Neuromarketing: Why Building An Emotional Connection Is Important

Ever wondered why we make those impulse buys, why we choose one colour over another and why some brands resonate with us whilst others don’t? 

The truth is, whilst we like to think that our decisions are underpinned by logic, a lot of the time our decision making is actually driven by our subconscious minds. In fact, Harvard Professor Gerald Zaltman says that 95% percent of our purchase decision making takes place in the subconscious.  

Over the last decade, marketeers have caught onto the idea of looking into consumer ‘brainfluences’ to predict consumer preferences. This has led to a newfound and exciting way of conducting market research known as neuromarketing.  

What Is Neuromarketing? 

Neuromarketing, or consumer neuroscience, explores how we can use neuroscience to examine how our minds work and gain insight into consumer behaviour.  

Whilst traditional market research relies on the likes of engagement analytics and surveys, neuromarketing uses advanced scientific metrics such as heart rate monitoring, facial expressions tracking, eye-tracking, electroencephalograms (EEGs) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).  

In essence, neuromarketing looks into the nitty-gritty of what makes us tick and can be an incredibly useful tool for gathering consumer insight. 

How Has Neuromarketing Been Used So Far?

Neuromarketing is a very pricey method of market research and only super brands such as Coca-Cola, Yahoo and Facebook have been able to check out the field so far.  

In 2018, Hyundai created a unique experiment to find out what consumers would consider as the most positive colour. In the experiment, participants were placed in a blank room that lit up one colour at a time. These participants were also hooked up to EEGs, that read the electrical activity inside their brains, and other bio-sensory tools that read heart rate and galvanic skin response. Hyundai were then able to extract emotional data as to what the individual was feeling in response to a certain colour i.e., bored, excited, relaxed or focused. The result: the colour blue was found to be the happiest colour. Despite ‘feeling blue’ giving it a bad rep, blue was found to be stimulating, energising and comforting. Since the experiment, Hyundai have injected touches of blue through its vehicles.  

Hilton Hotels have been another to experiment with neuromarketing. In 2020, during a conference in Liverpool, guests toured around displays and event stands. Hilton Hotels had placed 24 carefully positioned cameras that tracked each person’s movements and changes in expression as they moved between stalls. This Zenus Emotion AI technology was able to monitor even the most subtle of contractions in an individual’s facial muscles. By using facial expressions tracking to gauge how guests were feeling, the results found that a puppies-and-ice-cream stall was more engaging than the open bar. Though sounding a touch trivial (I know), the same system can be used to detect threat at border checkpoints, evaluate job candidates and monitor levels of boredom. 

Once more, in 2021, Procter & Gamble used an eye-tracking software to monitor participant eye movement and focus when watching some P&G mobile ads. The tool was able to detect which parts of the ads were more engaging and how consumer gaze patterns changed over time. This allowed P&G to tailor their content to better capture consumer attention and evoke the desired emotional response.  

The Future Of Neuromarketing  

Neuromarketing is an advanced method of helping brands to further personalise messages to suit individual customers, understand their emotional responses and use that data to better design products and services. Over the coming years, neuromarketing is expected to witness exponential growth and has a predicted 2029 market worth of USD 2.41 billion. 

That said, looking scientifically into consumer emotions is a difficult metric to capture and far too out of budget for most. However, what we can take away from this emerging discipline is the idea that forging an emotional connection with audiences adds tremendous value.  

Consumers are more driven by emotional responses than we think. The 2024 marketing statistics show:  

  • Ads portraying above-average emotional responses have a 23% potential sales increase 
  • Negative headlines have 30% higher click-through rates than ones with positive superlatives 
  • 82% of highly emotional brand-engaged consumers buy from their brand based on loyalty 

So, the science shows that emotions get the better of us. Building trust, echoing warm values, sparking excitement or even outrage is what draws customers the most. Putting emphasis on what you want to make your target audience feel and how you are going to make them feel that way should be an essential in your PR and marketing strategy.  

At Source PR, our range of marketing and digital strategies allow us to create a bespoke service that suits your chosen audience’s needs. To find out more, click here 

How Important Are Hashtags On Social Media?

With everchanging trends and constant techy updates, social media is fast on the move. Gaining consistent and effective reach may often feel like a daunting task with unpredictable outcomes. However, there is always one trusty social media hack that you can rely on: the classic hashtag.

What Is A Hashtag?

Often used in bios and captions, a hashtag is a keyword preceded by the hash symbol, ‘#’. Hashtags are useful content markers that essentially direct your post on a hot algorithm to its relevant target audience. In short, hashtags optimise engagement by making your content more findable, meaning more eyes, more taps, and more shares.

What Do The Stats Say?

In fact, according to market data carried out by Zipido, in 2023, Instagram posts with at least one hashtag received 70% more likes than posts that did not contain hashtags.

It was also found that 48.1% of Instagram users heavily rely on branded hashtags in order to discover new products.

However, hashtags aren’t solely limited to Instagram. Hashtags are an integral feature of all social media platforms from the Meta universe of Facebook and X (Twitter), to LinkedIn, TikTok and Pinterest. For instance, the use of one or more hashtags will increase a LinkedIn post’s visibility by an average of 29.59%. Similarly, on X (Twitter), even the use of one hashtag alone can lead to an average 69.7% more retweets.

So, in essence, hashtags are a very important and efficient method to achieving social media success.

Hashtag Do’s And Hashtag Don’ts

Hashtag Do’s

Be Specific

In order to boost consumer awareness, it’s important that your post reaches its target audience. So, make sure those hashtags can standout. For example, are you posting a #holiday, a #summerholiday or a #summerstaycation? Keeping it brief and unique means the tag is more likely to gain traction from a likeminded and genuinely interested audience i.e., those fancying a UK summer stay rather than a general holiday.

