Social Media Consultant, Small Businesses. Saffron Walden & Cambridge.
Social Media Strategy, Branding, Content Creation and Ex*****on, Social Media Audits, In-house Training across LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
31/01/2023
✨Feb Content ideas and Awareness Days✨
Finally some sunshine and warmer days are here! 🌼
Here are a few ideas to inspire your content for the next month, swipe across 👉
is one close to my heart as we’ve been battling with our toddler having fits over the last 6 months so big thanks to the brilliant NHS team at Addenbrooke’s!
On a happier note, I’m looking forward to longer days outside and brighter days ahead!
What are you looking forward to this month? ❓
SocialMediaContentCreator
27/01/2023
Are you getting the most out of your Stories and do you know how to use them to sell?
Here are a few tips to get you started:
1. Add an Engagement-driving Sticker to your First Story - One of the quickest ways to boost your stories' views is by adding an engagement-driving sticker (such as a poll, emoji slider, or quiz) to the very first story you share. This will encourage engagement on your stories, which will nudge Insta to show your subsequent stories to more people. The more clicks and engagements your stories receive, the more Instagram will bump your stories to the front of the queue.
2. Tell a STORY - the best way to use stories is to create exactly that! Show a transformation, create anticipation, show the answer to a problem, let people follow your day.
Create Behind the Scenes Content - let your followers see a glimpse of your creative process, your personality and draw them into the product
3. Encourage direct conversations - use stickers (polls, questions, DM box etc) to encourage followers to send a direct message which starts up a conversation and allows you to build rapport. You'll also find out more about what your followers are interested in.
4. Add an extra story at the end of the day - according to the scheduling too Later they have noticed a boost if you add a story just before the others expire. Not tested this myself yet (could be a way for them to encourage you to schedule stories) - will you give it a go?
6. Close Friends Feature - You may have noticed that when someone adds you to their Close Friends list, you’ll see their stories at the front of your feed with a bright green border.
Want to know how to boost your stories? Boo
20/01/2023
Reminder: you already have a great community on Insta, don’t forget the followers you already have!
Anyone else compare their follower numbers to their competitors? It’s so easy to do! But, it’s important to nurture the followers/community/customers you’ve already built up.
Reach out today to a warm lead, old contact, future customer and see what happens …
18/01/2023
How are you feeling about recommended posts - or 'enhanced discovery'?
Instagram recently outlined its three key areas of focus for 2023.
💡Inspire people to be creative
🔍Help people discover things they love ❤️
✨Spark connections between people
Whilst 'enhanced discovery' can feel intrusive when you're scrolling, it's a key move for Insta and is likely to be here to stay as the competition v TT continues! So, how can you make the most of this to ensure your potential customers see your content?
✨Build a consistent, recognisable and relatable brand presence;
✨Think about the entertainment value
✨Make sure you're making the most of reels
✨Use relevant hashtags - whilst the move towards AI based recommendations might make hashtags less relevant, they still have a role to play in discoverability
✨Instagram tries to recommend content which is similar to the accounts that people have chosen to follow, so take a look at what other brands in your industry
And if you need a hand with your social media content this year I have one space opening up for social media management so drop me a message to grab it!
13/01/2023
NEW UPDATE: You can now schedule posts and reels In-App 🎉
This is a fantastic update which so many of us have been waiting for! No need to use a 3rd party app or remember to post natively!
Remember it's still best to be online at the time the post/reel goes live to both check and also engage and reply to comments etc.
I've yet to try but there could be a few glitches at first so save any content first just in case!
Will you be using this new update? 🎉
01/12/2022
Welcoming in December and all the festivities it has to bring. Is it just me or has everyone gone VERY early this year?!
It's a noisy month on social media with lots of people posting both organically and big budgets thrown on Ad spend too. Plus people are heading out shopping, nativity plays, socialising big time this year so think about your content intentionally and don't be despondent if you're reach is lower.
It's a great time of year to have a bit of fun with your content, show some personality and also let people know what to expect from you in 2023.
We’re off to see Father Christmas today with a very excited 3 year old!
🎄❤️🎄
22/11/2022
📅 LinkedIn Update: Native Scheduling 🌟
The last couple of years has seen a significant shift for many of my clients and colleagues towards LinkedIn, for a number of reasons which I'll cover in another post. So, we were delighted to hear the news via and that native scheduling is coming soon. John already has this update so has shared some of the pro's and con's in his newsletter.
