-
Jan 16 2018 
The Smartest and most Effective ways to increase Brand Awareness
Think about it, what is the first thing that comes to your mind when you need a tissue, do you ask for a Kleenex? Do you get photocopies at your place of work or do you request for Xerox copies? When you go get Cola at the store do you ask for a coke? Have you ever wondered how all of this is possible? Did you realise that you tend to associate the brand with the product and use it more frequently than the name of the brand. Shocking, isn’t it? This is one of the best examples of brand awareness. When you think about it, you’d be surprised with the number of examples that you could come up with?
The aim of brand awareness is to create a level of familiarity and affinity for a particular brand. When you think of a product, anything that could be associated with it like its logo or name or characteristic is a part of brand awareness. Ever wondered how Levis came to be associated with jeans that is because the brand has had great brand awareness. You may be a start-up and may be looking for ways to increase brand awareness. Although it may not happen overnight and you may not become as successful as great brands, it could still take your brand a long way. Especially in today’s world, where PR has garnered much importance is it very important to create awareness for your brand.
In the famous words of S. H. Simmons “If a young man tells his date how handsome, smart and successful he is – that’s advertising. If the young man tells his date she’s intelligent, looks lovely, and is a great conversationalist, he’s saying the right things to the right person and that’s marketing. If someone else tells the young woman how handsome, smart and successful her date is – that’s PR.” Your brand awareness has to be so good that people immediately start associating terms like quality, success and so on with your brand. Now we have told you what brand awareness is, so you must now be wondering what you need to do. Here are a few smart and effective ways to increase the awareness of your brand.
1. Contrary to popular belief, guest blogging is a great way to popularise your brand in the industry. Ensure that you create valuable and outstanding content and this is bound to wow your audience.
2. Infographics are an interesting and smart way to display the statistics of the company and other market figures. You could have a look at the infographics produced in WordStreams- you will find many relevant shares and links of this website.
3. A great way to increase the awareness of your brand is to get associated with local partnerships. You could set up stalls at events and publicise your brand. No venue is too small or large: be it a concert, festival or charity event, ensure that your potential customers know that your brand exists.
So what are you waiting for, go get yourself a Starbucks (I am sorry, a cup of coffee!) and start devising your strategy for effective brand awareness. Well, I guess I am a victim of effective brand awareness as well!
-
Jan 15 2018 
Transforming your Buyer-Marketer Communication in the direction of Conversion
Marketing has always been about an exchange, be it in terms of information or money. Either you sell the customer your product, or, the customer sells you the reason of not buying your product. Nevertheless, it is still a constant transaction that takes place between marketers and sellers, often fueled by motivations that have evolved over time for the marketers. From marketer-centric, the process of conversion has gradually moved to a more buyer-centric approach with the aim of changing the way buyers interact with the business. This change is one of the main results of the boost of information now available, thanks to technology. Information is the main need of today’s buyer and therefore, it is imperative that marketers change their ways of approaching buyers, suiting to this very need.
via familyeducation.com
To understand what kind of conversion approach suits when and to whom, let’s first try to break down the whole range of buyers and their levels of interaction with the business. Let’s look at it as a funnel depicting the customer journey, from the time he discovers your brand till the time he makes a purchase. Accordingly, there are people falling into the top category, wherein they are generally looking for information and knowledge, the middle ones, who are quite considerate and positive about making the purchase, and, the bottom category, wherein people actually make the purchase an turn into customers. Thus, the top, middle and bottom represent the three stages of a customer’s journey namely awareness, consideration and decision. Now that we know what exactly transpires in the minds of the customers as they engage with your business, let’s look at what methods should you apply at each of these stages to cater to the needs of the customers at that point. A diverse and broad approach like this would lead to eventual increase in conversion rates and customers.
via gethooked360.com
For people at the top of the funnel, you can employ messaging as the major path for you to engage with the customer. You interact with them and give them the information that they want, letting them know what the brand stands for and what is in it for them. You address all their queries and make them confident about your brand. Apart from that, content is another strong medium through which you can interact with the people at the top of the funnel. Video content can be a very good example of the same, directing users to your website by fundamentally initiating an exchange of information.