Research Popular Hashtags

Keep an eye out for popular hashtags and jump on trends whilst they are still hot. In 2023, hashtags such as #myromanempire or #girldinner spread like wildfire accumulating over six billion views between them on TikTok. Whilst making sure they still appropriately reflect your brand, using these topical tags can be a great way to look up-to-date and attract new followers.

Get Creative

Who said you can’t be a trendsetter? With hashtags, there is plenty of room for experimentation. You may wish to create a hashtag that is witty and humorous, that highlights an event, or even begins an interactive campaign such as the #IceBucketChallenge or the #BlindingLights dance off. Similarly, you may want to make a branded hashtag. For instance, if you are a business that people can visit and stay at, you may want to encourage guests to hashtag your brand name. Not only will this help your business grow, but it will also enable potential customers to gain insight into previous customer experiences.

Track Progress

To really optimise hashtag efficiency, it’s important that you measure hashtag performance. Applications such as Sprout Social offer easy to use analytics that can tell you what hashtags to use and which hashtags your viewers have been using to find your content.

Hashtag Don’ts

Unnecessary Hashtags

The hashtag sweet spot, according to recent research, is to keep to 3-5 hashtags. In fact, too many hashtags can do more harm than good. Over saturating hashtags may mark your post as spam which can result in your account being shadow banned. Shadow banning is when your content has been recognised as spam and so no longer appears on a user’s feed despite not having received an official ban or warning. This is a sneaky form of banning used across all social media platforms to prevent spammers from simply making a new account after their old account has been officially banned.  

Being Too Wordy

Whilst hashtags can be more than one word pushed into one, they still need to be readable to be memorable. So, keep your hashtag neat and punchy such as Coca-Cola’s #ShareACoke or Nike’s #JustDoIt – used in over 14 million posts in 2023.

Don’t Leave Stories Behind

Hashtags aren’t limited to permanent tweets or posts; they can be used in Instagram and Facebook Stories too. Though they disappear after 24 hours, stories are still a great way to squeeze in that hashtag and gain those extra views where possible.

#TimeToGetSeen

In all, hashtags are an essential tool for boosting social media engagement. All it takes is a few well selected hashtags and your post can go far and reap the exponential rewards it deserves. Platforms such as Pinterest, TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and X (Twitter) are reliant on hashtags so keeping savvy with tags is a super-efficient way to become viral and become #TrendingNow.


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How To Use TikTok Trends For Your Business

By now, pretty much everyone has either heard of TikTok, has an account they scroll through daily or is obsessed with posting videos at every spare moment. The app now boasts over 1 billion monthly active users. It’s one of the fastest-growing social media platforms and is perfect for creating more relaxed, consumable and relatable content for your brand.

The key with TikTok marketing, which we’ve written about previously, is to educate your consumer whilst keeping them hooked. But it’s also important to keep abreast of trends to heighten your chances of your videos being picked up by algorithms and being seen by more people. But how do you use TikTok trends for a business? Read on and we’ll delve into this.

  1. Use Trending Audios

If it’s not broken, why fix it? We all know the phrase and now popular ‘TikTok-kers’ are emanating it too.

Trending audios are sounds that have been tried, tested, and have come out victorious, many of them garnering millions of views for videos that use that specific audio. The engagement for videos that use these popular audios is often much higher than other lesser-known sounds so, why not capitalise on it too?

Come up with your own little twist on the trend or even just follow the masses and fully embrace the trend, but just note, that these fast and fun trends can flip like a switch. Make sure you (or your social media agency) are keeping up-to-date with the latest audios; it will help keep users engaged and interactive with your account.

  1. Try Out Popular Filters

TikTok filters can be a rabbit hole easily led down. Fear not though. These filters can be many things; sometimes fun and sweet, sometimes weird and whacky, and sometimes downright scary, however one thing you can be sure of is that a large chunk of the most popular filters can up your Tik Tok game dramatically. They can easily take a boring video and transform it into a viral sensation.

Use your imagination and the sky is the limit with these filters, many of which will be regularly used time and again in the most popular videos popping up in everyone’s feeds.

You might think that these filters aren’t appropriate for businesses, but thinking outside the box can seamlessly shoehorn your brand into the latest trends – think of RyanAir for example, that took the eyes and mouth filter and ran with it – in fact, they pretty much own it now.

  1. Have Fun And Be Brave

Without a doubt, the most successful businesses pages on TikTok are not the ones focused squarely on promoting their product. Why would anyone choose to follow a never ending ad?

The pages that hit the jackpot are always the ones with the most character. They will introduce you to their way of work, their customers, and their colleagues. After scrolling through these accounts, you should feel like they have a personality of their own. One account who encapsulates this perfectly is Innocent Smoothies. From behind the scenes moments to videos made solely so you can have a giggle, customers fell in love with their refreshing insight into the company and with over 100k followers it shows.

So, you need to inject as much life into your page as you can; interview your colleagues over silly things, run through the streets for the sake of that viral video. Go crazy, be funny, go off-track, take the mick out of yourselves; it truly is hard to go too far.

  1. Tell A Story

TikTok videos are purposefully short. The average user spends over an hour and a half a day simply swiping through videos on the app but only a few seconds on each clip.

There’s no question to the fact; you need to stand out to make it, keeping users engaged when it could be so easy for them to swipe on past. It could be straightforward, like keeping the surprise, entertaining or shock factor of the video until the end, building their curiosity after hinting to it at the start. Or it could be deeper, such as detailing interesting parts of your lives, why you started your small business or even, the funny story of your after-work drinks on a Friday night.

