Small but thoughtful gestures will keep your customers coming back for more.

If you would like to read the article in full, simple click on the link here.


Mastering Social Media


The Local Enterprise Office (LEO) 
in association with Dungarvan Enterprise Centre 
are delighted to announce that 
on Tuesday 25th October,
  "Mastering Social Media" 
A la Carte training programme begins.




Lets face it, no matter what kind of business you are in, you can be sure that all your customers are using Social Media.  As you are aware it is hard to keep on top of Social Media whilst running your business.  So knowing how to master your Social Media will give you a great opportunity to get involved with your customers online, build relationships, encourage loyalty and generate referrals.

The Local Enterprise Office is now giving you the opportunity to enhance your Social Media skills and grow your business with this Mastering Social Media Programme

Day 1's focus is:
  • Building your customer profile 
  • Identifying where you can find your customers online and 
  • Building a social media skills programme tailored to YOUR needs. 
Finally, you will work with your coach to identify your individual training needs and tailor an 'A la Carte' programme that's specific to your requirements.

And who's delivering the programme?

The programme will be delivered by Nuala Browne and Grainne Barrett both from Meraki Marketing.  Nuala has over 20 years' experience in Retail Management & Marketing, whilst Grainne's expertise is in Digital Marketing and is an excellent creator of social media content.  Their assistance will enable you to meticulously look at your business and identify core attributes, your customer's persona and then build a solid digital and traditional strategy around it.



Meraki Marketing provides the planning of a strategy and the execution of a campaign that connects YOU with your customer in a meaningful way.  Their goal is to achieve maximum commercial success for clients.  
Nuala says "We develop successful conversations that influence every stage of your customer's journey and get the results you need."  That is what we all want to hear I think!

As mentioned earlier, the programme kicks off on Tuesday 25th October at 10am here in the Dungarvan Enterprise Centre.  This great investment costs €30 per module or €90 for the complete programme.  To book your place or for further information on this unique A la Carte programme, please contact the Local Enterprise Office Waterford at www.localenterprise.ie/waterford



2017 Dates for Sales Excellence Programme

Wednesday 1st February 2017

the Local Enterprise Office (LEO)
in association with Dungarvan Enterprise Centre
will commence their A La Carte
SALES EXCELLENCE workshop.



To be a top performer today, you as a salesperson need to know more and know it at a higher level of competency than ever before.  What makes this more challenging is that your customer expectations are a moving target.  What your customer expected five years ago versus today presents a dramatic contrast.

Keeping this in mind, this workshop is aimed to help you  
  • improve your personal selling techniques 
  • improve your presentation and time management skills and
  • equip you with all the tools so as you can close that all important sale.
But what makes this workshop different from any other workshop is that it is tailored for you!  On the first day (morning 10 am to 1 pm then afternoon 2 pm to 5 pm), after your initial one to one clinic you will have the opportunity to choose which modules best suit your requirements.  Here is what is included in the "Sales Excellence" programme: -
  • Wednesday 1st February Introduction and Individual Needs Assessment (all day)
  • Wednesday 8th February Goal Setting (10am - 1pm) Personal Selling Techniques 1 (2 - 5pm)
  • Wednesday 15th February Personal Selling Techniques 2 (10am - 1pm) Developing your USP (2 - 5pm)
  • Wednesday 22nd February Presentation Skills 1(10am - 1pm) Preparation for Cold Selling (2 - 5pm)
  • Wednesday 1st March Presentation Skills 2 (10am - 1pm) Time Management 1 (2 - 5pm)
  • Wednesday 8th March Closing the Sale (10am - 1pm) Presentation Skills 3 (2 - 5pm)
  • Wednesday 15th March Time Management 2 (10am - 1pm)
  • Wednesday 22nd March Presentation Skills 4 (10am - 1pm) 
What a great opportunity to excel.

I'm sure at this stage you would like some info about your tutor ....



Local business woman, Colette Bannon launched the Workcoach brand in 2009.  Since then she has provided business training and coaching to businesses, schools, and organisations throughout Ireland and the UK.  Her long list of clients includes Sky Ireland & UK, GSK, Bank of Ireland and LIDL.

Colette says "Success is almost impossible in any field, without solid sales skills.  However, selling is a skill and like any other skill, it can be developed and nurtured with the right focus.  This course is designed to help you perfect this all important skill".

Interested? Of course you are!

As I already mentioned, the programme commences on Wednesday 1st February 2017 at 10am and runs every Wednesday thereafter.  As this programme is tailored around your needs, you can pick and choose which module suits you best.  It is €30 per module or €140 for the entire programme.
To find out more about this unique a la carte programme you can log onto www.localenterprise.ie/waterford or call us here in the Enterprise Centre on 058 23598.
To book a place, you can email the Local Enterprise Office Waterford at info@leowaterford-council.ie or go to www.localenterprise.ie/waterford


Start Your Own Business / Idea Generation

On Tuesday 18th October
the Local Enterprise Office Waterford 
are running a
"Start Your Own Business" programme
here in the Dungarvan Enterprise Centre



Do you have an idea for a business and want to know how to take it to the next level?  Have you just started a new business but need to know more about the many aspects about running the business, i.e. bookkeeping,market research, sales and marketing?

Then this is the course for YOU.

