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Do you really want to go viral? Let’s talk about the Unicorn of Social Media: Going Viral”so you want to go viral

Welcome to the Small and Supercharged podcast! In this solo episode, I explore the concept of social media virality, talk about what it means to go viral, why people are obsessed with it, and whether it should be the aim of our content.


 

I was recently on the radio discussing the topic of going viral, and did a dive into the pros of reaching the right audience versus any audience. Because that’s the think. When content goes viral, it can extend way beyond your audience, beyond your audience’s audience, and out to thousands and thousands (or even millions) of people who aren’t ‘your people’. This can apply to various forms of viral content, including videos, memes, and photographs.

Is going viral predictable?

In this episode, chat about the importance of understanding the unpredictability of virality and how it often hinges on the shareability and uniqueness of the content. I also discuss the challenges of defining what constitutes a viral post and whether there are different levels of virality based on individual account metrics (spoiler alert, I’d say there are!)

Why do people want to go viral?

The podcast touches on the reasons why people desire to go viral, including increased exposure, potential opportunities, and positive impacts on personal branding. I do understand the excitement of content taking on a life of its own and spreading rapidly, I really do- this podcast isn’t a negative one about the subject, it just ‘unpacks’ it in. more detail.

The discussion also covers the difficulty in predicting what will go viral and the lack of a foolproof formula for achieving virality. I also talk about what I advise content creators to do, and that’s to focus on putting out their best content, staying true to their brand, and analysing previous successful content to understand audience preferences.

Due to the unpredictable nature of going viral, if you do create a piece of unicorn content, then I’d definitely look to enjoy the ride. That said, see content going viral as a nice to have, the aligns with your account and purpose, but the overriding objective being to build your brand and increase your reach through engaging with your fans and followers via quality engagement.

Shameless plug!

If you’re interested in social media tips and building your brand on a budget, don’t forget to check out my book, “Small and Supercharge: Small Steps to Supercharge Your Brand on a Budget,” available on Amazon.

 

in praise of social media

Is it all bad? In praise of social media…

Have you noticed? Every time social media is mentioned in the news lately, it’s for something bad, isn’t it? This publicity then increases people’s fear around its use- and I get it- but we need to remember that the issues that make the news are in the minority, that social media will continue to be a part of our lives… and that burying our heads in the sand won’t solve anything… and that’s what this podcast is all about.

The main issue for me is that it’s not the platform’s fault. It’s like blaming paper for what journalists write, the car for the drunk driver… it’s the conduit for the badness. The badness comes from people who use it. They are the problem.

I do understand the fear, particularly when we look at the younger generation and their use of it moving forward, but deciding to ban something that can be so beneficial isn’t the answer. Or, at least, I don’t think it is.

I do have concerns about the next generation and their use of social media, but perhaps not for the reasons you may think. I worry that there’s not enough education in schools about it and how many parents don’t educate themselves about it so they don’t understand the platforms when the times comes that they need to. In my opinion, schools should be teaching social media (and the associated skills such as photography, videography, caption writing, online networking, safety) because it’s not going away, it can be a hugely valuable tool in supporting a happier life and better prospects, and pretending it’s not ‘a thing’ and will go away is just silly.

Anyway… I recorded a podcast about all of this! I hope you find it useful…

Small & Supercharged Book

Aggie Meroni White Bee Digital

Social media ads 101 with Aggie Meroni from White Bee Digital

Social media ads are here to stay. We all have the ability to place them, but that doesn’t mean that the whole process isn’t overwhelming. Particularly if you’re just starting out.

As a Meta Lead Trainer, I teach a fair amount about the ads process and how ads work on the different platforms, but for this episode I wanted to go deeper and speak to an ads specialist who works across a range of platforms, and that’s Aggie Meroni, the founder of White Bee Digital. Aggie is an expert in paid social, working with individuals and agencies to help them maximise the effectiveness of their ad spend.

Aggie has worked for years with a range of businesses when it comes to placing ads on social, and here she gives us a masterclass in how to get started on the ads journey. Yes, it can feel like a lot, but with Aggie’s help, tips and some of her fab freebies and checklists, it needn’t be at all.

Find out whether the boost button really is a waste of money, how much money she suggests you need to spend to make an impact, and why Christmas should start in September if you’re serious about ads… it’s a good one!