Engagement is the key so, be relatable, be real and be personable.

  1. Be Clever In Comments

Users on TikTok want to know you. Many successful accounts engage constantly with customers in their comments and even pop up in the comments of other businesses’ TikTok accounts. The comments tab on TikTok is used to convey a deeper understanding to videos and / or, more often than not, becoming a mini comedy show of one-liners.

Users love a quick sweep through the comments and will dive head-first, grinning, down rabbit holes of accounts if they find pages writing things that made them cackle. Ryanair, for example, is a master of both finesse and hilarity in TikTok comments. They promote the best version of their company all the while never forgoing their need to make people laugh at the teasing jokes they regularly drop in the comments, whether on their page or others.

They don’t ever underestimate the power of a good comment and the new level of engagement it can bring. You shouldn’t either.

  1. Produce #ShareableContent

There’s not much more that will spark the interest of the social media generation than a challenge.

Challenges will often involve one account creating a video provoking users to attempt their own creative take on the video, completing the challenge and posting the video with the corresponding hashtag. Companies can grow their audience exponentially through this method. Chipotle created one challenge, in particular, that shot off; the #LidFlip challenge which watched users try flip the lid onto the bowl without using their hands. This saw their videos climb thousands of views that you could emulate, all you need is a bit of imagination and a catchy hashtag. No one can resist the challenge of competition nowadays!

First starting a TikTok account can feel incredibly daunting. However, once you jump in, you open up so many doors and opportunities you didn’t even realise were there, from expanding your audience to connecting with customers and showing a new side of the business. To find out about how we could help your business with this, pop us a message!

Instagram Reels vs. TikTok – Where Should You Be Focusing?

It’s no surprise that short-form video content is essential to your marketing strategy, but with two key players to choose from, you might be struggling to pick which platform to share your video efforts.

 

Between Instagram Reels and TikTok, which channel is right for you? TikTok videos can go viral easily. But so can Instagram Reels. To those that are social media savvy like us at Source, TikToks and Reels are simple to create. In fact, most things TikTok can do, Instagram Reels can do just as well. But which one should you focus your marketing efforts on? Let’s take a look.

 

Getting Started

 

The first thing to note is your own following on these platforms, if you already have an established community on Instagram, then branching out to TikTok could be counter productive. On the flip side, if you have similar-sized followings on both, or you are looking to start your social media journey then let’s break them down.

 

Instagram vs. TikTok

 

What’s the difference between TikTok and Instagram reels? TikTok is more popular and videos are more likely to go ‘viral’ even if you don’t have a lot of followers, but Reels has more features. Both apps have their own advantages, so you’ll have to decide what is important to you. If you’re looking to reach a larger user base and filter through endless content, go with TikTok. But if you want something more community-based and feature-packed, then Reels might be the right choice for you.

 

Here’s some more information on their similarities and differences broken down:

Instagram Reels TikTok
Max. video length 90 seconds 10 minutes
Sound library Y Y
Audio Limited library

Copyright restrictions

Extensive library

New sound creation

Upload pre-recorded videos Y Y
Account interaction Collab Duet, Stitch
Business account restrictions Y Y
Product links Y Y
Subscription features Y Y – additional non-subscribed gift feature
Strongest suit Increasing impressions and brand visibility Encouraging UGC (user-generated content)

Instagram Reels

 

Instagram Reels are short, fast-paced videos that often consist of different clips put together. Creators can record, edit, add music, and finetune their videos with the help of Instagram’s built-in tools and filters. Typical videos include clips of food, OOTD (outfit of the day) videos, gym routines, day in the life, and product launches.

Some examples of these kinds of Reels can be found here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvF_RXUL98D/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cv9bNv6IDbP/?hl=en

 

Once published, Reels can be found on newsfeeds, stories and in the dedicated Explore tab. Being featured on Explore, Reels will reach completely new audiences and could go viral fast as the Instagram algorithm favours video content over its original static posts.

 

TikToks

 

TikToks are short-form vertical videos published on TikTok (originally musical.ly). In just a few years, and with the help of pandemic isolation, TikTok has evolved to become the biggest video-sharing platform to exist. Starting with 15-second dancing and lip-syncing clips to featuring 10-minute presentation videos, TikTok has evolved to suit the masses.

 

Typical videos include dance trends, in-depth product reviews, story times, lip-syncing clips, and GRWMs (get ready with me). Brands have also jumped on the trendy platform to engage with their audience in often humorous ways. Just take a look at TikTok channels @ryanair and @duolingo for some guaranteed giggles.

 

Examples can be seen here:

 

https://www.tiktok.com/@ryanair/video/7269809004837211424

https://www.tiktok.com/@duolingo/video/7210480530628922670

 

Content Style

 

Deciding on content style is key. Having an idea of the audience you want to target and the content you want to share could help you decide which platform to target.

 

Instagram is all about aesthetic lifestyle content. To gain traction with Reels, your videos should be polished and capture the audience’s attention with an appealing opening shot and cover photo. Instagram Reels work well for brands that are ready to invest their time and money in building a consistent brand image.

 

TikTok on the other hand has a less conservative and more experimental vibe. It doesn’t matter how structured or unstructured your video styles are and whether you’ve picked a nice-looking cover image or not, sometimes, the more chaotic the better! However, this does mean that there are many instances in which content plans are scrapped because there’s a hot new trend you need to jump on.

