social media

The social media landscape is always changing, with new trends emerging and existing ones growing and transforming, why wait to plan your social media strategy? Take a look at the five trends you should keep in mind to help elevate your social media presence in the coming year.

1. The TikTokification of Everything

You might have noticed that video content is getting shorter and shorter, and that’s all thanks to TikTok. TikTok was the most downloaded app in 2021 and is expected to reach 5 billion active users by the end of the year. That skyrocketing popularity inspired many imitators of TikTok’s short-form, algorithm-led approach, with Instagram and YouTube both launching short-form videos. FYI, reels have become Instagram’s fastest-growing content format, which is probably why sister company Facebook implemented it, too.  For marketers, TikTok’s greatest asset is its algorithm, which once it has you figured out, makes you never want to put down your phone. TikTok’s SEO system extracts keyword data from a variety of places— captions, hashtags, subtitles, and even on-screen text. That’s what makes it such a powerful platform for organic search visibility. Basically, optimizing your content for discovery is essential if you want to be successful on TikTok (and you want to be successful on TikTok). Ignoring the impact of TikTok is sticking your hand in the proverbial sand.

2. Convenience and Conversation

People increasingly want everything, and they want it all ASAP. Meaning they expect to be able to message, chat, or video call your brand via social media messaging apps quickly and directly. Convenience is more important than ever so these conversations need to happen where consumers are already spending time; and 90% say that’s on Meta platforms (Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram). WhatsApp and its 2 billion users, in particular, have begun to make their mark in the conversational commerce space with its new business platforms for companies big and small. These messaging apps don’t just allow you to meet consumers’ communication expectations, they also help with data collection and position yourself to meet business objectives better. Simply put, meet people where they are, and that is on their favorite messaging apps.

3. Doubling Down On Influencer Marketing

If you haven’t already explored the potential influencer marketing has for your business, there’s no time like the present. Influencer marketing will continue to boom through next year, with 89% of marketers increasing or maintaining their investment next year and 17% of marketers planning to invest in it for the first time. Why? As of right now, businesses are on average making $5 ROI for every $1 spent on influencer marketing. And it’s simple to understand: Influencers charm people with authentic campaigns, while brands use the influencers’ credibility to reach out to their followers. It just looks more authentic if an influencer sings your praises rather than you doing it yourself. Want some guidance? Check out the talks Is Your Influencer Marketing Working? and  Working with Influencers for Long-Term Relationships we gave at the Designer Influencers’ Conference.

And here’s a big plus: it can be leveraged with short-form video to take advantage of both trends at the same time.

4. That’s Your Personal Business

As we navigate the new data privacy laws that restrict the use of third-party cookies, the entire landscape of personalization has been changed forever. And that’s important because personalization is such a big trend that it has trends of its own. Think hyper-personalization, microtargeting audiences, AI transforming the user experience, and advanced analytics tools that are being developed to help you make sense of first-person data. AI, in particular, allows brands to go deep into personalization, like customizing website content based on each specific customer, which has a massive positive impact on conversion rates.

And don’t think we are leaving legacy platforms like loyalty programs behind. Together these can all help you draw valuable insights relating to demographics, preferences, behavior patterns, and interests, helping you create useful personalized experiences that will resonate with your prospective customers. After all, 80% of consumers said that they’d be more likely to do business with a brand that provides a personalized experience. From our perspective, a little effort has the potential to yield amazing results.

5. ​​Outsourcing to Agencies

For businesses big and small, outsourcing your digital marketing needs is the smart way to get more done. No one wants to miss out on important opportunities because they don’t have the time, resources, or the right expertise. Organizations around the world are increasingly relying on talent beyond their traditional full-time employees, with 62% of executives reporting that outsourcing work improves the overall financial performance of their company. Because we function within a fast-paced global economy, the more nimble a company is, the better and faster it can capitalize on new opportunities.

Utilizing an external workforce, like a digital marketing agency, is critical to business strategy and success. For your business,  outsourcing could be the difference between making a little progress and making a big impact. 

Contact us today for more resources and strategic advice.

Planning a strategic and well thought out marketing plan can be a daunting task, especially when it comes to implementing and executing on those plans. Innovation is key in today’s fast moving times and a well-rounded marketing strategy includes a digital media plan that’s solid, yet responsive and nimble.

No one has a crystal ball to determine drivers in our economy, but experts in your space have the experience and knowledge to help you plan and implement inbound marketing strategies that will work best for your industry.