This programme will provide you with the skills, management tools and expertise in making the right decisions, planning and organising effectively.  It will assist you in what is required in order to keep your new venture running efficiently and effectively.

How is the course made up?

The course runs over 7 consecutive weeks (two days each week from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm), here in the Dungarvan Enterprise Centre.
  • Tuesday 18th October: Effective Entrepreneurship
  • Thursday 20th October: Idea Generation 1
  • Tuesday 25th October: Idea Generation 2
  • Thursday 27th October: Introduction to Business Planning
  • Tuesday 1st November: Online Sales & Planning
  • Thursday 3rd November: Market Research
  • Tuesday 8th November: Marketing Plan
  • Thursday 10th November: Sales Plan
  • Tuesday 15th November: Bookkeeping - Cash Flow
  • Thursday 17th November: Bookkeeping - Tax & VAT
  • Tuesday 22nd November: Marketing Plan Review
  • Thursday 24th November: Elevator Pitch
  • Tuesday 29th November: Business Planning Review and Funding


As I already mentioned the course commences on Tuesday 18th October at 10:am here in the Dungarvan Enterprise Centre.  The course fee is €130 and payment confirms a place on the course.  To book your place, please log on to www.localenterprise.ie/waterford.  If you are in receipt of Social Welfare payment you may qualify for a reduced fee, please call 0761 10 2905 or email info@leo.waterfordcouncil.ie Looking forward to seeing you on the day.


Writing Content for Social Media and Blogging with Derbhile Graham

On Tuesday 20th September
Dungarvan Enterprise Centre
will be running a workshop for 

Writing Content for Social Media and Blogging


Social media is a fantastic way of reaching your customers.  Creating quality social media content  is an even better way to develop a greater relationship with your customers.  By making a few adjustments to how you create, publish, and post your content, you can increase the likelihood that others will share it more often.  Being able to write compelling and engaging content on a consistent basis over time is the core.  In this workshop, we will show you how to create draft blogs and social media posts, and draw up a plan to help you develop that content further in the long term.

So what's involved the workshop?

The workshop will be based on the 5 W's of good Social Media content.
  1. Why - why you want to write social media content in the first place
  2. What - what you want to say in your social media content
  3. Who - who you want to reach
  4. Where - which blogging and social media platforms are the best fit for your business?
  5. When - how frequently you are willing and able to post

From this you will then come up with a content plan based on your questions.  Then in the second half of the workshop, you will write a draft blog entry, and if time allows, a batch of five social media posts.  Sounds interesting doesn't it.


A little bit of info about your tutor.

Dearbhile Graham is a writer and editor based in the sunny south east of Tramore, Co. Waterford.  She holds a Masters in Journalism, is a former Toastmaster and is also the author of the novel, "The Pink Cage".  In 2009, she set up a copywriting service for small businesses called WriteWords Editorial, which aims to help businesses tell their stories.  She has written blog posts for Congratulations.ie, Market Lane Restaurant, The Virtual Office and nearForm.  She is an experienced workshop facilitator and has delivered content creation workshops for Tipperary Enterprise Board and Dungarvan Women in Business Group.

As mentioned earlier, the workshop takes place here in the Dungarvan Enterprise Centre on Tuesday 20th September from 9.30 am to 1 pm.  The cost of the workshop is just €30 per person.  
For more information, or to book your place, please call us here at the Dungarvan Enterprise Centre on 058 23598 or email dungarvanec@gmail.com. 

Video Casting with Amanda Webb of Spiderworking.com


Dungarvan Enterprise Centre 
are delighted to announce that we will be running a

 "Video Casting" workshop 

on Wednesday 14th September.


Why videocast?

Its the way forward, its the future.

Not convinced? OK, here are just a few reasons:-

Your customers are watching a ton of social video.  Facebook and Snapchat have both surpassed 8 billion video views and YouTube's 1 billion-plus users are watching hundreds of millions of hours of online video every day.

  •  At the moment 18 to 33 year olds are spending less time in front of their TVs and more time watching video on their mobile devices and laptops. So in the next 5 to 10 years, these same people will make up a large percentage of the workforce, making it hard to ignore video platforms. 
  • Video is unique in its ability to connect with viewers.  Social networks favour video in their algorithms, knowing that this rich content is favoured by users.  You can respond to a customer enquiry by text or you can take a few minutes and record them a 30-second video message (they'll appreciate the extra effort).
  • A 2016 survey found that 61 percent of businesses are using video as a marketing tool.  In the previous year, 66 percent of those businesses were not using video at all.  To me, its clear that companies are quickly recognising the growing power of video.
  • Social media videos can deliver impressive return of investment (yes).  Have a look at the below: -
  1. 72 percent of businesses who use video say it has increased website conversion rates
  2. 74 percent of all internet traffic in 2017 is projected to come from video
  3. YouTube receives over 4 million daily views
  4. Almost one-third of all people on the internet are YouTube users
  5. More than half of YouTube views come from mobile devices
  6. Facebook has 8 billion average daily video watch time
  7. Periscope users watch 40 years' worth of video every day
  8. Snapchat daily video views surpassed 8 billion in January 2016
I don't think I need to go on!