 

Our Verdict

 

Instagram Reels and TikToks offer users an opportunity to create communities with light, entertaining content. It should be noted that TikTok is undoubtedly the trendsetter of the two with Instagram trailing behind, but for a business entering video marketing, the best choice would be to double up. Jump on those TikTok trends, create that engagement, and spread it across both platforms. That’ll provide you with the perfect launchpad for your business.

 

At Source PR we’ve been developing our expertise in this area and now work with several clients on content creation. If you’d like to pick our brains, we’re here to chat!

Social Media Trends That May Dominate 2024

Social media is an ever-evolving landscape, and each year brings new trends and changes (as well as a fair share of challenges for us social media agencies!) With just a few months to go to 2024, we wanted to get ahead of the curve and make our predictions as to what trends will shift in the social media sphere – so we can start preparing for them!

Trend #1 – ‘Meta Verses’, VR And AR

Something that’s really exciting is the development of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) on social media. With Meta (formerly Facebook) leading the way, it’s thought that soon, users will be able to interact in shared virtual spaces and even attend virtual events. Is this something we need to think about in a social media strategy for 2024?

At the moment, the use of AR and VR on social media is still in its early days – however, ideas for virtual tours of our client’s show homes, and virtual conferences for some of the businesses we work with have already begun buzzing around our brains. Let’s see what happens next year.

Trend #2 – Long-Form Content Creation

Content creation (a service that we offer now at Source PR) has been growing for the past two years, especially when it comes to using Instagram Reels for businesses.

It’s not breaking news to say this should continue into 2024 and beyond, but something we think will make more of a comeback is long-form content shared through these platforms. Think: explanation videos, tips and tricks, even stories. Already we’ve seen creators racking up the views with this kind of content, and with maximum video lengths being extended to 10 minutes on TikTok, it’s not a crazy leap to make. Instagram are yet to follow suit, with their maximum video length still at 90 seconds – do we think they’ll make it longer?

It’s worth noting, though, that long-form content will only work for a certain type of client, and one that you know will have an engaged audience. For most B2C social strategies and with clients wanting far-reaching content, short, snappy videos work the best. 15-30 remains the optimum length by our book!

Trend #3 – AI… (Maybe!)

If you look up social media trends for 2024 now, it’s hard to get through a piece without AI being mentioned in some capacity. But are we worried it will take our jobs? Nah!

ChatGPT and other similar tools have certainly risen in popularity, and agencies have been trialling and testing them for a while now. Hardcore believers will say that AI can replace the person at the other end of the laptop, typing up social media content, but we think that will never happen.

Though clever, we don’t believe that AI can ever truly replace the human emotion and empathy that goes into social media management. Plus – we can’t see robots heading out to film your Reels and TikTok videos any time soon, can you?!

Trend #4 – Sharing Sustainable Initiatives

As the world grapples with more environmental issues by the year, we’d like to think we’ll see more businesses adopting and sharing eco-friendly practices and promoting sustainability.

We’re lucky enough to work with some great, pioneering businesses in the sector and also have clients that are open to our suggestions on how they can become greener and communicate it to the world too.

Trend #5 – Better Ephemeral Content

Content that is only around for 24 hours or less, also known as Ephemeral content, started with Snapchat but has been stolen by Stories. Including Instagram Stories in your social media strategy is not a new thing, but we think long may it continue into 2024 and beyond. We love collaborating with our clients to bring you ‘here and now’ content that goes on to Instagram Stories and actively promotes what a business is up to, or what they’re all about.

We hope to see more interactive elements and widgets introduced and think that ‘shoppable stories’ will become more prevalent as this feature moves out of infancy and is used more often by companies.

Trend #6 – Regulation And Accountability

And finally, as social media continues to influence society, we are all responsible for the content we put out there. Platforms like X (formerly Twitter) are doing a lot more to banish ‘fake news’, and in other news the ASA continues to put pressure on influencers to declare sponsorships and collaborations.

We think we’ll see more of this into 2024 and will continue to always make sure we’re following the latest guidelines and putting out genuine, authentic and honest content for our clients.

 

We hope this blog gave you some more progressive social media trends for 2024 than the usual ‘younger audiences’, ‘TikTok trends’ and ‘updated algorithms’ roundups. What do you think? What quirky trend do you think will dominate social media as we head to a new year? Always happy to chat on Twitter, you can reach me (Jess) directly at @jessicapardoePR.

Why Is Press Coverage So Important For A Business?

Being featured in newspapers, magazines, on radio and TV is an unparalleled win for a business. It’s a remarkable way to cultivate influence, establish yourself in your industry, and amplify brand awareness. However, many smaller businesses often face challenges in terms of both knowledge and time when attempting to establish their presence.

The good news is that with a dash of knowledge and a PR team behind you, together we can master your media coverage journey.

 

The Power of Press Coverage

Press coverage can be a game-changer for businesses of all sizes. It’s like an amplifier that broadcasts your achievements, products, and stories to a wider audience. From boosting brand visibility and credibility, to attracting potential clients and investors, press coverage opens doors that might otherwise remain closed.

In today’s digital age, press coverage has transcended traditional print and broadcast mediums. Online articles, social media shares, and digital platforms give your story an extended shelf life. A well-placed article can generate a ripple effect, as readers share, comment, and engage with your content across the vast expanse of the internet. This amplification can drive organic traffic to your website, expand your online presence, and spark conversations that can shape your brand narrative.

Navigating the Time Maze

Crafting compelling press coverage takes time – time that many business owners often find themselves lacking. This is where a skilled PR team shines. We’re your dedicated time-savers, using our expertise to define and target the most appropriate media outlets for your business. Your focus remains on your core operations, while we work tirelessly to ensure your story gets the attention it deserves.