Consistent patterns that develop within any given industry are called drivers, and these drivers can be used to grow and influence our marketing strategies. Drivers impact human behavior, society, culture, economy, politics, and a plethora of industries, including the design space. So as a design professional, it’s essential to identify these key drivers and act on them in tandem with a solidified digital marketing strategy. 

Working in the design space, it’s important to have a set marketing plan but also ability to pivot to what is happening in the world around us. Jen Smiga, founder of ultraviolet said, “During the pandemic and even today, supply chain issues have made it difficult to purchase building materials overseas and we experienced a surge in sourcing American made products for home renovations and new builds. To adapt, our clients’ marketing was geared toward the benefits of buying from domestic manufacturers and suppliers — shorter lead teams, access to hard to get materials, and a reduced carbon footprint.”

So, then the next question is…“How” do you begin to develop an effective strategy?

Step 1: Discovery – You will want to define and develop clear goals and objectives related to your business in terms of mission, vision and value. What is it you want your customers to know most about you and your unique points of differentiation? What makes you special?

Step 2: Develop a Buyer Persona – Get to know your customers and familiarize yourself with their wants and needs. This will help you identify your best customers and how best to speak to them in ways that make them want to engage with your brand messaging.

Step 3: Know your Competition – What does your market look like? Who are the big players? Why are they successful? A complete market analysis of the competition puts you ahead of the game so you can anticipate future trends, reduce risk, and keep up with market changes.

Step 4: Branded Messaging – Now comes the hard work of analyzing and segmenting your audience based on those buyer personas identified in Step 2. Developing copy and engaging content for your buyer persona is half the battle. It has to be distributed through relevant channels so the message is delivered at the right time and in tone with your brand.

Step 5: Toolbox Time – There are so many options with social media platforms (ie. Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, Twitter) and it’s time consuming to message across all platforms. You need to find the right tools that will best support your messaging goals and objectives. Analytic tools can help define the best time and platform to post while content creation tools can help make those messages look their best and engage the customer to act, buy or inquire.

“In order to implement an effective digital marketing strategy, you need the right tools in your toolbox, Mickey Schluter, ultraviolet. “These tools were made to make our lives easier and are essential in order to grow businesses in an efficient manner.”

HubSpot Marketing Hub (best when used in tandem with an agency partner) is a comprehensive digital marketing solution that integrates Customer Relationship Management (CRM), email marketing, and campaign automation. It is scalable and has a vast array of features and capabilities.

TailWind (an influencer favorite) is social media and email marketing made easy in one marketing management tool. Pinterest and Instagram scheduling, aesthetic templates, SmartScheduler, and more.

Canva (everyone’s favorite) is an online graphic design tool. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more.

Contact us with questions regarding these platforms or if you need assistance getting started.

We know it’s a lot to digest and keep up with so if you have not yet considered working with a boutique agency that specializes in all of the above marketing strategies, researching an ideal partner is the place to begin. Here’s our blog with the five questions to ask yourself before hiring a digital marketing agency to get you started. Your road to success begins with having a team of resources right at your fingertips – a team that knows digital marketing in the luxury arena. 

Your main focus can and should be on your design business and how best to grow sales and revenue. Digital media has got to be part of the marketing plan as well as finding experts with the right talent to deliver measurable and proven results. It’s possible to build your social presence and gain more prospects and followers with engaging and compelling content that’s planned in part to meet your goals for 2023.

Need help, schedule some time to speak with ultraviolet, and in the meantime enjoy our complimentary download, Top Tools Needed for Digital Marketing Success.

To misquote Madonna, we are digital girls (and boys), and this is a digital world. And what we do isn’t digital marketing, it is marketing in a digital world: we’re serving as sales, customer service, acquisition, communications, client retention and acquisition. All of it.

Conversations are happening online about your industry and brand, and being part of — even better, leading — these conversations make your business better, period. It gives you a direct understanding of customer pain points, and also puts you face-to-face with people celebrating what they love about your people, brand, and products/services. There are nearly 4 billion (yes, with a b) internet users worldwide and over 300 million social media users in the US, which is projected to reach 327.22 million by 2027. Simply put, if you aren’t maximizing your marketing efforts online, you’re missing out.

And we understand that the current climate (what we wouldn’t give to live in boring times again) might make you cautious to invest in marketing now, but that’s exactly why this is the time to strategize and optimize, to safeguard your business against the future. And bringing on an agency like ultraviolet gives you full-scale capabilities across marketing software and platforms as well as diverse expertise, often making it a better value than trying to staff these roles in-house.