via pinterest.com
For the people at the middle, the initial phase of discovery is over and it is time to convert them into leads by giving them more specific, direct and customized information. Here, you can start advanced messaging, customized texts, product-oriented emails and content. You can also develop an option for the people here to set up meetings, because, the exchange now has to turn from information transaction to a more positive precursor to lead generation.
via jcount.com
Now that you have pitched your business well, catering to all their queries, needs and preferences, it is time to call them to action by making the final communication towards conversion. The people here are at the bottom of the funnel, ready to make a decision. Here, immediate communication plays the determining role, because, after all the knowledge and research, the customer needs to make the purchase and for that the availability of the business executive is needed. Therefore, immediate chats, call sales and messaging are imperative. Your buyers are now impatient to buy and you have to talk to them to let them make the purchase!
via topbusinessjournal.com
Marketing has been a dynamic field since the beginning of businesses. But, if you know how to adapt to the changing world of conversions and modes of the same, you can book yourself a top spot in this ever-expanding scenario of making money out of preferences. -
Jan 11 2018 
Influencer Marketing: Learning from the best
Climbing up the ladder of modern, client-engaging marketing strategies has been the steady player called influencer marketing, the buzzword-laden mystical tool that has become handy to many marketers. For someone new to the marvels of micro-influencers, one can understand influencer marketing as the unique brand endorsements done by social media influencers that involve a more personal taste and widespread customer engagement, not just detached branding.
With 94% of marketers claiming it to be an effective marketing strategy, it won’t be wrong to say that influencer marketing had taken 2017 by storm. However, the catch here is to know what buttons to press and what doors to close to avoid the analytic difficulties in gauging the success of an influencer campaign.
Irrespective of the scale, brands can leverage the power of influencers to suit their goals and needs. Let’s look at some of the best influencer-driven marketing campaigns and understand what the intricacies of acing influencer marketing are:
1) Sperry:
The boat shoe brand Sperry had reached out to over 100 influencers on Instagram who had actively endorsed their products, collaborating with them to form visual content suitable for client engagement and better brand image.
2) Hallmark:
Hallmark’s winter collection was a success because of the family sentiment it grasped of its customers through the influencers. These influencers were predominantly family-oriented on Instagram and they endorsed various products by actually wearing them in the pictures, posting links for the followers where they could buy the same.
3) Old Navy:
The clothing line had a famous social media influencer Meghan Reinks appear on their Instagram, YouTube and Facebook ads, showing the viewers how to style clothes for various occasions, using pieces from the brand, in her trademark comedy style. This appealed to her followers extending over a million, gaining valuable customers for the brand.
These are just some of the examples as to how influencer marketing can prove to be a game changer for your company. Believe it or not, the year is at the verge of changing, literally and from the marketing point of view too! Take the correct steps and you will flow with the change in the best way possible!
-
Jul 20 2017 
Does Your Social Media Campaign Have These Five Components?
Social media is not about putting up random posts on any given platform. No way. It’s an art. And, believe it or not, it’s an art that is actually driven by a lot of strategy – that is what differentiates successful social media campaigns from average and unsuccessful ones. If your brand is new to social media, here are five important components your SM campaigns should contain, if you want the best results.
1. Show Some Variety
Do not post the same exact type of content every single day. It get’s ridiculously boring for audiences, and they are going to quickly stop hitting “like” if things get monotonous. Mix up your content – quotes, trivia, look-books, testimonials, behind-the-scenes, media coverage, funny bloopers. Yep, the possibilities are endless, so don’t get lazy!
2. Mix It Up
It is important to understand that social media portals allow you to post both stills and moving images. So, make sure you don’t constantly only post graphics; instead, add some videos or short boomerang clips. You can even use Facebook LIVE, if you’re feeling up for it! There are also “story” features you can try out in Facebook and Instagram. Keep your audience on their toes by creating a social media campaign that’s like a well-choreographed dance!
3. Make Special Days Feel…Umm…Special
Trending topics are called trending topics for a reason – they are topical. So, don’t behave like an old fossil, and get with the program. Make sure your social media calendar takes into account both trending topics and special/official days and figure out if your creatives can address them in a relevant manner. Stay on top of trends so you can be one!
4. Get Interactive & Seduce
You need to seduce your audience. How? Try giving away freebies and running exclusive promos for your fans. Not only will they feel rewarded for their loyalty, it’ll also keep them engaged and glued to your social media pages. Keep your audience hooked!
