“The customer is always right” has been the rule of thumb for as long as businesses have existed. Return business depends on the customer feeling valued. Being valued begins with listening.  Listening to the customer means not only hearing them but understanding what they want.

This concept is put into practice by a business by listening to the customer and what they want. This practice is no different on social media when it comes to your company’s brand and what you are putting out into the world for the customer to see. A practice and example of this that I was taught early on in my career, paraphrasing, “My favorite color is blue but that doesn’t mean I can put blue everywhere and use it in every campaign. I am catering to the customer and their desire. Just because my favorite color is blue does not mean that it is everyone else’s favorite color.” 

As humans, we are visual beings when it comes to consumerism. We make a judgment based on the first thing we see. If what we are seeing is not desirable, we move onto something else that does catch our eye. Listen to your new followers and most importantly, returning customers on social media to what they want to see. They are your audience, connect with them.

By ignoring what our audience wants we are disconnected from them. When we are disconnected from our audience, we cannot service or leave an impact on them. Companies often guess at what an audience wants to see versus listening to what they want. If any of this applies to your company, make a plan of action and ask yourself questions: “Who is the audience? What do they want to see? What could be a more effective way of connecting with them? What performs the best and gets the most engagement?”

Companies monitor their social media, which is a necessary part of a social media campaign, but it is taking bits and pieces of information versus looking at the whole picture. Engaging with your customers and assuring them that their comment has been seen is great, but did you listen to that person when they made a comment? Proper social listening means looking at the industry your company belongs to as a whole versus your one small piece of it. What is working for other companies that might be more successful than yours? How could you use it as inspiration and do something similar, but more importantly, better? 

Let’s look at social listening and social monitoring from a business performance perspective. Imagine you are a business owner with more than one location. If one of your locations was performing better than another with the same location to customer ratios you would listen to the customers leaving poor reviews and initiate some type of change as a result. This change would be put into motion with an investigation as to why one store is getting better reviews than the other. For example, if a review was left saying “Business- Location A is much more attentive when I come in to shop than Business-Location B, it takes ten minutes for someone to ask if I need help at Location B and at Location A someone is ready to help me as soon as I walk through the door.” As a business owner, you want both locations to be equally successful, so you would address the customer and acknowledge their complaint. Next, you might put a standard in place to greet customers and ask if they need help when they come into the store versus waiting until they look like they might need help after a period of time. By addressing the customer, you are monitoring the issue and bringing awareness to it but taking it that one step further to make a change in your store locations you are listening.

With that example in mind, look at your social media campaign the same way. If a specific type of post is performing better than another, listen to what your audience is saying and make a change. Research other companies in your industry and see if their top-performing posts are similar or different from your top-performing posts. If they are different see how you can change a type of post that is not performing as well as you want to align closer to what your audience is responding positively to. Making a change to a low engagement post has no negative outcome. If the post responds equally or worse than the original, you can always go back to the original style of the post but if it performs better than you’ve created more brand awareness and listened to what your audience wants.

Social listening can improve the health of your brand, give an insight into what works versus what doesn’t, and analyzes the competition versus your company’s campaign. Take advantage of your social media analytics to get further insight and start listening to your audience engagement. It is important to let your audience know they are seen, but it is even more important to let your audience know they are heard. An audience member on social media who feels heard but is not an existing customer could potentially be your next biggest and most loyal customer to date.

At The AD Leaf ® we understand that not every business has the extra time to invest their full efforts into social media. We are here to listen to your needs so that your customers can feel heard on social media, contact us via our phone number, 321.255.0900, or set up a consultation at TheAdLeaf.com, or you can email us to info@theadleaf.com. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

For many years, companies have shied away from utilizing the incredibly visual platform, Pinterest. We believe this is because from early on, Pinterest began to brand themselves to speak specifically to and address the needs of a younger female demographic.

But the tides are changing.

Now, more than ever, 40% of new sign-ups are actually men, says Pinterest. Pinterest is a massive platform, though not as large as say Instagram or Facebook. But it’s growing. Pinterest has 322 million global active users, which has 200 billion pins saved.

Pinterest, according to some of these analytics, means that this platform is nothing to shy away from when it comes to your brand. 

You see, Pinterest is unique in that it’s  a place where users go to do primarily two things:

1. They are going to make a purchase, and Pinterest helps users discover this.
2. Pinterest users may be trying to decide what they want, and go to Pinterest to discover what that actually is.