Ask yourself these 5 questions about whether now is the time for you to bring on a digital marketing agency:

1. Do you have some type of digital presence and are looking to bolster that presence?

A business thrives by generating engagement —meeting people where they are — and more often than not these days people are online.  And the easiest way to put your best foot forward with these potential customers is to bolster all aspects of your brand online. We formulate full marketing plans across digital outlets including content development (web, social, blogs, downloads, landing and pillar pages, content calendars, campaigns, emails, you get the idea) and social media (cadence, timelines, engagement stats and more for all the major platforms) for starters.

A strong digital presence gives you the ideal platform to communicate with consumers. It allows you to control the narrative across all touchpoints in a way that reality stars only dream of. From your website to online reviews to social media, a cohesive online presence also gives you a better understanding of the customer journey from discovery to purchase. And the goal of delivering this seamless experience is that customers feel engaged and heard at every touchpoint in their journey, becoming loyal to you and your brand.

Your relevancy depends on those connections – and research has shown that an omnichannel approach is the best, with different channels being best at different parts of the customer journey  — all businesses need to have an effective online strategy to increase their brand awareness and continue to grow.

Here’s a sneak peek at ultraviolet’s flywheel, which is our momentum-driven method of aligning your entire digital marketing strategy. You may not take on all of this at once, but even if we utilize 30% of our tools and tactics, you are adding fuel to the forces that get your wheel spinning, setting your brand up for success.

2. Are you willing to take innovative risks?

We love to develop assets and campaigns that move the needle — and that requires trust. An algorithm change or a trend on social media will get us thinking and reaching out to you with ideas — some that might seem a little “out there.” Too often clients get stuck in doing things the same way they have always done it – which is like the secret phrase that freezes your brand faster than anything.

Sure, one platform may have been working well for you, like you feel like you’ve been killing it on Instagram, but there may be an opportunity to succeed on another platform like TikTok or Pinterest. Being set on staying on a platform where you’re comfortable is so limiting and could potentially set your brand back.

Social media is always changing —and so is how people use it — and as a business, you need to be able to comfortably adapt to not only what’s hot now, but also what’s next. And we’re not saying it’s going to be easy – we have worked with too many design professionals and manufacturers to say that — but risks lead to rewards.

Some risks we have asked clients to take include investing in video and production and being willing to follow scripts for asset development like Reels. We also may ask a client to step out of their comfort zone to develop these assets — but we always maintain their voice and story. It’s about being willing to tell your story in different ways. This takes a little bit of thought, a lot of bravery and at its core, an innovation mindset.  

3. Do you have a clear understanding of your marketing goals and objectives and need help strategically?

It’s Psych 101 stuff: Setting goals helps trigger new behaviors, guide your focus, and sustain momentum. You’ve seen countless inspirational Instagram images with some variation of “the difference between a goal and a dream is a plan and a deadline” – and it’s corny, but it’s also super true. 

Ok, so what keeps you up at night? Is it increasing brand awareness, acquiring new customers, establishing industry authority, increasing revenue? Aligning with whatever your growth goals are, ultraviolet develops marketing plans with an integrated approach and a holistic tool kit to help you crush them. Once our marketing plan launches, we build benchmarks to report on important metrics — like engagement and conversions — that are growing your business, while we optimize continually to amplify the impact.

4. Are you ready to make an investment?

Running a business, as you know, isn’t cheap: services, equipment, office space and everything that comes with it. And we wouldn’t recommend you add another line item to the budget if we didn’t think it would help you. We don’t think of what we provide in terms of cost, but in value. Digital marketing has immense potential to grow your business and we have a dedicated and highly experienced team — plus the resources and partners — to handle a full range of marketing services and needs.

We think of our team as more than a partner; we are an extension of our clients’ business. Think of us as offering the full benefits of an internal marketing team without the expense of bringing one on staff. And if you have an existing marketing arm, great! We are positioned to act as a support system for them at all levels.  

 5. Do you have a passion for your work and want to share that with others?

We saved the best for last here. We live, eat, breathe analytics funnels, click-through rates, A/B testing, and analyzing ad metrics and pour our metaphorical blood, sweat and (occasionally literal) tears into writing, designing, creating, and building relationships. And we love working with people who are just as passionate about their jobs.

The most successful businesses are run by people who have turned their passion into profit. They focus on their strengths and find others to help them fill in the gaps. It’s not just smart business — studies show people who use their strengths at work are:

Are you great at design but hate accounting? Would you waste your valuable time trying to learn the latest tax laws? We would hope not — and that you would instead hire a great accountant who loves crunching those numbers. And that same mentality applies to marketing – don’t lose sleep trying to keep up with algorithm changes. Bring in a pro (aka us).