And when the opportunity for coverage knocks, timing is crucial. A PR team is prepared to seize these moments without hesitation. They have the flexibility to scale their efforts based on the urgency of the situation, whether it’s a breaking news story, a product launch, or an industry event. By having a team dedicated to monitoring, strategizing, and executing press opportunities, you ensure that no chance for impactful coverage slips through the cracks.

Pitch Perfect Strategy

The art of pitching is where a PR team truly shines. In a world where attention spans are shorter than ever, conciseness is key. A pitch that rambles on risks losing the attention of time-strapped journalists. A PR team understands the art of concise communication, distilling your story into a punchy yet informative message that grabs attention from the first sentence. Every word is carefully chosen to convey your story’s essence without overwhelming the reader.

We craft pitches that resonate with journalists and editors, focusing on what makes your story relevant, unique, and newsworthy. By tailoring our approach, we increase the likelihood of your story catching their eye and earning a place in their publication.

Tapping into the Right Connections

Ever heard the phrase “it’s not just what you know, but who you know”? In the world of PR, this rings true. Our extensive network of media contacts spans different industries and locations. This means we know exactly who to approach for specific topics, giving your story a higher chance of being picked up by the right people in the right places.

The Follow-Up Game

Getting a pitch accepted is just one step in the process. The follow-up is where the magic happens. We don’t just send a pitch and cross our fingers; we meticulously follow up, nurturing relationships and addressing any concerns. Our persistence ensures that your story remains on the radar until it’s a published reality.

Managing Expectations, Delivering Results

Here at Source PR, we believe in transparent communication. Managing client expectations is a cornerstone of our approach. While we work thoroughly to secure press coverage, it’s important to remember that not every pitch will result in an immediate feature. Sometimes, it’s about timing, the news cycle, or the angle. Rest assured, we’re committed to continuously refining our strategy and delivering tangible results.

 

In conclusion, press coverage is a potent tool that can elevate your business to new heights. Yet, navigating the complex world of media requires finesse, time, and an insider’s perspective. A dedicated PR team like ours can be your guiding light, ensuring your stories are strategically targeted, perfectly pitched, and relentlessly pursued. By enlisting our expertise, you gain more than just press coverage – you gain a partner dedicated to propelling your business forward.

 

Ready to take the plunge and harness the power of press coverage? Contact us today and embark on your new PR journey with Source.

Should You Be Using Instagram Reels For Your Business?

Social media is an ever-changing landscape, in our 15 years of Source PR we’ve seen the content we produce and for what channels change time and time again – it’s a tough job to keep on top of it, but that’s what we’re here for!

The past few years have seen the resurgence of video on social, and it’s back bigger and better than ever before. Thanks to the popularity of TikTok and the introduction of Instagram Reels, platforms, especially Meta, are now favouring this type of content even more than static images – so it’s essential that they form part of your social media strategy.

A Little About Instagram Reels

Instagram launched Reels in 2020 in the UK, following the ubiquity of TikTok in most people’s lives – Meta knew they had to compete. Following a steady launch, as of 2023 it’s thought that Reels reach 2.35 billion people each month internationally, and that’s not just the Gen Z-ers either! Though the 18–34-year-old market makes up over 60% of the share of users, 16.1% fall into the 35-44 age bracket and almost 6% of users are over 55.

Currently, Reels get 22% more interaction on Instagram than standard videos, and we don’t doubt that before long… These stats will be similar if not stronger than for typical images. The future is in motion. Which is why at Source PR, we’re taking FULL advantage.

Why You Should Use Instagram Reels For Business

Some businesses, especially those that are B2B, may think that Instagram Reels are not suitable for their business – but we like to think you can make them work for any trade. There are plenty of benefits to using Instagram Reels for businesses (even without advertising) that include:

  1. They add a depth to your content, videos tend to show more than still images
  2. Reels are favoured by Meta’s algorithms, meaning they can reach more people
  3. Popular music means you can create shareable content that’s reactive to trends
  4. Visual appeal of products and services can be enhanced by Reels
  5. You get more user time to show off to your customers… According to recent data, feed videos that perform best are around 26 seconds

How To Add Instagram Reels To Your Social Strategy

It’s imperative with social media that you move with the times, whether that’s exploring new channels such as Instagram Threads, or ensuring that your content is as dynamic as possible on established platforms, for example, by introducing video content to your pages.

But how do you go about doing that? Because it sure isn’t an easy or quick process!

Instagram Reels For B2C Companies

Naturally, Instagram is a platform that lends itself better to consumer-centric companies, it’s very visually focused which works brilliantly with companies that have great products and services to show off. For clients in travel, hospitality, health and beauty etc., Reels will effortlessly fit into your business. Consider the steps below;

  • Create a plan thinking about what your customers would like to see more of – can you give them show-around tours of your business, demonstrate key features of your product, highlight results and testimonials from happy customers?
  • Utilise trending audio and don’t be scared to get creative and take risks with what you pick! Due to licensing, the music that can be used on business accounts, but there are still ways to find popular songs and sounds
  • Work with a content creation business so you don’t end up spending all of your time capturing and editing content. It’s a good idea to leave it up to professionals who understand what your customers want to see, and how to get it to them
  • Don’t be afraid to think outside the box – do you have team members up for jumping on the latest trend? Great! This is the kind of video that tends to get the best kind of interaction on both Instagram and on TikTok too

Instagram Reels For B2B Companies

While creating Instagram Reels for B2C businesses may be an easier feat, it doesn’t mean that if you sell directly to businesses, that you shouldn’t give it a go! B2B content can be extremely satisfying for users to engage with, as well as helpful to your potential customers. Because you’re still selling to real people at the end of the day.