Pinterest has a whopping 83% of its weekly Pinners actually made purchases based on the content they saw while scrolling! Seventy-seven percent of weekly Pinners discovered a new brand. The bottom line here to note is that Pinterest is a place all about the user, and a place to create something for themselves.

However…

With all of these incredible metrics, did you know that an alarming 97% of the top pins are actually unbranded? When we talk about a brand, what we are meaning is a company identity as seen through their content. Almost all of the top-pins have no identity if you will. Do you know what this means? It means there is a massive void, and dare we say opportunity, for your brand to stand out in this vast space? We believe so. This factor, along with a few other points we will mention here in a minute, show us that Pinterest may just be the secret weapon your brand needs.

So here are some helpful tips on branding from Pinterest themselves

1. Brand Your Pins: As we stated earlier, 97% of top-searched pins are actually identity-less. They have no brand. This means that when you see a pin that may be performing well but may not be converting as well as it could because it’s not branded. According to Pinterest, when companies branded their pins and ensured there was a cross-platform brand continuity, they saw a 13% conversion rate increase! So before you go to post that pin, ask yourself if your image has a logo? What about the image itself; is it visually striking and clear? Is it vertically oriented? What about the text? Do you have a text overlay that is clear and to the point, along with clear titles, captions, and hashtags? These are just a few quick questions to ask yourself to help take your brand to the next level!
2. Think “mobile”: What we mean by this one, and we thought it was a brilliant point, is to design for the user’s cellphone, not necessarily a desktop. According to Pinterest, 85% of their users are accessing their platform through their phones. It’s important to use your content and the pages you are sending people to are mobile-friendly. This means ensuring the font is screen readable and content is optimized for a cellphone.
3. Brand Continuity: We touched on this a moment ago, but ensure that not only your pins but also the pages you are linking your pins to all have the same branding will help your users not feel as disjointed and create a more pleasant user experience. A simple audit of your accounts can help alleviate this with the same logos, banners, and color schemes being implemented. 
4. Set-Up Shop: You can also create an online shopping experience through Pinterest! And with their catalog feature, you can link your brand’s page to your Pinterest page to make shopping a breeze. And if you are worried that you will have to adjust your Pinterest every time you add an item to your eCommerce store, don’t worry! Their catalog updates your Pinterest automatically though the data link so updating is not a hassle across platforms. 

Some Freebies for you on your Brand’s Journey to harnessing Pinterest

• Pick and eye-catching image.
• Reference Pinterest’s incredible amount of free information such as their yearly calendar that shows trends to help you research and strategize with monthly and yearly data.
• Use video, and forget the audio (but don’t forget the text overlay).
• Think like your audience when curating content. Pinterest is a place where people go to discover what they want, or make purchases. 
• For more resources, check out their blog: https://business.pinterest.com/en/resources-and-guides

The more we at The AD Leaf ® research and utilize Pinterest, along with the shifting marketing landscape, the more we see Pinterest as becoming a heavy-hitter, especially for all of your visually strong brands and those who are selling items or services. If your brand is wanting to harness the power of Pinterest, or simply looking for some marketing help, The AD Leaf ® is ready to take your business to the next level today. For questions on who we can help, please visit us online at www.theadleaf.com. 

Every business owner knows how valuable positive customer reviews are. Customer reviews have become one of the number one ways that drive new customers to businesses. All it takes to find reviews is a quick google search, and a lack of positive reviews can just as easily take potential customers away. But getting past customers to post customer reviews or give positive feedback of any kind often feels like pulling teeth so what can you do to drive your customers to give your business positive feedback. Research has shown that one of the best ways to get positive feedback and reviews for your business is through social media. Here are some ways you can drive your customers to give you good reviews on social media platforms so you can drive new customers right to your business’s door.

• Encourage user-generated content 

User-generated content on social media means that your customers will be posting their experience at your business on social media. Most people like to put their best foot forward on social media so it is not uncommon for customers to post a positive experience at a business on social media. Encourage your customers to take pictures of your business, of themselves at your business, or of the services your business provides. You can even ask to take the pictures yourself. Customers will usually oblige, and may even ask that you share the photo with them if they are in it. The more content you can get a hold of, the better the chance of them sharing their experience online, and the more content you will have for your own social media posts.