If you think we sound like a good fit for your growth and marketing needs – or if you just have any questions – just reach out.

Pinterest is sometimes overlooked when prioritizing social media platforms and that’s because the most pinned ideas often center on planning a wedding, decorating a home office, or creating mood boards. The discovery of finding new inspirational pins is what has made Pinterest the leading social media platform for fast conversion leads and sales.  

Pinterest has been around for over a decade and shouldn’t be new to brands. According to Ben Silbermann, CEO and co-founder of Pinterest, “We welcomed over 100 million additional monthly active users to Pinterest in 2020, more than any other year in our history, and now we reach more than 450 million monthly active users around the world.”

Traffic Driven Platform

The platform’s focus on imagery allows it to function almost as a second storefront. Luxury brands are natural storytellers due to their artisan heritage and craftsmanship. As a result, Pinterest provides a platform for users eager to visually discover the stories behind the brand or a product.

Some luxury brands have been optimizing Pinterest to their advantage. Burberry, Louis Vuttion, and Fendi have created profiles that look and function like an online store. Recently, Pinterest released AR features that are free and available to all brands making virtual try-on and interactions easier. Not only have these brands been able to tag products in photos that link directly to e-commerce, but they have also been able to include images from ad campaigns, runway shows, behind-the-scenes, and influencer partnerships, making the visuals more engaging.

Gucci is creating pins in a new and innovative way rather than just highlighting products. They have been able to create a brand story and showcase the inspiration behind their collections. The board titled “The Art of Beauty ” has pins of portraits from famous museums that highlight art history. The creativity being brought out in the pins sparks the discovery and inspiration Pinterest users are seeking.

Brand Awareness

One of social media marketing’s main approaches to expanding business is through creating and increasing brand awareness. Pinterest is made for brand awareness due to the lifespan of a pin. The long tail content strategy increases constant visibility for weeks or even months after it’s posted. The content you create can become everlasting on Pinterest and continues to generate traffic as time goes on, with the ultimate goal of converting a casual browser into an engaged customer.

The lifespan of a pin is also contributed to the fact that one pin can be shared to multiple boards, allowing it to resurface in a variety of different search terms. The use of board descriptions gives Pinterest context of each pin and provides additional information so the algorithm can surface more accurate search results. For example, one photo of a new dress with a description including event or seasonal can be shown in a search for, “Summer fashion inspiration” and or “Cocktail Party Dress”.

Imagine this scenario, a consumer who is attending a wedding and needs new red heels but is unsure of the exact style. When typing “red heels” in the Pinterest search bar, a variety of different shades of red-colored heels are displayed and ready for the user to explore. The user isn’t searching for a specific brand name but rather visually discovering all of the options available.

Protecting The Brand

It isn’t uncommon to see accounts posing as high-end brands with counterfeit products. Most of the content being posted on those accounts is not aligned with the luxury brand’s story or values. To protect the brand, many companies have created their “official” brand page but have yet to start pinning to avoid the creation of fake accounts. Balenciaga has over 34k followers and not one pin, keeping their audience on edge. This strategy can lead to more attention for new launches and campaigns creating excitement and anticipation. Keep an eye out for a new Balenciaga Pinterest launch. 

Ads on Pinterest

Similar to other social media platforms, Pinterest offers advertisers the opportunity to get their products in front of users, and it has expanded its formats to include video, shopping, retargeting, and carousels. The ad results can be easily tracked through Pinterest’s tags.

Studies show, “when brands use shopping ads on Pinterest, they drive 3x the conversion and sales lift, and twice the positive incremental return on ad spend”. Pinterest users open their feeds in hopes of discovering new products or ideas to take action on. This presents not only luxury brands with tremendous opportunity, but all brands the opportunity to capture new audiences with trend insights and consumer behavior.

Pinterest’s recent growth and consistent feature updates should not be overlooked. Your brand should be creating content that consistently presents fresh ideas to new audiences, which is exactly what the platform is designed for and can benefit any company, small or large, luxury or not. Alongside new ideas and product releases, brands, both B2B and B2Cm have the potential to consistently create evergreen content that drives more traffic to their website, making Pinterest a desirable and profitable platform.

Are you interested in partaking in our 30 day Pinterest challenge?

Download our one page guide to Pinterest success and watch your Pinterest traffic grow by 25%!