Think about what your business has that could have visual appeal, do you work with printers or interesting machinery? You’d be surprised at what can work and what people find interesting – from videos of hydraulic presses and scraping wax from industrial machines, anything goes when it comes to Instagram Reels and TikToks

  • Ask the advice of those who work in social content creation, as they’re sure to know what works on these channels already, and what kind of trends your business can get involved in
  • Acknowledge what your customer might like to see – could you produce ‘how to’ or FAQ videos for people in the consideration stage of the customer journey, that could help them to make a final decision to purchase?
  • Your business is more than just the products you sell or services you provide… Showcase the people behind the brand and the way you work day in, day out. People buy people after all

Start Content Creating For Your Business

Instagram Reels are only going to get more popular, so if you haven’t started dabbling already, now is the time! At Source PR we’ve been developing our expertise in this area and now work with several clients on content creation. If you’d like to pick our brains, we’re here to chat! You can get in touch via our website.

Our BrightonSEO Spring 2023 Takeaways

Last week, we packed our bags for another fun-filled trip to the seaside for the world’s largest gathering of search marketeers, BrightonSEO, an event dedicated to “helping search marketers meet, learn, and do their jobs a little better.”

As many of you will know, traditional PR and all that it encompasses is our bag at Source PR, however we also offer digital services, and social media is part of our core offering.

So, every year we try to head down south for a good dose of networking, and also to make sure our industry knowledge is the most up-to-date it could be. With speakers from all over the world in some of the biggest digital companies around, we sure got our fill of knowledge (and fun along the way too!) this month.

Below are some of our top takeaways from 2023’s Spring BrightonSEO and how we plan to apply them to the PR and social media world. Back to business!

Digital PR And Its Place In Traditional

Firstly, as we do with every BrightonSEO blog that we write here at Source PR, we want to remind you about digital PR and how it has its place within the more traditional sectors of the industry.

Digital PR is prominently focused on building relevant backlinks to a website for SEO purposes, and whilst this is an important exercise endorsed by the likes of Google-whizz John Mueller himself, we like to make our PR efforts work harder. So, whilst digital is one of our focuses, we find it works best when bedded in with a solid social media strategy and more traditional PR activity such as events, features, interviews, and CSR initiatives too.

That’s the future as we see it, and it’s an exciting place to be.

10 BrightonSEO Takeaways For The Traditional World

#1 – Video Should Be Considered In Every Marketing Strategy

Azeem Ahmad kicked off the Online PR fringe event (a day dedicated to PR before the main conference) with a compelling and actionable talk on video and its place in modern-day marketing. Not only did we leave with pages and pages of notes on how to implement this kind of content into our strategies for clients, but we were also reminded that there are different kinds of users on every website and we need to figure out what our audience is first before looking into content creation.

For example, users who have a low scroll rate but spend longer dwelling should be targeted with videos at the very top of the page, whereas people with an average scroll and session time should be targeted with key facts and figures in shorter, consumable bursts of content.

#2 – Every Brand Needs A Story

We like BrightonSEO because it always assures us of the synergy between traditional PR and digital, and how the former is critical to the latter’s success. PR is all around building a compelling brand, and without this, Sudhana Singh says your marketing efforts are fruitless. In a captivating talk on how to use the Imbue Model to craft a legendary story, we were given examples on what to base your brand on such as…

• Is it a quest to achieve a goal?
• Do you have a coming-of-age tale?
• Has your brand been on a voyage and returned?
• Can you create a comedy from your story?

…And we were also shown how to directly communicate your choice from the above to customers. This was one of the first talks we saw at BrightonSEO and both the nature of the talk and the talent of the speaker really stuck with us!

#3 – It’s Time To Take TikTok Seriously

We’ve long banged the drum of TikTok’s impact on marketing here at Source, so naturally we headed to several talks on this over the course of the three days we spent in Brighton. From SEO-tips for optimising our TikTok captions and content from Carrie Rose, to understanding the share of audience the platform holds, our brains are now jammed full of ways to utilise this social media moving forward. Some of the tips we learned from Carrie to help your videos rank in TikTok included:

• Include your keyword in your caption, but don’t stuff it in unnaturally!
• Mention the keyword in the first 1-5 seconds of the video (and use CC)
• Utilise 3-6 hashtags as TikTok recognises spammy hashtag-ing

We were even shown how Google is starting to pull TikTok videos into SERPs, indicating that this kind of short-form, informative video content is what users want! Naturally we also came away with some handy tools to download, such as Sophie Warner’s suggestion to use the TikTok Trends Slack App, developed by Journey Further.

#4 – Creators Are The Future!

Leading on from the above… A theme across several TikTok-themed talks was that you don’t necessarily have to be a whizz at the app yourself because the value content creators have only continues to grow in this industry. We do a lot of influencer marketing at Source PR, so we were glad to hear that third party endorsements are still popular in the marketing industry.

In Sophie’s talk, she quoted that “62% of consumers are more likely to click on content that features creators” over traditional branded ads, and Carrie enforced that the best trust and authority is gathered with a mix of press and content creator testimonials. Music to our ears!

#5 – Consumption Trumps Creative Brainstorming

The mastermind behind viral campaigns reaching all over the WORLD: we knew we had to catch Mark Rofe’s talk at BrightonSEO. He covered the importance of consumption in PR, how curiosity and just generally always keeping one eye on what’s going on in the world is far better for generating ideas than forcing unprompted brainstorms.

He also stressed the importance of compartmentalising this though, and not trying to consume everything – just what’s relevant to your brand.