5. Spend Some Money
You need to spend some money on paid promotions. Unless you already have 15,000 organic likes and are a hot topic, you need to invest in yourself before others invest in you. Take time out to allocate a certain budget to buy relevant page likes, boost wall posts and run carousel ads that redirect fans to your Website for sales.
All Image Courtesy: giphy.com
If all of this seems like too much work for you to handle on your own, don’t you worry. Get in touch with our social media wizards right here.
-
Jul 18 2017 
In-House, Or Hire? 5 Questions to Determine If You Need a SM Agency
Every start-up CEO has to answer this difficult question at some point – Should I hire an external agency to handle my social media, or should I handle things in-house? Now, if you had a chicken laying golden eggs every single day, then the obvious answer would be to hire the biggest and best agency in the world to focus solely on your social media. But, clearly you’re not a character from Jack & the Beanstalk, so let’s get real.
1. Are You Even Qualified?
Do you actually have real know-how of how the social media world functions? Are you technologically savvy? Can you optimise social media ads effectively? Are you a witty copywriter? Do you have graphic design skills? There’s a new platform launching all the time, and existing platforms keep rolling out new features. If you have a solid grasp on social media marketing, combined with good copywriting and graphic designs skills, then perhaps you actually can handle social media on your own, until you have more resources at your disposal to hire another entity to take over. However, if you aren’t multi-talented at social media, copywriting and graphic design, then cutting corners to save money might damage your branding and back-fire by costing you a lot more in the long-run. It is always best to set things right from the start.
2. Do You Have Enough Humans On Board?
Now, even if you or your tiny, close-knit team has the creative and technical skills to handle social media decently, do you actually have the time to dedicate several hours every week to this important job? Social media requires consistency, because it’s an ongoing dialogue between you and your audience. Posts must go up every day. Hash tags must be tweaked on an ongoing basis. Messages must be monitored and replied to in a timely fashion. Analytics need to be checked regularly. If you don’t have someone who can set aside ample time to these tasks, then a social media agency will offer much needed extra pairs of hands and minds, so you can focus on more pressing concerns.
3. Do You Have Extra Money?
Is your business performing pretty-well? Did you strike a pretty big deal or sale? Is someone ready to invest a substantial amount in your company suddenly? Did Santa Claus just visit you early (please send him to us, too!)? If you have an extra source of cash flowing into your business, then it is always advisable to hire the pros to do the job. Nothing can beat that, so don’t be stingy!
4. Is PR & Influencer Marketing Costing You Your Kidneys?
Are you placing a higher emphasis on PR and tie-ups with thought influencers in a particular campaign phase? If yes, and it is costing you an arm and a leg, then cutting costs by handling social media in-house might not be a bad idea. Once you have more funds in place and/or the cost of investing in PR and thought influencer tie-ups go down, you can always allocate that budget back to social media. Temporary roadblocks can be worked through!
5. Are You Still Beta-Testing?
Are you still in beta-testing mode? (Goodness, hurry it up!) If yes, then it is probably not a good idea to put in too much money on social media until all your ducks are in a row, from your Website and marketing materials to your products and photo/video shoot files. It is best to invest in roping in an external agency when you are truly ready to intensify social media in full swing.
All Image Courtesy: giphy.com
If you are thinking of hiring a social media agency to act as a one-stop solution for business, go ahead and drop us a message right here.
-
Jul 13 2017 
Boost Your E-Commerce Sales with THESE 4 FB Ad Tips
It has become fairly simple to setup an e-commerce business these days. Yes, curating and/or manufacturing products is no easy feat, but once that’s in place, getting a Website up and running, along with a secure payment gateway is fairly doable. However, just because you’ve launched an e-commerce portal doesn’t mean sales will happen automatically. It isn’t magic. Regardless of what you are selling, there are bound to be numerous competitors, and most of them are probably investing a lot more in PR and social media marketing than you are, if you are a newbie. However, with these four important Facebook advertising tips, you can certainly change things up for the better. Here’s how! –
1. Build Carousel Ads
Many people make the mistake of simply running Facebook ads to boost page likes, or they will boot individual wall posts. This is not really going to help drive sales that dramatically. However, carousel ads are an excellent option – they allow you to showcase multiple product images in one ad that pans left and right. For example, a lot of ads you’ll see for online shops like Koovs and The Label Life are carousel ads. You can incorporate various images and smart copy to drive the message home smartly, and your ads can redirect visitors to your Website, instead of your Facebook page, to increase the odds of potential purchases.