Pinterest has become a powerful platform that you can use to differentiate your brand from the competition, direct traffic to your website, and drive conversions on ecommerce sites.

In addition to being a platform to search for recipes, gift ideas, makeup tutorials and home DIY projects, Pinterest is where consumers go to interact with new trends and make their next purchase.

In fact, “the number of Pinners engaging with shopping surfaces grew over 20% both quarter over quarter and year over year in Q4 [of 2021].” Source: Pinterest Q4 Report

As a visual search engine, it has the potential to attract thousands of new visitors to your website every day, but how can you get your products and services featured on Pinterest?

At ultraviolet, within the first month of Pinning we see up to a 100% percent increase in Pinterest search traffic. We use a combined strategy of keyword optimization and an aggressive publishing schedule to see game changing results for our clients.

Here are eight best practices to get your Pinterest Pins noticed:

1. Share images that stand out

Pins only have 1-2 seconds to engage a user, so be sure to make your image stand out.

It’s important that the Pins you create or share not only contain a catchy call-to-action (CTA) but are also visually appealing to your audience. Details like size, image orientation, and design quality can negatively affect your Pin’s performance.

Having knowledge of Pinterest Best Practices and creating relevant content are best practices to create Pins that stand out from the crowd.

2. Pin what’s trending

Staying up to date and taking advantage of trending searches are key to connecting and growing your audience.

You can rely on the Pinterest Trends tool to provide insights into trending search terms, which will help you discover what people are looking for in your country, as well as the  trending ideas in the five most popular Pinterest interest categories: Fashion, Food and Drinks, Beauty, Home Decor, and Travel.

On the other hand, if your account is created as a business profile, you can use Pinterest Analytics to find out which content has performed well, the boards that are driving the most views, and the main interests of your audience.

3. Use relevant keywords and hashtags

While it is true that Pinterest is part of the social media family, it is also a powerful visual search engine. In fact, 64% of the platform users say that it is where they go to find a product or service that they can trust.

Just like you would do with your website SEO, your content on the platform needs to address keywords relevant to your brand. Having clear titles and descriptions help your Pin get discovered in search.

Make sure to optimize boards, pins, and even your account name for Pinterest search.

4. Add a URL to your Pins

In a letter to shareholders Pinterest reported that catalog uploads had doubled globally, and in international markets they were up over 400% year over year.

Pinterest content can accumulate metrics over a longer period of time than other platforms therefore, it is important that the story your Pin tells is actionable. Whether to increase your blog’s readership or direct users to your product/service, make sure to add a URL to your Pins that will drive traffic to your website.

5. Post consistently

Out of sight…out of mind.

Constant pinning is not only essential for good performance in the Pinterest algorithm, but it is  also a practice that helps users discover your Pins and increase engagement with them.

Although Pinterest has no limit on the number of Pins you can share, many marketers recommend posting 10-15 Pins per day. This may vary depending on your audience, therefore, tracking your Pin’s metrics can be a good practice to improve your engagement on the platform.

Also…keep in mind that what you publish, apart from being new and original, is always in sync with your brand message.

6. Publish at optimal times

While it is true that posting constantly is a good practice to get your brand noticed on Pinterest, keep in mind not to overwhelm your audience by posting too many Pins at once.

It is important to maximize the reach of your content by making sure you publish it at the right time. To do this, you can use a management tool like Tailwind, which provides information on optimal days and times for your Pins and, at the same time, allows you to schedule them.

7. Participate on Pinterest group boards

Whether it’s repinning evergreen content or creating new Pins, group boards are a great way to get your images distributed to a larger audience, and in much less time.

Because there are many group boards with lots of collaborators and followers, your content will receive more views and repins. A good example of that is this Luxury Traveler group board which not only has many members, but also contains quality pins.

8. Organize your boards with board sections

Organize your boards into sections using keyword optimized titles so your content shows up in search. Not only does this help keep your content organized,but also adds additional context for the Pinterest search algorithm, which means your Pins will show up more frequently in relevant search results.

Establishing a Pinterest presence for your brand doesn’t have to be intimidating. The key to being successful on Pinterest is implementing best practices, optimizing for strategic keywords, and consistently publishing. Like on other social networks, creating consistent content and utilizing new features is a reliable path to success.

Like any other platform, it’s all about trial and error. Start your pin collection and expose your brand to new potential customers.

Are you interested in partaking in our 30 day Pinterest challenge?

Download our one page guide to Pinterest success and watch your Pinterest traffic grow by 25%!