How can you do this in a healthy way? Set up alerts, check Google news regularly but change the dates and use keywords to only get stories that are applicable and think outside the box as to how your clients can get involved in the latest social trends! A key takeaway for us, was the reminder that the news cycle repeats itself – so you can always prep in advance. Every year there will be stories on cancelled flights, heatwaves and national holidays for example. Can you think of a creative way to involve your clients and pitch in ahead of the game?

#6 – Stop Chasing Google, Chase Users

Another point made by Carrie Rose was short but impactful, and it was this: most search marketers are chasing Google and their next big move, but in reality, Google are chasing users, so why aren’t we doing the same? At Source PR, we operate direct B2B and B2C marketing, so we are always thinking of the end user. It’s reassuring to know this practice translates across to SEO too and is the best way to achieve the best results.

#7 – Happy Teams = Best Results

While we always come away with lots of practical knowledge from BrightonSEO, we make sure to get some talks on management and mental health scheduled in too. Happy teams make for a happy agency, after all. Sean Butcher talked us through the ideal employee onboarding process, and how managers should be involved from the very first day – making connections with new team members even before they begin their new role officially, and Ian Benjamin relayed some advice on how to better market opportunities within your agencies, which included illustrating day to day life through creative content and not just focusing on the black and white of the job you’re offering.

#8 – There Are Many Ways To Integrate Equality In Your Marketing

Equally important to the above to us, was attending talks on diversity and equality in marketing. We had a good fill of these sessions over the 3 days that we were at BrightonSEO, including a powerful slot which was seamlessly run by what we are now calling the ‘dream trio’: Azeem Ahmad, Fabio Embalo and Andi Jarvis. We took away a whole load of points on how to improve our marketing strategies in the name of equality, with one of our most helpful takeaways being these guidelines on inclusive language from Azeem. Admittedly, many of us in the room that day hadn’t even given some of these terms a second thought, but that’s the beauty of this industry, there’s ALWAYS room to improve and be supported while you make the efforts to do so.

We also couldn’t finish this blog post without mentioning one of our most emotion-evoking talks from Cheryl Luzet on “why unconscious bias in the agency world is holding you back.” It made us proud that at Source PR, our workforce is made up of 60% women and 66% of our management team are female, but it also made us angry that not enough is being done to change deep-rooted attitudes to women in the workplace.

So hopefully we’ve given you plenty to think about in terms of takeaways and tips from BrightonSEO, so let us do something different to end this blog post this time and leave you with one of the most outrageous facts we’ve heard in a while, and hope it ignites a passion for change in you as it did for us.

Your boss is more likely to be called John than be a woman.

We couldn’t mention them all in here, because this blog would be waaaay bigger than the 1700 words that it already is, but we’d love to pay thanks to all of the fantastic speakers we saw at BrightonSEO over the three days we were there. We took something away from each and every one of you, and you were all INCREDIBLE!

Azeem Ahmad, Ross Simmonds, Sudhana Singh, Uday Radia, Clara Kelly, Mary Hicks, Raluca Zdru, Karim Adib, Sophie Warner, Daniele Saccardi, Amanda Walls, Mark Rofe, Rachel Finch, Carlos Menza, Dale Bertrand, Sean Butcher, Cheryl Luzet, Ian Benjamin, Fabio Embalo, Andi Jarvis, Isla Lavs, Lauren Henley, Niki Mosier, Rohan Ayyar, Carrie Rose, Amanda Jordan, Claire Carlile, Tanesha Marie, Bibi The Link Builder, Greg Clifford & Dixon Jones.

Featured image credit: BrightonSEO.

#CheshireDay… Our Cheshire Story

Next week marks #CheshireDay, something we all like to get behind here at Source PR. Our business is based on the outskirts of Chester city centre, in Tattenhall – a lovely rural village, and most of our team have either lived or worked in the county for many years.

This year, the theme is ‘Your Cheshire Story’ so we thought it a great time to share not only Source’s, but some of our team’s too – and what makes Cheshire so special to them.

Our Cheshire Story – Source PR

A PR and social media agency just outside of Chester, Source has been Cheshire-based for its whole life – which is over 15 years! Our offices are currently in an old-converted school building on Tattenhall’s historic high street Our founder Louis has lived in the county for a large part of his life, and is what we would call an old Cheshire veteran… There aren’t many places he can walk into without knowing at least a couple of people!

Several of our clients are based in Cheshire or in the North West, and we’re proud to support businesses born and bred in the region including Three Wrens Gin, Combermere Abbey, Bear Inns and Meadow. We’ve helped local businesses right from their inception – such as Bradwall Bakehouse, right through to supporting established brands and growing their reputation both locally and nationally.

Cheshire will always hold a special place in our hearts, and so we like to give back to it where we can too. All of our team enjoy volunteering days where they can support charities and organisations of their choosing, and a couple of years ago we pledged to offer free PR support to the Hospice of the Good Shepherd, getting them featured on the likes of the BBC and ITV which we’re told made a huge difference to their fundraising during lockdown!

It’s not just Louis who’s lived and worked in Cheshire for many years, we’ve got team members who grew up here, studied here, or who’ve just come here to work for us! Being a flexible employer means we’ve been able to bring in talent from Merseyside, Shropshire and Staffordshire to join Source PR and offer their fantastic PR skills to Cheshire businesses and beyond. Let’s hear from them…

Their Cheshire Stories – The Team

Jessica Pardoe, Account Manager

“My first job in Cheshire was at Source, before that I’d lived and worked in both Liverpool and Manchester (despite being from Staffordshire – I get around I know!). I’ve been here coming up to 3 and a half years now, and I’m still as in love with the county as I was the day I first stepped through our office doors.