2. Run Multiple Ad Sets
It is highly critical that you run multiple ad sets at the same time. Label each of these ad sets properly, and include details such as the month and/or week the ads are designed for and if there are any particular cities each carousel ad is focussing on. Within a few days of testing out various carousel ad sets, you will be able to determine which ones are giving you the maximum ROI, and you can phase out ineffective ad sets accordingly.
3. Monitor Sales & Analytics Closely
Setup Google Analytics with your e-commerce portal so you can monitor how your ads are converting in sales in real-time. Analytics will show you how much traffic and sales are increasing in real-time based on how many ads you are running. Often, you will see a pretty strong correlation between FB ad budgets and sales. You can also keep track of which products are selling faster to adjust your carousel ads to push out certain products accordingly.
4. Refresh Creatives Regularly
It is important to change up creatives and copy used in Facebook ads at regular intervals to avoid fatigue. While it is okay to have one consistent master set that is tried and tested, make sure there is at least one ad set that is being updated with new images at least once a month. The last thing you want is for potential customers to become immune to your ads and tune them out entirely. Keep things exciting, innovative and fresh.
All Image Courtesy: giphy.com
Now, while this isn’t really a Facebook ad tip, we would like to point out that a lot of companies start receiving a lot of product-related inquiries through Facebook messages when they run ads. So, do not neglect checking your message folder regularly, because you might miss out on a lot of business if you slack off. Customers like timely replies. Put yourself in their shoes!
Need some help in designing and running Facebook ads for your e-commerce portal? Contact us right here.
-
Jun 29 2017 
6 Reasons Why Co-Working Spaces Are THE Way Forward
Technology let’s us work from literally anywhere – bedroom, bar, edge of a cliff (okay, maybe edge of a cliff isn’t a good idea). However, if you are a freelancer and/or a small business team, working from home or inside tiny, isolated office space can get quite monotonous after a point. That’s where co–working spaces come into play!
At KissDoodles, our entire team works virtually – that’s part of our core work culture. I used to alternate between working from home and fun bars and cafes across the entire city. Recently, I had been hearing a lot about a series of co–working spaces springing up across Mumbai, and so I finally decided to work out of one to see what all the fuss was about. I signed-up to work out of a fun and fancy co–working space in Powai called Of10. The experience was positive and eye-opening. I am now convinced that co–working spaces should definitely replace the traditional way of working for small businesses.
1. New People, New Ideas, New Experiences, New Faces.
Working in a co-working space allows you to step out from isolation. Working from home makes you anti-social. You are cut off from from the “real” world. A co-working space is intentionally designed to give you a sense of community – it exposes you to new people, new ideas and new experiences. You can’t be creative if there is nothing new in your life. A co-working space offers you diversity and perspective.
2. Sick Events Keep You Happy
We don’t shy away from hustling even on a Sunday morning. #hustlehard #alwayshustling #carols #sundaymorning #forthem #teamworkmakesthedreamwork A post shared by Of10 (@workof10) on
Co-working spaces, especially Of10, offer a lot of amazing events throughout the month to keep you happy and engaged. Some events are for leisure and make you laugh. Some events allow you to network. And, some events allow you to learn a new skill set, so you continue to improve and stay on top of emerging tools and trends.3. Good Vibes Will Cancel Negative Vibes
Co-working spaces have a lot less negative vibes than traditional workspaces. You don’t need to prove yourself to anyone, which reduces negativity. And, if you’re lucky, you might even find people who are inclined to help you grow by exchanging important ideas and information. Symbiotic working relationships can thrive in such spaces. You build your own identity alongside building a stronger business.
4. Amazing Resources
Happy faces at our first ever glow yoga event #yoga #yogapants #workspacegoals #healthiving #coworking #workof10 A post shared by Of10 (@workof10) on
Co-working spaces give you access to excellent resources at a low-cost. High-speed internet, work stations, printing, coffee, tea, gym, gaming rooms, conference rooms…These are some of the many resources most co-working spaces offer. Some even offer weekly yoga sessions on-site!5. So Many Businesses Will Get You More Business – So. Economical.