• Post Interactive Stories

Stories have become more and more popular in recent years. Almost all popular social media platforms now have the option to add stories, but the best thing about stories for businesses is that they can be easily interactive. Stories have options that allow your customers to directly ask you questions, take polls, rate what they like and what they don’t like, and so on. The possibilities are endless, and it often takes less than a few minutes for a customer to give their feedback. Just like customers prefer speed when coming to your business, they also prefer speed when it comes to giving feedback. Stories are the perfect way to do this, and you can post them whenever and however you want. 

• Post about your customer reviews and your customers’ experiences

If you see a great review online why would you want to keep that to yourself? Your customers want to be heard, and posting their experience can be a perfect way to make sure that happens. A great way to share your customer reviews is by creating a graphic template where you can easily copy and paste your favorite reviews to be shared on your social media or website. You can also repost photos that your customers took at your business or photos that your customers took of your business’s product or services to show your appreciation. Tagging your customers can show appreciation as well. Social media users often want to gain a larger following and more exposure. By sharing their content, you are showing them that you value their social media posts which can be a great ego boost for many people. Be sure to request permission before posting a photo that isn’t yours and before tagging a profile to make sure the customer is ok with it. 

• Try to leverage video testimonials

A great and unique way to promote your business while also getting positive reviews is by asking for video testimonials. Video testimonials are when customers make a video letting people know how much they love a business service or product. This is something that you may want to ask a friend who has been a customer in the past to do because it takes a little bit more time, and not everyone enjoys being shared on video on social media. But regular customers who have told you how much they love your business in the past are also an option. Regular customers and friends have probably established a close enough connection with you and your business to where they would feel comfortable doing this. You could even ask to record the video yourself. Make sure you let them know that if they don’t like the video you won’t post it. Videos like this often see a large increase in business and social media engagement.

•  Create weekly customer features

Weekly customer features can show your brand’s appreciation for your customers and can create more customer engagement. Using customer content, tweeting about customers you appreciate, promoting reviews, and sharing positive customer experiences are all ways you can feature your customers on your social media platforms to promote more customer engagement and feedback. If your customers are expecting their experience to be shared because you share customer experiences on a regular basis, they may be more inclined to share their experience in hopes of getting a shoutout. This will increase your business’s feedback and once you share a customer experience, there is a chance that they will reshare your post because it includes them in it which will increase engagement. The more you reach out to your customers and show your appreciation, the bigger the chance of them showing appreciation back. 

•  Create a rewards program to incentivize reviews 

Sometimes simply asking for reviews isn’t enough. Customers often need an incentive to give reviews, and while social media exposure and recognition is enough for some customers, others may not feel the same way. Creating a rewards program to encourage your customers may just be the extra push that your customers need. Offer a complimentary product or service from your business or some other type of reward system that motivates your customers to leave reviews online. The most successful reviews are ones that are authentic and relatable so this is one of the best ways to create growth online and in your business. 

At The AD Leaf ® Marketing Firm, we know how difficult it can be to get the engagement you are looking for when it comes to your business, especially online, but that is why we do what we do. We are the experts in our field, and we have the research and knowledge you need to make sure your business continues to progress in an everchanging online world. If you’re running a business, the last thing you want to be worrying about is how many followers you have on social media, but your social media following still plays a huge part in the business world today. Let us help guide you through so you can worry about what’s really important to you. Call us today at (321) 255-0900 for more information or email us at info@theadleaf.com

It’s a very strange time in the world right now. The current global crisis of COVID-19 has the world rocking and reeling. And rightfully so. Never before in my life have I seen something like this. Just today I went to order Thai food, temporarily spacing on the mandatory stay home order issue that has closed many businesses and restaurants. I was hit again with the painful reminder that there is a real crisis happening, right outside. And we are all in this together. 

We will make it through.

What does the current global climate mean for your social media? There has been a 70% increase in time spent across social platforms such as Instagram and Whatsapp, a 50% increase of messaging across Facebook’s platforms, and 2x more Facebook and Instagram Live views.

There have been 468 Million mentions of keywords related to the COVID-19 outbreak across social media channels over the past 90 days. That number is staggering. With 62% of adults in the U.S. getting their news from social media while 59% of consumers engage with their favorite brands on social media as well. And from a recent poll, 68% of people learned about company updates from social media, with 79% via email.