On Desktop/Android you can:
🌟Tag individuals & companies
🌟Schedule text, image, document (PDF) & video posts
🌟Schedule up to 3 months in advance (min of 1hr before)
🌟Change the schedule time or delete before published
You can't
❌ Edit the content of a post after you schedule
❌ Schedule events, multi-image posts, polls, articles or newsletters
And the big downside for my clients:
❌ Schedule to groups or company pages
A great new edition particularly if you’re just starting out on LinkedIn and don’t want to use a 3rd party scheduler and a simple way to ensure consistency.
Will you give it a go? Head over and find me on LinkedIn, link in stories 👆
15/11/2022
📢 More Insta Updates 📢💥
Another couple of fantastic new features, especially for small businesses in the run up to Christmas:
✨ Add a message button directly under your post so it’s even quicker and easier for people to contact you directly
✨Tag products - you can now not only tag your OWN products, if you have a shop, but products from OTHER businesses! 🥳
So if you don’t have one already even more reason to set up your shop!
Which of all the recent updates do you ❤️ the most?
11/11/2022
💥A Friday reminder 💥
New features continue to appear from. Insta HQ but remembering to talk to talk to your customers, listen, collaborate and build a community remain so important 💪
Happy weekend all! We’ve got a 12 year old in the house today 🥳
With the continuing importance of video plus features such as collaboration it's more important than ever to focus on building a community on your socials. So I'm going to challenge myself to show up more as we head into the Autumn.
How about you? What challenges are you going to set yourself as we head back after the summer?
08/11/2022
📆The Insta Update you've actually been waiting for ... in App Scheduling! 💥
announced yesterday Insta is rolling out content scheduling tools in the Instagram app - so you can choose to schedule a picture, carousel, or Reel up to 75 days in advance.
⚙️ Create your post, then before sharing, select Advanced Setting
☝️ Tap the 'Schedule this post' option
⏰ Select the time and date you want the post to go live in your feed
📅 Tap Schedule
This will be a game changer and an update I'm definitely looking forward to. How about you? Will you use it?
08/11/2022
🎵 You can now add music to a post 🎵
When you add a static post to your Insta feed you can now click and add music.
This could be great for people who have t got used to posting reels but want to add an extra something to their post - maybe a festive tune, lyrics to suit the theme or the mood of a photo.
When you go to add copy to the post just look out of the new music section.
How do you feel about this? Nice addition or just another gimmick?
03/11/2022
Are you busy running your small business and struggling to find time to plan your socials? 🙋♀️
We've all been there! Even social media managers need to carve out time for their own marketing and all too often it can slip to the bottom of your list.
It's so important to try and maintain a consistent presence, even ... in fact ESPECIALLY ... when times are tough, and it's absolutely essential for product businesses in the run up to Christmas.
I’d love to help your small business. I work with my clients across all platforms, and you can book me in for as much or a little as you want. From a power hour training session to full social media management, take your pick:
📱 Training (121, small groups (grab some mates!) or work teams
📱 Social Media Audits
📱 Strategy
📱 Content Creation & Ex*****on
I would love to help you maximise your social media presence, just drop me a line. 📧
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Hi, I’m Maria, I’m a freelance Social Media Consultant offering a range of social media solutions; be it through content creation and ex*****on, building a social strategy for your business, a social media audit or via in-house training. My focus is small to medium sized businesses in the Essex/Cambridgeshire area but I work with all types of clients.
I have always been passionate about marketing and communications since I started in a small marketing agency in Hatton Garden about 20 years ago. Over the years I have gained a wealth of experience across the full marketing mix. In the early days my focus was primarily launching a range of financial services products for large brands such as Nationwide, Reuters and AIG.
Since having children I have upskilled with the Tech Pixies Social Media Magic course to add social media training to my previous marketing experience. My most recent experience is working for a local charity and a parenting support company where I ran their social media.
Services:
Social Media Strategy, Branding, Content Creation and Ex*****on, Social Media Audits, In-house Training across LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
So, a little bit about me:
💛 My early days were spent in London, Hong Kong and Argentina.
💛 I now live in a small village between Saffron Walden and Cambridge with my husband and 3 boys.
💛 I studied Classics and Ancient Greek at Bristol and still have a passion for the ancient world.
💛 My spare time is currently spent running or enjoying a glass or two or wine .
If you’d like any help with your social media then please do drop me a line or visit my Instagram page to keep up to date with the latest social media updates and tips https://www.instagram.com/socialmedia_maria/. I look forward to hearing from you.