With so many different companies and skill sets represented under one co-working roof, you gain access to a wealth of information and business leads. I was able to connect with so many graphic designers – something my team required, and people were able to connect with my team for social media strategy, Web design and content development – things we could offer expertise in. Exchange of business – that’s called a win-win situation. It also helped that my wonderful host at Of10 was considerate enough to make sure everyone was comfortable talking to each.
6. Don’t Have to Pretend to Work
Lastly, a co-working space offers a sense of balance. I was able to separate home from work. And, I didn’t have to pretend to work – I was in control of how many hours and which days I wanted to work. I also got a sense of structure, which kept me focused.
If you still aren’t convinced, let’s take a look at some numbers. A survey by DeskMag indicated that 90% people who worked out of co-working spaces felt a boost in self-confidence and 71% felt a boost in creativity.
Have you worked out of a co–working space? Comment below and share your experience with us!
-
Jun 28 2017 
Sales pitch in the smoking zone? Totally works! Read why!
Smokers connect at a whole other level, and sometimes, yes, it actually can lead to business leads and successful business deals – it certainly has, for me. Hold on – don’t get all judgmental on me. No, I am not encouraging you to actually pick up a cigarette if you are a non-smoker. I am simply sharing my experiences as someone who happens to smoke and who has also happened to strike a lot of business leads and deals over a series of smoke breaks throughout the past few years. If you don’t smoke, then do not read further.
1. Chemical Balance/Imbalance
Is it a chemical imbalance, or a balance? It sure sets the right mood! A few puffs of a cigarette and your mood is altered – you feel calmer, relaxed, at ease…you loosen up. You’re more open to talking to people. And, the first step to building any new connections, including business-related ones, is communication (preferably the verbal, in-person kind).
Gif Courtesy: Giphy
2. You can strike a conversation over a light!!
It is usually a lot easier for smokers to strike a conversation while smoking. You can actually start a conversation over a light – lol! Yes, something as simple as that can get things rolling (pun not intended!). People suddenly want to listen to you – listening becomes much easier. And, you are mentally relaxed enough to actually talk – speaking becomes natural, and you feel a lot more social. Thus, the exchange of words, of information AND of business and contact numbers becomes a lot more comfortable and fluid over a smoke break.Gif Courtesy: Giphy
3. Mutual Understanding
This one might seem obvious, but is quite true – a smoker understands another smoker. Yes, don’t lie – you know what I mean, you’ve been nodding throughout this post! Remember the episode of FRIENDS, The One Where Rachel Smokes? Yes, that.
Gif Courtesy: Giphy
Comment below and let us know your thoughts.
-
Jun 22 2017 
5 Ways WhatsApp Groups Are Destroying Management Systems
WhatsApp was initially developed for friends and families to use. Suddenly, businesses have also jumped onto WhatsApp, and we find ourselves in multiple groups for staff communication and client-agency communication, as well. This is an absolutely ridiculous practice. WhatsApp groups actually destroy the management system of a company, and here are four reasons how
1. Efficiency Goes Down to ZE-fuck-RO
If human beings had a wonderful quality called self-control, it would save them a lot of grief. But, that clearly isn’t the case. Once you get onto WhatsApp to check messages in office/business groups, efficiency starts reducing when side-conversations start happening within the group (how many times have you noticed you end up browsing through endless messages in a group to make sure you haven’t missed out on something that might be directed at you?) and/or people start wasting time as they check other WhatsApp messages from friends and family. The amount of time spent on WhatsApp actually distracts you from completing your set tasks. What a waste!
Image Courtesy: Photo-Nanny.com
2. Instant Clientification
Clients expect instant gratification when they setup a WhatsApp group to communicate with you. They want to behave like they are the centre of the universe, and forget that you actually have many other clients to attend to, who are equally as important.(Image Courtesy: SoftECLabs.com