These numbers are pointing to one thing: People are turning to social media outlets now more than ever for information, connection, and so much more. Digital attention is drastically on the rise as people turn to social media to what we at The AD Leaf ® believe to be a more grass-roots resurgence of the whole point of social media: to be social. With many staying at home to protect the lives of others and themselves, social media has reminded us once again that it’s of vital importance as a tool to remain connected, to communicate ideas, or organize and collaborate, and see loved ones.

With that being said, there is something of vital importance to insert here. The current COVID-10 pandemic is not a marketing opportunity. 

With the state of the world, there are things that you need to consider as we all navigate into some pretty murky waters. Below are a few quick ideas that we think are vitally important for you, your brand, and social media:

1. Be careful to not “go dark” – This is huge. It’s important to not just drop off the face of the planet, especially in a time like this. Your brand needs to be seen as a pillar of strength for your audience. What we would suggest is to pause your social media, take a step back, and reevaluate the direction of your strategy. What was communicated last week may very well not fit into the current narrative. It’s ok to take a step back for a few days to reassess the situation, the tone, your strategy, and your in-house staff. But then, once ready, come back as a source of strength and encouragement to others. Going dark for a long time communicates an instability that will hurt you in the long run. Keep the lights on.
2. Don’t capitalize on the situation – We have never seen such a pandemic like this in our lifetime. This is not the time to try and hijack the situation for personal gain. Many don’t mean or realize that what they are communicating is actually insensitive, so take a moment to think about which foot you are stepping forward with. Make an extra emphasis on empathy, and approach the situation as someone who is here to help. That doesn’t mean however that you cannot sell products, but it does mean don’t use a painful situation to capitalize on. Be careful here.
3. Tone – We touched on this, but the tone is huge here. Stay true to your brand during this time, but exercise balance. The livelihood of your team may depend on selling products, and that’s ok. But the way you go about things here requires more tact and balance than ever before. Think about staying true to yourself, but being more compassionate. As an additional note, it’s ok that your brand doesn’t have all the answers. Transparency coupled with professionalism is a bright, shining example that we have seen many companies exercise in the light of recent events.
4. Communicate – Whether it’s with your team or your audience, it’s of paramount importance to over-communicate in this time. And if you are able, work from home to help reduce the spread of the virus. We have a plethora of ways to remain connected, like the video conference call company, ZOOM, to help you and your team remain on the same page. With your audience, it’s important to do the same and let them know what’s going on. As we saw earlier, a large percentage of people use social media for company updates, so once you have stepped back to reassess your direction, come forward with a clear message of hope, resilience, and on-brand messaging. A point of caution here would be to be careful to not communicate information that your audience may not need. There is a plethora of companies, brands, leaders, influencers, politicians, newsrooms, newspapers, authors, actors, and endlessly more voices out there, communicating information. Sending out that email to an inbox that has already received 54 emails before 9 am can add unnecessarily to stressors that are probably already occurring. Only send pertinent info. 
5. Practice moderation – This one is a gentle reminder about mental health. It’s ok to not have all the answers. It’s equally ok to not be glued to social media or the news where the challenging events are constantly in your face. Our mindset can be greatly impacted by the onslaught of the terrible things that are happening out there and being viewed in real-time at our fingertips. Take this time home as an opportunity to spend additional time with your spouse, your kids, to pick up a hobby, or to go on a walk. Practice social distancing, but also unplug and take a moment to exercise gratitude. Science shows that those who practice being thankful are mentally and physically healthier and happier. Take a moment to smell the roses. 

While this is a serious event in human history, we have seen glimmers of hope and encouragement from regular businesses and people, just like you. For example, Krispy Kreme is giving away donuts to all health care workers. The CEO of Texas Roadhouse gives up their salary so front-line workers can get paid. Zoom has made video sharing services free for teachers so at-home classes can commence. Starbucks has extended mental health benefits to its partners. Apple is offering unlimited paid sick leave to any of its employees experiencing related symptoms. Sprint is giving its customers unlimited data and 20G of hotspot access for 60 days to ease remote working. And the list goes on!

We at The AD Leaf ® want you to know that if there is any way we can help you, please reach out to us. We are here for you. 