Your return on investment of social video depends on how you choose to use it.  Every business will have different targets and goals.  The key thing is that you actually set goals and track the success of your videos using analytics.  It's only through tracking that you will learn what clicks with your audience and what doesn't, allowing you to refine your social video strategy.

And just in case you are still not convinced, Mark Zuckerburg (co-founder of Facebook - you knew that!) believes video is the future of Facebook.  He imagines a time, 5 years from now when video will account for the majority of posts shared and viewed (best to be prepared, I think)!

So at this half-day workshop you'll learn: -

  • YouTube V Facebook, which should you make your home
  • Live video streaming - how to use Facebook Live and Periscope to communicate with your audience
  • How to get comfortable in front of the camera
  • How to shoot and edit a video
  • How and where to upload your video
  • How to promote your video casts
  • Measuring success - the metrics that matter
I hear you ask who's delivering the workshop?


Amanda Webb of Spiderworking.com.  Amanda formed Spiderworking.com to work with SME's, local and small businesses to help them develop social media strategies, offering them training and support.  Whatever you need to know, whether its as simple as setting up a Facebook page or as challenging as putting together a social media campaign, Spiderworking.com can help.  Amanda learnt her skills whilst promoting her first business, Feelgood Organic Hampers.  Prior to this she worked as an Assistant Director in the Irish Film Business working on productions such as Adam & Paul and Angela's Ashes.  In 2010 she co-founded the KLCK bloggers Network in order to encourage and support both business and personal bloggers as they learnt how to use both blogging and social media tools.  In 2011 she went one step further with Bloggers International co-managing their inaugural event.  Then in 2012 Amanda founded Blog Awards Ireland along with her KLCK colleagues and head up the online marketing and project management of the event.  Amanda's blog reached the final of Social Media Examiners International top 10 Social Media Blogs of 2011 and 2012.  The Social Media Awards 2012 and her Video Blog reached the finals of the Irish Web Awards 2010.

I think she is someone we would all like to meet!!

The workshop takes place on Wednesday 14th September from 9.30 am to 1 pm.  The cost is just €40 per person.  For more information, or to book your place, please give us a call here at the Dungarvan Enterprise Centre on 058 23598 or email dungarvanec@gmail.com.  Looking forward to seeing you!

Using the new "Snapchat Memories" feature

Using the new "Snapchat Memories" feature



So first of all a quick rundown on what Snapchat is.

Snapchat is a mobile messaging application used to share photos, videos, text, and drawings.  Its free to download the app and free to send messages using it.  The one feature that makes Snapchat different from other forms of texting and photo sharing is that the messages disappear from the recipients phone after a few seconds - this message will "self-destruct" in 10 seconds!  
Snapchat's logo, named Ghostface Chilla (based on Ghostface Killah of the Wu-Tang Clan), is a ghost to represent the "there, then, gone" nature of their photo sending service. 

How do you use Snapchat?  Well its simple, you take a picture using your camera phone, select who you want to send it to from your contacts, decide how long you want your picture to be visible for (up to 10 seconds), and click send.  If you are the one receiving the picture, well its just like receiving a text message, simply tap to view the pic.  Remember though that the message disappears from their phone once the time limit has expired.


Last month, Snapchat launched "Memories", a major change to the social app known for its quickly disappearing images and videos.  Snapchat now lets you save old photos, videos and snap stories within the app.  In other words you can now save a funny snap or if you had a bunch of photos on your phone that you want to share, you can now publish from your camera roll in a single-story like memory. 

So how do you use Snapchat Memories to publish more content on Snapchat?

Navigate the Memories Feature

On your Snapchat screen, tap or swipe the small circular button below the main caption button to enter Memories.  I'm going to take it that this is your first time using Memories, so you'll find two tabs along the top, i.e. Snaps and Camera Roll.  If you tap Snaps, you'll see any snaps or videos you've saved since you received the Memories update.  Tap Camera Roll to access your phones saved images and videos.  You can now use these to create and share Memories. 

To enter selection mode in Memories, tap on the check mark icon at the top right of your screen.  Navigate to any tab to select specific snaps or camera roll items.  You can select a single item to edit and share as a memory or multiple items to make a longer memory.  You can use the section mode to delete, share, and send items to your story.  You can also set an item to "My Eyes Only", which hides that item (using a password) in Memories.  (Once you begin using Memories, the All, Stories, and My Eyes Only tabs become available).



Create and Share your Memories

To get started, take a photo or video.  Tap the in-tray icon to save it to your Memories, then go into Memories and find it.  Tap on the item to enlarge it and then press hold on the screen to enter edit mode.  In Edit mode, you can change the duration of a photo, add stickers, text, and doodles.  You can also share the memory to your story or Snapchat friends.  Your other options are to Export Snap, Save to Camera Roll, Move to My Eyes Only, or Create Story from this Snap.  


Remember though to capture your items in the order you want them to appear in the Memories story as it doesn't currently allow you to manually rearrange the items you select.  Then tap on the Create Story icon at the bottom of the screen.


With regard to your Business, Snapchat Memories will now allow you to use and re-use any photo or video, and content from other networks can also be re-published on the platform.  In other words, you can now create your own designs and videos using your own programs and market them on your Snapchat account without them looking so Snapchatty (that probably isn't a word!!).  Then keep running it, repetition, repetition, repetition.