3. Last Seen, Online, Blue Ticks – OMG!
By being able to track your last seen, online and blue ticks/read status on WhatsApp, it can lead to a lot of resentment if a client gets upset you haven’t responded immediately. WhatsApp groups are a virtual prison! Also, if clients feel they can bombard you with sudden requests, changes and updates throughout the day on WhatsApp and track your online status side-by-side, it often creates a lot of new tasks taking away from the original deliverables set for the day/week. Think about it – the direction for the whole team changes suddenly in real-time without any proper documentation.Image Courtesy: Cloud.Lovin.ie
4. Duplication & Slip-Ups
Often, it is easy for people to miss out on messages in WhatsApp group threads, if a lot is being exchanged. And, it becomes difficult to monitor the latest updates surrounding the status of anything when there are client-agency exchanges happening via email and WhatsApp side-by-side. It is best to keep all communication centralised in either an email format and/or a third-party workflow management system such as Asana. What’s the point of emailing someone, then reminding them about it on WhatsApp right after? Learn to discipline yourself to stick to one method and source of communication so time isn’t wasted in duplicating outreach throughout the day – there are better and more productive things to do.Image Courtesy: 3.BP.Blogspot.com
5. Security Risk
WhatsApp is a USA based cloud service – so, there is no real and comprehensive enterprise data protection. It simply isn’t a secure platform, especially if you are dealing with things that are confidential in nature. Furthermore, there is no data loss protection, and you can’t even transfer all file formats, to begin with. Lastly, WhatsApp lacks a solid Desktop version – the current version requires you to have your phone on, which means in a situation your phone battery is dead or your phone has been stolen, there is no way for you to access communication going on in WhatsApp groups.Image Courtesy: Cdn2.ITPro.co.uk
This might sound rigid, but do you really still think it is wise to inculcate WhatsApp as a mode of communication in a business? Comment below and let us know your thoughts
-
Jun 21 2017 
5 Tips for Social Media Teams Working with Design Teams
Often, you will hear stories about businesses constantly changing social media agencies. However, that is far from advisable because it takes away from consistency and cohesiveness. Furthermore, the learning curve for every new agency coming on board to grasp your brand can take away from overall efficiency. Here are four important things to keep in mind when working with an external social media team for the first time, to make the whole process stress-free and worthwhile.
1. Be Detailed
Graphic designers are not mind readers – you will need to explain the client’s brand to them, provide very detailed creative briefs with things spelled out as much as possible, from copy, requirements (such as inclusion of logos, contact information, etc.) and placement of each element, to format and technical specs. Can’t communicate thoroughly? Then don’t be surprised when the files you receive aren’t anywhere close to what you wanted! Never underestimate the power of a very comprehensive creative brief – it saves everyone grief in the end.
Image Courtesy: AmazonAWS.com
2. Give References
Elaborating further to point 1, if your brand needs revamping, you must create a mood board of reference images to share with your design team so they know the look and feel you are aiming for. It also helps to share style guides, if there are any in place, with them so color palettes, font sizes and typography choices are consistent and in sync with your client’s brand guidelines. If your client has no brand book in place, you might want to take the initiative to build one for them in conjunction with the inputs of your design team.
3. Give Buffer Time
The perfect planner @atelieraarhus ? Jeg prioriterer mine to-dos ved at sætte en stjerne ud for de vigtigste ✨ Den er desværre udsolgt, men en ny udgave er på vej! A post shared by METTE (@chaoticharmonydk) on
It helps to provide creative briefs and references, along with an upload schedule, well in advance, so there is enough buffer room in case someone falls ill or something needs to be redone a few times. As a rule of thumb, try to send in requirements to your design team 2 weeks in advance – and 1 week is the bare minimum if you want their work to show thought was put into it. It is important you set clear expectations with the client to take into account how much lead time is needed before they ask for any last-minute favours; your design team will love you and respect you for this!4. Set Up a Status Pipeline
In case you have one design team working on several accounts for you, make sure you use a client pipeline system to track the status and deadlines of every file needed from their end so nothing slips through the cracks. An Excel master sheet works easily, combined with a weekly 30-minute status recap call, however you could also try resources, such as Asana and Slack.Image Courtesy: CloudFront.net
5. Mix It Up
Designers also experience fatigue – do not put all your eggs in one basket. Divide accounts between various designers to maintain variety and creativity. You could possibly consider rotating brands among various designers on a cycle basis if your clients have projects divided into phases. Often clients get upset when they see monotony in every upload, so try to keep things fresh.If you are looking for more tips about social media from our team, click here.
Devanshi Mota has created 23 entries
Devanshi Mota