I’ll never get over the ‘I’m ever so lucky’ feeling when instead of sitting in traffic on the motorway, I’m driving through the countryside. I meet cows and sheep on my morning commute instead of angry drivers! I’ve had a lot to do with the Cheshire community since working at Source, from getting to know local influencers and journalists, to joining amazing groups such as the Cheshire Creatives Club and even giving talks there. There’s a great supportive community that are very welcoming to outsiders (though I don’t think I class myself as one anymore 😉).

So that’s my short but sweet Cheshire story. I hope I work here foreverrrrrr.”

Jill Mathers, Junior Account Executive

“After finishing my degree at John Moores University, Liverpool I had taken my first full-time role with Source PR, located in the beautiful Tattenhall. It was my first proper experience of the British countryside, and it was breathtaking!

I loved the area so much that I later moved to Chester where I spent many of my evenings after work beside the canal with a Cheshire ice cream in hand! Being from Ireland, it was scary to move somewhere new, but Cheshire has been the first place I have called home. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming it’s been a fantastic place to start my career.”

Jessica McDonnell, Senior Account Manager

“Though I have a CH postcode, Cheshire feels like a different world from where I live on the Wirral! Although I love living by the sea, it’s lovely to come into work in Cheshire for a change of scene and see the sheep knocking about in Tattenhall. Lunchtime walks are scenic, and the people always say hello, which is nice.” 

Adam Stanworth, Junior Account Executive

“I’ve lived in Cheshire for much of my life, having grown up in Chester, and the only way I can describe my relationship with my home county is like a teenager who’s embarrassed by their parents.

When people from elsewhere in the country ask where I’m from and I tell them I’m of Cheshire origins I’m usually met with accusations of being ‘posh’, despite my northern accent. Images of big cars, even bigger houses and spray tans are the stereotypes people tend to associate with the county. Hence the teenager embarrassed by their parents’ aspect. However, in this laboured simile, there remains the fact that fundamentally the teenager does love his parents, really. Yes, the jokes about being from Cheshire are inevitable but ultimately, I was extremely fortunate to have such a happy childhood, here and there are so many aspects of the county to be proud of.

Cheshire is filled with brilliant industries and businesses and is a central part of the wider North West economy. It boasts stunning landscapes and two brilliant rugby league teams in Widnes Vikings and Warrington Wolves. It’s the birthplace of Ian Curtis, Daniel Craig, Harry Styles and Lewis Carroll; it’s a tourist destination; a home for refugees and full of amazing people. Despite it being a source of ribbing and mild embarrassment, I’ve got a lot of love for my home county.”

Louis Hill, Managing Director

“I’ve always been a bit of a nomad.  I was born in Kent, grew up in Hampshire and spent teenage years living in America, Africa and then London. I’d never visited Cheshire until I came here for university but quickly fell in love with it.  When the opportunity came to return here after several years working in London, I was quick to jump at it.

I’ve always believed that life is all about balance – work hard, play hard and Cheshire provides an amazing space for both. Great countryside, pubs and community while also being an excellent place to work and set up a business. Having lived in the county for more than 20 years it’s now definitely home – which seems a little strange as I’ve always considered myself a soft southerner.”

Media Training In PR – Why Is It Important?

When we onboard our new clients and the press opportunities begin flooding in, something we often either get asked about, or recommend, is media training. Whether you’re new to the business or long-time CEO, talking to the press can be daunting. Especially if you’ve not done it before. Media training is something that can not only help combat the nerves and put you at ease, but it can also help clients better understand PR, which is something we’re always happy about.

What Is Media Training?

We either offer our clients basic media training in-house at Source PR, or for a more in-depth course, we work with several great industry partners in the North West. Simply put, it is learning how to engage with the media and successfully represent your brand during interviews with journalists, radio segments and even TV appearances. A trainer will walk you through how to prepare for questions, but also what to do if you’re thrown a curveball. They’ll help you understand techniques to beat any nerves you might have, and they’ll also run through some of the ways NOT to act, which we’ll come on to below.

3 Reasons Why Media Training Is Important

Presenting your best self

Firstly, when we put a client in front of a journalist, we want to ensure that they’re well-equipped to be the best brand ambassador they can be. This is why before all features and conversations we brief our clients and guide them through questions. But media training goes one step further in ensuring whoever is representing the company is cool, calm, and collected with answers that ‘wow’.

Understanding the end goal

Not every client will have an in-depth grasp of PR, after all – that’s why we’re here to help. We’ve found that media training helps clients to comprehend the ins and outs of what we do, and of course, the benefits of it! Many business we work with have walked away from training days with a healthy understanding of PR, feature work, interviews and so on… Most importantly – they get how important all of it is to their business.

Avoiding disaster!

We offer crisis communications support at Source PR, but it’s better when we don’t have to use it. Don’t fret, as media training ensures that no slip ups occur during interviews. Especially ones that can’t be edited, such as radio chats. There are so many examples we could give you, but one stands out. Prince Andrew’s car crash appearance on Newsnight demonstrates the benefits of media training more than any blog ever could because we all collectively felt the disaster unfold. Of course it’s unlikely you or your business would ever find yourself in such a situation, as remember – if a journalist wants to interview you about your company, they’re not going to be looking to catch you out – it’s still good to know what not to do.

If you’re ready to get your face and brand in front of the media, then you know we can help here at Source PR. In the last year alone our clients have been featured on the likes of the BBC North West Tonight and Points West, ITV Granada Reports, BBC Radio Shropshire, and BBC Radio Wales – if your business has a good story to tell, that could well be you too. Pop our team a message, or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn for all of our latest updates.