Its also important to remember that the number of users over the age of 35 has steadily been increasing.  The addition of Memories will likely multiply these numbers as Snapchat begins to appeal to older audiences.  This will give brands that have an older target audience more opportunity to market effectively on the platform.



All good me thinks!



ARE YOU STUCK ON SOCIAL MEDIA?




Hi my name is Siun Morrissey,I am 19 years old and I am currently a student in Cork Institute of Technology and I am studying Marketing.

Your customers are on social media so you need to be too! Many of us don't know where to start with social media, but this is where Devin Joubert a blogger comes in she has written a very interesting blog  which helps businesses gain more traffic(followers) on there Social Media platforms. It is titled "50 Social Media Marketing Tips That Will Help You Build Traffic." I have read this Blog and made my own interpretation on it. I am going to write about the tips which I believe will be the most useful for businesses on social media.

FACEBOOK

 Facebook is one of the worlds biggest communication websites, but even if you have a Facebook profile for your business it can still be quiet difficult to get people to notice your company. These are the tips which I believe will make people notice your brand.

Groups:
Groups are a great way to get the consumer interested and involved in your business. The reason that a business would set up a group on Facebook is for their repeat and loyal customers, to get their input on the business such as what they would like to see in the business and also what they would like to change in the business..
Creating a group is a very easy thing to do once you know how.
  1. Go onto your Facebook page and click on the top right hand corner.
  2. Click on the arrow down, scroll down and click on Groups
  3. Add whoever you want to your group.
  4. Then add the group to your favourites as it will be easy yo access.
Its that simple and will make a lot of difference in the amount of followers and customers that you will receive.

Carousel and Canvas:
This is a way of presenting your images and videos that will draw the public in, it increase the views on your page and to get more people interested in your business and what you have to offer. It is like a slide show for Facebook a way of telling a story and like the Facebook Groups it is also quite simple to do if you know how of course!
  1. Go onto your Facebook profile and click on Photo/Video.
  2. A list should appear and you should then click either Carousel or Canvas they are both similar.
  3. Then add in your desired photos, videos and descriptions.
  4. Once you have finished editing your content you are done.
This is an excellent form of communication as you could show your followers how you set up your business, what type of products you have and what new products or ideas that you might have in the future.
Link Messages:
Many companies post photos  along with a link to get people to click on this link and to get them to read what they have written, however it has been proven that the majority of people don't even bother clicking the link but instead look at the photo and continue to scroll down the page. Instead what business should be doing is posting a link without an image. it has been proven that it sends more people to your website.

Although these three are very different they all work the same. They all manage to boost the amount of consumers looking at your Facebook Page which is a success for business.


Twitter.
Along with Facebook, Twitter is an excellent platform for communication with the public. These are the tips which I believe will get you the most "traffic" on your twitter page.

Retweets:
Retweets are extremely important as it shows the public what you are interested in which could lead you to connect with your customers. Retweeting is also very important when a customer has chosen to write about an experience with your products, by retweeting their post it shows that you care about their opinion and what they have to say regarding your product.

Polls:
Polls are a brilliant way to communicate with the public, by using polls you get to ask your followers what they would like to see from you in the future, have they tried your new product and what they thought of it. This is a great way to know what your customers want and what their interests are.they are also a good way with keeping up with new trends and asking people for their opinion on them, such as sports, fashion, new technology etc .Polling is very simple you just need to use these steps and you should be okay.

  1. Log into your twitter account.
  2. Compose a tweet.
  3. Before you click Tweet click on the "Add a Poll" icon on the bottom left.
  4. Then ask your questions and you are ready to go
Hashtags:
Hashtags are so important when it comes to Twitter they show the public what you like and what you are interested in. Hashtags also make it easier for your followers to find your content. However it is important not to use too many hashtags as this could mean that your content ends up being hard to find. Stick to using between 1-2 hashtags between each tweet, this will just make it easier for your followers and the public to find and reply to your tweets much easier.


Social Media is a big platform in today's society which means that we have to embrace it and understand it to be able to compete with the much larger companies. I believe that Twitter and Facebook are a great place to start.


Hi my name is Siun Morrissey,I am 19 years old and I am currently a student in Cork Institute of Technology and I am studying Marketing.








http://coschedule.com/blog/social-media-marketing-tips/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=50%20Social%20Media%20Marketing%20Tips%20That%20Will%20Help%20You%20Build%20Traffic&utm_content=50%20Social%20Media%20Marketing%20Tips%20That%20Will%20Help%20You%20Build%20Traffic+Version+A+CID_9ecaacdc69c886a6640348480a0a3844&utm_source=todaymail&utm_term=READ%2050%20Social%20Media%20Marketing%20Tips%20That%20Will%20Help%20You%20Build%20Traffic

How to make the most of your Instagram


How to make the most of your Instagram



So lets start at the beginning.

Instagram for those of us who know little if not anything about it was launched in 2010.  It is an online mobile photo-sharing, video-sharing, and social networking service that enables you to take pictures and videos, and share them either publicly or privately on the app, as well as through other social networking platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.  (Facebook bought Instagram in 2012 for a whopping $1 billion!).