Resources:

https://buffer.com/resources/social-media-management-in-times-of-crisis

https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2014/11/23/7-scientifically-proven-benefits-of-gratitude-that-will-motivate-you-to-give-thanks-year-round/#6f75c197183c

https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2020/03/17/50-ways-companies-are-giving-back-during-the-corona-pandemic/#4cb944dd4723

During times of national emergency, or in this case, global, companies need to walk the fine line of continuing with business as usual while being sensitive to the problem at hand. Companies and individuals alike are going through a scary, uncertain time. During times of uncertainty, people turn to what is secure. It may seem minor, but a sensitive and robust message on social media from brands does help provide a sense of normalcy. It’s a gut reaction for many companies to pull back on social media marketing and advertising but is that the right call? To be frank, no. Let’s talk about some common concerns and how to confront them.

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Going from an Epidemic to a Pandemic, the Coronavirus is sweeping news headlines and social media across the world. What started as an unknown illness at the beginning of 2020 has turned into a global pandemic with many companies, schools, and organizations taking action to prevent the spread of the disease. While there have been disease outbreaks such as the Avian flu, Swine flu, and others, no disease has been quite like the coronavirus. If you’ve been on social media within the last month you have most likely seen news updates, company updates, and memes all revolving around the virus. It is clear that social media has played a key role in the panic and news updates involving the virus.

How have companies addressed it?

Many companies have used social media as their biggest communication platform to address the virus. Companies such as Planet Fitness, Comfort Inn, and multiple restaurant chains are using social media to address the extra safety measures they are taking in order to prevent the spread of the virus and keep everything sanitary. Many companies have taken extra safety measures with their employees by having them work remotely from home, with some businesses even closing temporarily to prevent the spread of the virus. Companies now have to make the tough choice of losing profit and business by taking costly safety measures to stay safe or risk losing the trust of the public and employees by not taking proper safety measures. This can be clearly seen on social media as companies who are posting in regards to the virus are getting mixed reactions from those who believe the virus is being blown out of proportion, to those who don’t think some companies are taking safety seriously enough. It seems that there will be backlash regardless of which stance the company takes regarding the virus. Now, Public Relations workers are being challenged with the tough tasks of deciding how their company will handle the coronavirus.

How have people addressed it?

Social media has also been the biggest communication platform for personal reactions and opinions regarding the coronavirus. While many have used it to share news articles and updates regarding the virus, some have shared and created fake news which has helped play into the panic involving the virus, and exaggerates its symptoms. This has resulted in many people taking unnecessary actions such as stockpiling toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and other cleaning supplies creating a shortage across the country. Some people have also reacted very poorly to the virus regarding school and business closing announcements on social media with some students going as far as rioting. According to the New York Post on March 11th after classes were suspended at the University of Dayton in Ohio due to the coronavirus, many students began rioting at the campus with over “1,000 students gathered on Lowes Street starting around 11 p.m., throwing objects and bottles in the street and at police, and jumping on cars,” the school said in a statement. Other events such as concerts, music festivals and sports events have also been canceled with many fans angrily reacting on social media. On the bright side, not all social media involving the coronavirus has been negative. Some users have taken to social media in a more humorous approach regarding the virus posting funny memes as well as many celebrating the discounted prices of cruise lines and flights. Some users have also offered to help anyone with coronavirus and shared ways on how to prevent the coronavirus such as proper handwashing techniques, and ways to stay safe.

Misinformation and false posts

While social media can be a great source of information and news regarding the coronavirus, it can also be misinformative, overexaggerated or completely false. When reading articles make sure that it is accurate by using fact-checkers and your own judgment. A great free fact-checker that you can use is factcheck.org. This fact-checker can help you find false or partially false information to help you find reputable sources as well as avoid using inaccurate information and articles. Another important thing is to make sure of is that the article or news is from a trusted and credible news source before you share it yourself. A helpful tip is to look for news articles that come from sites that end in .edu or .gov as they are always credible sources from the government or universities. Facebook has also been tightening its grip on false news and information articles to stop the spread of panic and misinformation. Facebook now flags false articles and posts with their own fact-checkers but that doesn’t mean that it is able to detect all misinformation and fake news. Keep this in mind as you scroll through your newsfeed what measures businesses are taking to keep everyone safe and also be aware of the information that everyone else is posting in social media so you can make the best judgment calls regarding the virus.