There are many types of content that a business can utilise as part of their marketing strategy, not just blogs and articles. Social media allows us to be creative in the way we deliver our brand in front of your potential customers. So let's break down how Snapchat can be used for a business. In 2011 Snapchat graced our app stores and very quickly became a popular social site with over 188 million daily active users globally. 78% of those users are between the ages of 18 and 24, and almost 70% are female, which can be a hard market to tap into. However, reports suggest that these users are spending on average 30 minutes a day on the app, or more. So, if this is a target market you’re trying to appeal to at the moment but just can’t seem to tap into, why not use Snapchat to deliver your content directly to them? Snapchat specialises in video and image-based content that disappears eventually. It used to only last 10 seconds but an update changed that setting to anything between 1 second and whenever the person receiving the message clicks off it (represented with an infinity sign).     Snapchat stories, however, last 24 hours. You can attach YouTube videos, links to articles and other websites to them as well. On top of this, you can upload as many snaps as you like to your story, however each time you film you are limited to a 60-second clip, that is split into six sections. But, you can upload as many of them as you’d like! Your viewers can either chose to watch them all or click through them. On top of this Snapchat also utilises filters, which a lot of the time can be inappropriate for a business to use, however, their geofilters can be great for

Let's talk Twitter. It’s something that has skyrocketed since its release. If we think about all the different social media platforms that came before – MySpace, MSN, even Facebook to an extent – they all became popular very quickly and their fire burnt fast, and what is left of them is a dull ember of a memory. Twitter, however, has stayed at the top of its game with over 336 million users worldwide. But due to its popularity, it is incredibly hard to stay on top of. It is constantly changing, and trends come and go. For a business, this can be a nightmare. The thought of posting something that isn’t quite up to date and current is a fear in a lot of people when they start their marketing on social media, but that shouldn’t stop you. Twitter can be a goldmine for a business. The possibility you have to be put in front of as many potential customers in unlimited. But, with over 8,000 tweets published every second, it’s easy to lose track of particular posts and interactions. So how do you stay on top? Easy. All you need to know is how to optimise the Twitter Advanced Search function. You might feel a little confused, why should you as a brand know how to search for yourself if you need your customers to be doing it? Well, if YOU know how to use it, and you know how you want to be found, then you can start to customise your twitter output to match that. It’s a tactic that can be applied in a lot of different situations; knowing what your end goal is and working backwards.  How can you know how to get somewhere if you don’t know where you’re trying to go? The beauty of this function is that anyone can access the Twitter Advanced

On the 20th June this year Instagram released a new app called Instagram TV (IGTV). It is a long form video app that runs off your existing Instagram account. It gives influencers and celebrities the chance to produce and publish longer videos than being limited to 60 seconds like they were previously.   You don’t have to create another account to use IGTV either; it is linked to your original Instagram account, which is convenient. As soon as you log in, the app will start to suggest videos for you based on the people you already follow. The video in the background will automatically start to play but with no volume, similar to the way Instagram treats videos on your Insta feed at the moment. Videos will play but there is no sound unless you turn it up, but then until you close out of the app completely every video you scroll past will start to play. You can search for videos through the search tool, or you can view videos that are popular and trending at the moment with the Popular tab, which is similar to the Explore function of Instagram. When you find a video you want to watch all you have to do is tap on the screen and the video will enlarge, and all the other tabs will disappear. Videos on this platform are made to be vertical, so even if you tilt your phone the video will stay vertical. Another feature of this app is that IGTV will remember where you were in a video if you leave it before you finish, so you can pick up right where you left off.   At the moment you can’t record videos in the IGTV app. When you go to upload a video (by pressing the + button, similar to Instagram) the app will

This year we were fortunate enough to attend and cover Frankie’s classic car and bike fest, hosted by Saint Francis Hospice.   Even though they’re known for dealing with end of life care, Saint Francis Hospice do so much more than that. They also care for the families affected by life-limiting illnesses, and provide them with on-going emotional support.   They provide this care for free, and rely on people to attend events such as Frankie’s Classic Car and Bike fest and other voluntary donations throughout the year to continue this service for free. As a team, we love their ethos, which is why we wanted to get involved and share the hard work they do every day. The staff at the event were very welcoming, friendly, and eager to work with us, which made the day all the more fun for everyone. We placed three apprentices at the event. They all took photos, videos and made organic posts on the day of the amazing things they found there.       From the Ford Mustang Owners Club to the food trucks and vintage market stalls, our social superstars had a healthy supply of things to choose from to create content for both Saint Francis Hospice and our own social media’s. Our apprentices went around the venue all day talking to members of the public and gaining a general vibe of the day from what they were saying. From the posts we made on the day we reached 7,235 people and had an overall engagement of 513 on twitter. We also created posts on our social media accounts prior to the event to build traction for the day. We created signs for the event with slogans, hashtags, and phrases that could be held by the staff and members of the public, which we then photographed and shared online tagging the relevant people and