So what is an Algorithm?  For a computer to do anything you have to write a computer program.  To write a program, you have to tell the computer exactly what you want it to do, step by step.  The computer then "executes" the  program, following each step mechanically.  When you tell the computer what to do, you also get to choose how its going to do it.  Hence, Algorithm.  The algorithm is the basic technique used to get the job done.  (Hope you are still with me!).

So why use Instagram?  Used correctly, Instagram can be a highly-targeted, visual advertising channel for your business.  Like any social network, there are right ways to use it, wrong ways to use it, and clever ways to use it.  The most successful strategy overall is to be authentic and social.  Businesses can use this platform as away to showcase their product and services in a rich, visual context.



On March 16, Instagram posted plans that they would be moving away from showing posts in strict reverse chronological order, and instead boost those based on the "likelihood you'll be interested in the content, your relationship with the person posting, and the timeliness of the post".  So all posts are still there, just in a different order!

If this new set up has your worried or concerned, here a a few helpful tips (I hope!).

How to increase your visibility:

Become ACTIVE - engage with your social media followers more.  If they like your photos, you like their photos.  If they comment on your photos, you need to reply to them and thank them.  Build a relationship with them so that they continue to like you and continue to follow you.  The more likes you get the more likely they will see your photos in their news feed.  

REVIEW your most successful posts and then replicate them!  Be strategic about what you post, look at your most popular posts, review the similarities between them and then create a similar content. This will help you to create a strategy that will enable you to withstand this change in algorithm and keep the followers engaged.  YES.

Take advantage of your CAPTION - Say something like "I love this book / product", what do you think"?   This gives them an opportunity to comment on your photo.  The more comments, likes, the more activity on your photos will translate to their feed.  Instagram will then see that hey this person likes your photos and they will then see your posts in their feed more often.  Or should you have a website:- "I love this book / product", what do you think"? click the link in our profile to see full details.  This gets people off the platform and on to your website.




#HASHTAGS - You can have up to 30 #hashtags.  My suggestion to you is to add 1 to 2 #hashtags in your caption, add them into your sentence for example "Out driving in my new #audiA3convertable, enjoying #splendidsun" (I wish).  This gets your message across to followers, but its not going to be lost in a whole bunch of #hashtags.  Make sure the #hashtags you use relate to your business. your location and industry. 


Incorporate TRENDING topics in your posts, i.e. Waterford Hurlers!! 

Use short VIDEOS, record a company promotional day, a behind the scenes video, a summer barbecue, the Christmas party (maybe not!).  Keep them short and remember when you post them to add as many relevant hashtags as you can to spread the reach of your video.

Introducing Video on Instagram from Instagram on Vimeo.

Make sure your Instagram page is PUBLIC.  If its not Public, no ones is going to see it.



My message to you is - your creativity and knowledge can drive success no matter. 

Pokémon GO has finally been launched in Ireland

Pokémon GO is Huge



Pokemon GO has finally been launched in Ireland.  

Pokemon GO which was first launched in Australia and New Zealand has taken the world by storm. It is an unprecedented phenomenon in the countries where it's so far been released (26 of them being throughout Europe).  GO has topped Twitter's daily active users, and it is now being reported that people are now spending more time in its app than in Facebook (preferring to catch creatures than scroll through their Facebook!).  Pokemon GO has claimed the title of "biggest mobile game in United States history", breaking all downloading records.  It has topped the likes of Candy Crush's audiences as well as other top games.  Reports say that Pokemon GO is now closing in on Snapchat on Android, and it could even pass Google Maps on Android!


On Monday just gone, iPhone users spent more time in Pokemon GO than any other app, including Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram.  In addition to capitalising on the Pokemon brand, the app has introduced brilliant gaming mechanics in terms of keeping players active, engaged and returning.


How it works!

Pokemon GO uses your actual location data to pinpoint the cartoon creatures.  It is centered around geolocation, so to actually catch more Pokemon you have to literally put in the legwork.  This means that it is making any usually couch-bound video gamer get up and take a walk (not you of course)! It shamelessly pokes people off  the couch and onto roads, tracks, etc, doing that dreaded 10 letter word, "exercising".  Never have so many dogs been walked by so many teenagers!  And even better still, is that parents and their kids are getting involved together, giving quality parental time a whole new meaning (a definite positive I think).  So get some fresh air, take in some sun-rays, make it a family affair!  Players can check their games map on their smartphones, if there's a wild Pokemon in their area it'll appear on the screen and away you go!
Just remember though to take extreme care when tracking and capturing your prey!  The last thing you want is to run into a wall, fall over a cat or even worse again run into traffic while playing (as in some cases reported!).


Fad Museum  

  • 1980's Cabbage Patch Dolls: - pudgy faces, stumpy arms and small close set eyes which also came with a birth certificate and adoption papers.
  • 1990's Tamagotchi:- high tech, virtual pet sent kids insane and parents searching toy stores all over town to try and find one.  Essentially you had this little digital pet that you had to feed and clean up after.  Most kids dream at the time was to have the coolest design out there.
  • 2000's Gadgets:- The new millennium got off with a great start where the world of gadgetry was concerned.  From the "I-Pod" in 2001, the "X Box" in  2002 to the "Amazon Kindle" in 2007.

Is Pokemon GO a fad?

As already mentioned, Pokemon GO actually gets people up and out!  This they say may dampen popular enthusiasm somewhat over time where winters are harsh.  How will this work for us here in Ireland when the sun isn't shining which fortunately isn't today (so thankful for wonderful weather we are having!), it remains to be seen.