To find out more about Aggie and White Bee Digital, just see the website.

awareness days for social media

With this week being home to Blue Monday, it seemed like a good excuse to have a chat about the potential issues that come from using awareness days for your social media, as part if your content plan… and that’s what this podcast is all about.

Should you use awareness days for your social media and marketing?

Let’s dive into what an awareness day is, shall we? Awareness days are specific dates that are dedicated to raising awareness about a specific issue. This could be something health related, connected to the enviroment, or even around food, such as Chocolate Day! Some ‘days’ last a lot longer with weeks and even months being dedicated to causes and awareness raising. Some of these awareness campaigns are UK only, some are international, and some might even be local (there’s a Yorkshire Day that fits this brief!). There are a LOT of days, and this can help you and your business to promote something you are truly passionate about, but it can also look false or irrelevant if not handled well.

Of course, the right awareness days can add a lot to your messaging, your brand, and your customers, but when brands latch on to any day they think they can ‘make’ work for them, it rarely ends well.

Ask yourself…

  • Is this awareness day relevant to me?
  • Is this awareness day relevant to my business?
  • Is this awareness day relevant to my customers?
  • Am I really aligned with this day, or am I a) struggling for content b) want to get extra reach from being involved c) am I doing it just because I think I should but don’t really have anything to add?

The answers to these questions will lead you in the right direction!

Hopefully this episode will provide some food for thought, and a bit more background about Blue Monday that might encourage a little more research before other days are adopted into your plan.

And pssst- Blue Monday was created by Cliff Arnall, a psychologist based in the UK due to a variety of factors that he thought made the third Monday in January the saddest day of the year. It turns out that this is a subject for debate amongst scientists, so don’t get too attached to having to be miserable that day!

 

Small & Supercharged Book

Reels have been in the social media news a lot of late, and whilst many people like watching them, creating them can be a bit of a time consuming chore.

Really easy Reels


And yet, if you try and shun these short-form video snippets, the chances are that you’ll be losing out on reach and getting your message and content out to the people you really want to see it.

So what can you do? On today’s podcast, I talk you through some really simple, fast Reels ideas that anyone can do in moments. I promise.

Are they going to be as good as the incredibly timed masterpieces we see on the accounts of influencers whose job it is to create content? They’ll be different to these, and that’s fine too. But through using the tools inside the app and changing your thoughts from ‘no, I don’t want to’ to ‘how can I make this work for me?’, you have a much (much) greater chance of Reel success and Instagram growth.

How to create Reels in next to no time…

  • Check out Templates on Reels. Templates allow you to take your Reels to the next level without spending hours and hours trying to get every single transition in the right place in time with the music.
  • Gather content during your day to show a process. Set up your phone and get it to film something during the day or during a process. You can then speed it up for Reels.
  • Reels don’t have to be videos! An easy way of doing Reels is to use images, or use an image and then add timed text for that dynamic element.
  • Find trending sounds and use these over relevant videos. Really easy and very effective.

 

Small & Supercharged Mastermind

shemeansbusiness

As you may or may not know, I’m a #SheMeansBusiness Accredited Trainer. This is a programme run by Meta and powered by Enterprise Nation in the UK and Ireland, and I’m delighted to be able to share this training as a podcast to help you get more creative and build your brand through Facebook, Instagram… and beyond!

#SheMeansBusiness – Getting Creative: Build Your Brand

On this podcast, I’m going to share tips and tricks around building your brand through social media with lots of branding points to help your brand identity stay as cohesive online as it is offline. We’ll also look at your brand’s values, its purpose, and the connection between customer, creative and copy.

To round off, we’ll look at advertising vs. organic content alongside the mix of engaging, exciting and educational posts it’s good for a brand to share across its social media platforms.

For more information on #SheMeansBusiness campaign, see https://www.enterprisenation.com/campaigns/she-means-business/

If you want to find out more about Enterprise Nation and the free training available from #SheMeansBusiness and beyond, head over to the Enterprise Nation website here, and/or follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

7 content tweaks you need to do

What’s that you say? You cross post? Can I offer you an alternative idea that could help your reach and engagement?!

7 content tweaks you need to do!


We all know that repurposing content is a great idea. Not only does it make all the content that you create work harder and give it more chance of being seen by your audience, but it also reduces the workload from your point of view as you don’t need to keep creating new content, all the time, for every new platform.