The bottom line

Mobile gamers (which you and  I should consider ourselves after downloading this app) are clearly devoting a lot of time to our newfound pursuit of Pokemon. You and I now have to wait and see what developer Niantic does to keep us engaged,  and the momentum maintained, for the long haul.  Watch this space I say ....

Using Video as a Tool for Social Media Marketing

I'd like to share with you a great article I read recently titled:

"26 Ways To Use Video For Your Social Media Marketing"  

This article shows you how to capture your audience.  You discover "26 ways to use video to improve your social media marketing".  The clue is in the heading!  
I found the following 5 items to be key items for me, I hope you find them of benefit to you:

1. 

Video lengths.
No one wants to make a social media video and find out afterwards that it is too long.  The below list should be useful to you:
  • Facebook: 120 minutes
  • Twitter: It recommends keeping videos under 30 seconds
  • Instagram: 60 seconds
  • Snapchat: 10 seconds
  • Vine: 6 seconds.

2.

Grab your audience's attention early.
To do this, you have 10 seconds!  If you haven't caught their attention by then, sadly you have missed the boat.  It is so important for you to get to the point with your video as quickly and concisely as possible.  Keep it simple.  There should be one point to every video and one point only.  Include your logo (instant recognition).  Once you have their attention, you're half way there.

3.

Optimize for Search.
Adding keywords or a key phrase is a definite plus and this goes for just about everything you post on social media.  Think "Headlines and Descriptions" on your video using keywords and/or phrases to help users find you.  Don't forget, the right headline with the right keywords will not only find you and make viewers curious but it will also increase your rankings in the sites search engines. Another way of boosting search results is by adding the relevant "hashtags" on Twitter and Instagram.

4.

Sound.
Be it with or without sound, your video needs to be visually interesting.  To help you to achieve an audience without sound use contrasting, bright colours, use captions instantly once the video starts.  If you are using sound for your video, needless to say the sound quality needs to be good.  Make sure your video has little if not any background noise.  The last thing you want is someone losing interest in your video because the sound quality is not up to scratch.  

5.

Track engagement, views and clicks.
This is not just important, it is essential.  It enables you to see how your video is performing (needless to say if it is not performing well then you need to change your contents!).  Your goal here
is to achieve lots of shares, clicks and engagement.  Facebook, Twitter and YouTube  provide this. 


A third of all online activity is spent watching videos, so get rolling ..... 



Facebook for Beginners - Everyone Starts Somewhere!


Its here!!  What's here you might ask!!


A Facebook for Business for Beginners Workshop.

All of us at this stage have heard about Facebook.  However have you ever thought about a Facebook page for your own Business?  

Whether you’re a big corporation or a small local business, Facebook is a powerful MARKETING tool.  It’s a great space to:
  • keep customers informed
  • develop brand identity and
  • broaden your reach.  
Keeping this in mind we here at Dungarvan Enterprise Centre are delighted to announce that we will be running a Facebook for Business for Beginners workshop on Wednesday 6th July.

So what is the workshop aimed at, I hear you ask!  The workshop is aimed for those of you who do not currently have a Facebook page and / or if you are unsure how to use Facebook for your own business properly.  The workshop will help you to: 
  • set up a page
  • run through the functionality of Facebook
  • go through how the algorithm works
  • go through insights
  • set up an administrator on the page
  • scheduling posts
  • all the basics of using Facebook for business.  
A little bit of info for you about Facebook.  A Facebook page is a great FREE (yes free) MARKETING tool for your business, no matter what its size.  This page lets your business identify itself – not just through listing product offerings and services, but also by sharing links, images, and posts on a customisable page to give a better sense of your business’s personality and character.  The sheer scale of Facebook means your business could potentially reach half the population of Ireland with minimal cost!  Everyone who ‘likes’ your page is already a willing participant.  You can feature anything from special offers to events instantly.  Facebook advertising enables you to easily target specific customers / clients.  Latest statistics show it has more than 1.65 billion worldwide monthly active users!!  With these type of figures in mind you have to agree that a Facebook page makes sense for your business.  

Have a listen to the attached:




So who's delivering the workshop you might ask? Mags here at Dungarvan Enterprise Centre will deliver the workshop to you.    With 15 years’ experience in marketing and lecturing in Digital Marketing for Waterford Institute of Technology,  I think you will agree that you are in safe hands!


So now for the nitty gritty details.  The workshop takes place on Wednesday 6th July from 9:30am to 12.30pm.  The cost is just €30 per person and includes light refreshments.  It would be great if you could bring along your own laptop.  For more information, or to book your place, please give us a call here at the Dungarvan Enterprise Centre on 058 23598 or email info@dungarvanec.com. Looking forward to seeing you!
  

Lunch with the Digital Experts

We are SO excited to announce a very special lunch coming up at Dungarvan Enterprise Centre. Rob Cass of GPP Global, will facilitate a seminar and workshop on Using Digital to Drive Sales here on Wed 29th June from 12.30-2.15.

Rob's work has taken him all over the world working with well known brands such as Zara, Gant and Unilever. This unique lunch event will include an exclusive live broadcast from digital experts at Unilever and Gant sharing their secrets to digital success.