But how do you do this effectively? This podcast will help you repurpose your content a lot better, thanks to seven simple content tweaks.

Simply cross-posting might not get the best results, as when you post the same content, to different platforms without any adjustment for the platform, it doesn’t appear to be native. By this, I mean that if you say ‘link in bio’ on Facebook, it’ll make very little sense as there’s not a bio on Facebook! Equally, if you include a hyperlink in your copy over on Instagram, it just won’t work… and who’s copying and pasting it to put into Safari? And if you want people to engage in what you’re saying AND you want the functionality such as tags, etc to work, you need to do a bit of work too!

On this episode of the podcast, I share seven easy content tweaks to make it work better on all the platforms you want to post to. I hope you find it helpful!

Small & Supercharged Mastermind

behind the mask why authenticity matters on social media and beyond

Authenticity is a word we all hear a lot when it comes to social media- but is it just a buzzword? I don’t think so. In fact, I think it’s essential for social media to be truly effective, to help you connect with your people, and for you to stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons.

Behind the mask- why authenticity matters on social media and beyond

Do you watch the programme ‘The Masked Singer’?

My boys are a little obsessed with it… and it’s not the worst thing they watch, so I’m very happy to run with it(!). When I was planning this week‘a podcast, it kept coming into my head.

This week’s podcast is all about authenticity- why we all need to be us online- how to make sure you’re being authentically you- and why this is the very best way to find your people.

A ‘mask’ can be a great thing to hide behind- whether it’s visually or in the language you use or what you share- but in the long term it does you limited favours, as I chat about on this week’s episode.

On this episode, I chat all about authenticity, why authenticity matters on social media, and how to really step into the true, authentic you online. And why it matters.

Yes, having nothing to hide behind can be scary, but it’s the only way- I think- to make social media truly work for you on a long term basis. Here, I explain why and share some tips for achieving it.

Small & Supercharged Mastermind

You have got links in instagram stories

Last week, Instagram announced that Links on Stories would now be available to everyone. Previously, people with 10k plus followers had access to this functionality and others didn’t. But this change means that follower number is no longer a barrier. But is it necessarily a good thing?

You’ve got Instagram Links in Stories! (And you don’t need over 10k)

On this episode of the podcast, I talk about how the Link sticker can benefit brands, influencers and followers too, but I do also talk about the potential downside of links generally, and how to navigate around this.

I’ve had the ability to link from Stories for a good while now and while it is really handy in certain situations, I do think it’s important to be aware of what these circumstances are and not overuse the sticker to the detriment of the content that you’re creating and posting natively.

The thing is, when we ‘meet people where they are’ on social media platforms, that person has chosen to spend their time there. Now, there might be occasions when they’re more than happy to leave it and go somewhere else (bargains tend to be one good reason!), but we need to make sure that we’re not always sending people here, there and everywhere. And we also need to still be doing our bit to make sure that even if we include a link, that the content still works and ‘adds value’ on its own, with no immediate need for people to move around.

That said, there are clearly huge advantages to be able to take people to specific locations. If you are an influencer and create vlogs or blogs, a link on Stories can now take people there with ease. And if you have any kind of affiliate link, or you want to take people somewhere specific on your website, you can now do this.

Anyway- have a listen to the podcast- hopefully it’ll help you with the pros, potential cons, and how to avoid any pitfalls. Enjoy.

Small & Supercharged Mastermind

where should I be on social media

Have you ever asked yourself where you should be? Not geographically, but more on social media?! This podcast should hopefully help give you more of an idea about the questions you need to ask yourself, how to find out where your audience is hanging out, and also help you to feel like you’re spending your time on the social media platforms where you can make a difference.

Where should I be on social media?


With so many social media platforms available today, it can be incredibly hard to work out where you need to be, to deliver the maximum return on your effort. Being overwhelmed by all the things can lead to a lack of impact which, when you’re trying to be in all the places, and you’re doing a lot of work, is more than a little galling. Hopefully, this podcast will help.

On this episode, I take a look at different ways to work out where you could be, and where your audience is. I also explore different content types, and how to get the info you need to make those decisions. I hope it helps!

Never miss an episode by subscribing on Apple Podcasts…

Small & Supercharged Mastermind