The second part of the lunch is all about focusing on your business, using a bad-good-great framework, Rob will lead you through an action plan tailored for your business.

The cost is €50 and you can book your place by emailing dungarvanec@gmail.com




Facebook Changes 2016


As you may be aware, Facebook has introduced some pesky layout changes recently, and more significantly it has once again tweaked its algorithm over the past few months. Some of the major changes that came into effect in April in particular have been causing headaches for businesses as they have impacted how business pages operate. On Wednesday here at Dungarvan Enterprise Centre, Mags our Centre Manager delivered a comprehensive workshop on these changes and how to work around them. In case you missed it (shame on you!), here’s a run-through of what was covered.

The Basics

These are some of the basic design and layout updates which Facebook has implemented.

What has happened to my Page feed?!

·         The change:

This was the first change which caused many of us to scratch our heads thinking that the news feed for our business page had simply disappeared. You used to be able to access the News Feed for your page (as opposed to your personal profile) by switching to your page using the dropdown menu in the top right-hand corner of the page. This would enable you to use Facebook as your page.

·         The workaround:

Now, if you want to access your news feed, you simply go to your business page and select “See Pages Feed” from the options menu on the left-hand side of the screen.

Cover Photo Dimensions

·         The change:

The dimensions of your cover photo have been changed slightly from 851x315px to 828x315px. If you’ve noticed your header looking a little squished of late, this is why.

·         The workaround:

If your cover photo is an ordinary picture, you probably aren’t having much of a problem- at least nothing that repositioning it as usual won’t fix. If you have been using your business logo, or any picture that was specifically designed to fit the original cover photo dimensions, you might be affected. You can correct your cover photo easily in an image editor. There’s a range of free image editing platforms online to meet your needs- we recommend PicMonkey.com

Instant Articles

·         The change:

Instant Articles are a new feature on Facebook. It’s an important one for publishers as it enables them to create smart, interactive articles on Facebook. Instead of leaving the Facebook app and loading the article in a different window, the articles can now open within Facebook itself. This means that they have a faster loading time than before. Videos within articles will now play automatically and photos will appear bigger.

·         The workaround:

No workaround needed here as Instant articles is a new feature as opposed to a change. You do need to submit a minimum of fifty articles to be approved for this feature though, so get writing!

Facebook Advertising: The 20% Text Rule

·         The change:
For Facebook marketers, one of the most difficult aspects of using Facebook as an advertising medium is getting your message across in a concise way while following all of the guidelines. Facebook has finally made the decision to change the 20 percent ad image text overlay rule. This change is currently being tested in the U.K and Ireland.
·         The workaround:
To replace the original system, Facebook has introduced four new categories to help advertisers define the level of text overlay in their ads: OK, Low, Medium and High.
The OK category typically encompasses images with no text other than a company logo. With a low classification, which is roughly defined as a company logo with some text, your ad reach may be slightly restricted. Images with a medium classification will have an even more restricted reach, and images with high text volume won’t run. Fortunately, there are some exceptions to this rule: Book or album covers, event posters and product images are also won’t be penalised. Since Facebook is testing and rolling out the new options gradually, the changes are not yet in place for all users. You should still include as little text as possible on your images and leave the promotional details for the actual post.
Algorithm Changes
Here we’ll go through the slightly more complicated algorithm changes which Facebook has recently implemented.
User Diversity
·         The change:
Facebook reports that users enjoy reading articles from a wide range of publishers, so they have tweaked the algorithm for greater diversity of page posts. This means it will reduce how often people see content from one source back-to-back, or content from the same page.
·         The workaround:
Because Facebook generally won’t show a user several posts in a row from your page, it is now more important than ever to space your posts out over time. This isn’t always ideal as most businesses tend to post during business hours, but you can make use of the “Schedule” feature to keep your posts evenly spread. You might have noticed that you can’t schedule posts when sharing- you can get around this most of the time by copying and pasting the link to the post you want to share and then posting it as usual from your page’s Timeline.
There is also a good side to this change, which is that if you have multiple platforms for your business besides Facebook, for example websites, blogs, newsletters and so on, Facebook will be glad to see content coming in from several different sources and you will be more likely to reach the news feeds of your audience.
The Importance of Quality Content
·         The change
There are also some changes in how posts are picked for a user’s news feed; Facebook wants to phase out content that isn’t meaningful or useful to its users.
There are a few important implications of these changes. If you run a small business, the most important thing here is probably that ‘Like&Share’ competitions have been targeted. Facebook sees these as spammy behaviour so these types of post will really struggle to gain position in the news feed from here on out.
·         The workaround
Fortunately there is a way around this, although we’d strongly suggest brainstorming ways of promoting your business by working with Facebook instead of against it- it’s only going to get harder as time goes on. But if you really do want to run campaigns such as ‘Like&Share’ competitions, it appears that for the time being, Facebook’s main red light for detecting spammy posts are currency symbols such as € or £. Including these symbols in your posts is likely to damage your post reach, and annoyingly this does include cases where you have a currency symbol in a completely ordinary, un-spammy post. Instead of typing these, for example “Win a voucher worth €80!”, type something like “Win a voucher worth 80EUR”. This should stop your posts being penalised for now.

·         The change:

Audience Optimisation: Introduced in January and known as the Audience Optimization tool, this new feature allows publishers to set preferences on each new post to target a specific audience based on interests, demographics, and geographic location.
·         The workaround:
This tool makes it easier for you to direct a post to your intended audience, but there are some things to bear in mind. Most importantly, don’t be tempted to include too many target groups. Keep it specific- the more tags you include, the more likely you are to simply confuse Facebook and reach nobody at all.
·         The change:
Live Video: We know that Facebook prioritises rich media such as video in its’ news feeds, and that it introduced a live video-streaming service late last year. It turns out that live videos are watched three times longer than ordinary videos, so in March Facebook tweaked the algorithm to prioritise live video in user news feeds. Facebook previously prioritised stories that it deemed “best,” not necessarily the most current. This live video update changes that. It also helps Facebook keep up with Twitter’s real-time post, and to cash in on the “right-now” phenomenon that has catapulted platforms such as Snapchat to such instant and massive popularity.

·         The workaround:

Get filming! This is a fantastic time for small businesses to use the live-video feature, as so far it has mainly been picked up by bigger companies. Chances are, if you start introducing live streams now, your followers will watch out of curiosity as they won’t have come across Facebook Live very much yet. Any engagement you get from going live will be a boost for your Page’s track record and will help show your followers that you are current, exciting, and willing to go out on a limb.
As far as content is concerned, small businesses also have a window of opportunity to stand out from the crowd and gain a loyal following. We’ve talked previously about how much people love to get a glimpse behind the scenes of companies (see our article on Snapchat- many of the tactics employed in a Snapchat strategy will also work for live-streaming). Obviously it isn’t a good idea to go Live without planning in advance- Murphy’s Law deems this a recipe for disaster actually, but you could do a weekly spot at whatever time your followers are most active- you can find this out from the ‘Insights” tab of your page.
Some other things to bear in mind about Facebook Live Video:

  •          As the video is shooting, you see how many people are watching the video as well as their names and comments.
  •         As soon as it’s over the video is automatically saved to your timeline.
  •         You can share it, tweet it, embed it in blog posts or delete it.
  •        Unlike Periscope videos or Snapchat stories -- these videos are not going to disappear after 24 hours.
**Hack: Launch your “Like&Share” competitions from a pre-announced live video! You can ask for likes, shares and mention money as much as you want- Facebook won’t penalise this- in fact, you’ll be launching competitions from the most desirable platform on Facebook at the moment. So you can boost your page engagement while sneakily promoting your page!
·         The change:
Time is of the essence: This calls into play yet another update to the News Feed that’ll change the prioritization of what users see in theirs. Interacting with a post (liking, commenting, or sharing) is a good indicator for what users are interested in. It is not the only way of gauging interest however. Users are less likely to interact with a sad news-related post or a serious current event, but that does not mean they do not want these stories in their News Feeds. In lieu of an algorithm change in April, Facebook will now measure the potential interest in a post based on the following criteria: user interest in the creator, post-performance among other users, past content performance of the creator, type of post the user prefers, and how recent the post is. When a user clicks on a post or link, Facebook will measure how much time they spend on the post, even if they don’t like, comment, or share. This will help Facebook in its algorithm when predicting and prioritizing which posts a user is most interested in.
         The workaround:
Unfortunately, there isn’t really a quick solution to this one, folks! All we can do is try to take advantage of all the information we have on how Facebook works to try to keep our performances persistent and build momentum. There is a silver lining though, in that if a follower views or engages with your page or its’ posts, for a short time your posts will continue to show up on that user’s feed as Facebook will have deemed your page of interest to the user.
·         The change:
Trending: Similar to Twitter, the News Feed will now show stories about things that are trending as soon as they occur, so the user can immediately know what friends or favourite Pages are saying about the stories of the day. This means that when a Page posts about something that is currently a hot topic of conversation on Facebook, that post is more likely to gain a good position in users’ feeds. Early testing has shown that this update on average leads to a more than 6% increase in people engaging with these stories (e.g., more people share, comment, like or click).

·         The workaround:

Unlike some of the other changes which can be a little tricky to work around, the solution to this one is so obvious that chances are you’ve already been doing it all along: All you need to do is try and draw links between current events and your company and post about them! So if you sell hats, for example, and the hot topic of the day is Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to Ireland, you could take advantage of the fact that the internet has consistently poked fun at his comb-over and post about providing with a specially designed head covering!


….Okay, it’s probably a good idea to steer clear of political commentary unless it’s actually relevant to your page- the idea is to gain followers rather than alienate them. In fact, one of the deciding factors behind this particular algorithm change was to help Facebook steer clear of political bias after Mark Zuckerberg got into a spot of bother with conservatives. But you get the idea. Another great facet of what’s Trending is that small, local businesses can easily get in on the action of trending local topics, and we know that local news, particularly good news, tends to be very successful on Facebook. If you mentioned last week’s beautiful weather on your Page at all, you’ve probably seen this in action quite recently!

That’s all folks- if you’re still reading, congratulations! There’s a lot to think about but the ever-changing landscape of social media is the bread and butter of marketers in this day and age. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for other news about marketing and social media as well as upcoming workshops and events at the Centre. And (because I’m free to mention it here!), don’t forget to like and share!

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