Digital Marketing Instagram. Do you have what it takes?

Digital Marketing Instagram: A few weeks ago I wrote an article discussing Facebook marketing in some detail. Well now is a great time to discuss another awesome and powerful social media platform closely related to Facebook. Let’s take a good look at Instagram

Advertising benefits of Instagram digital marketing

Instagram is owned by Facebook and the platform’s marketing and advertising back end is linked with Facebook. This makes any paid advertising campaign immensely powerful as it can be used across both platforms. Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world and Instagram is right up there so when you harness the power of both these social platforms you are simply able to reach many people. The advertising can also be tweaked to be very targeted which can get you right in front of your target audience. This is brilliant; however, you will need a budget.

A picture is 1000 words.

There is one big difference between Facebook and Instagram, Instagram is a lot more visual. It was created to showcase imagery. Facebook was more about writing content and maybe adding on an image. So, Instagram is a lot more visually captivating. If you have a visual product, i.e. a restaurant, bar, retail, then some really good pictures on Instagram can go along way. However, if your business is not visually appealing, i.e. taxation law then this might not be the best platform for you to advertise on.

I will now look at Bali as an example.
I know that tourism is the main industry for Bali, which mean restaurants, retail shops bars, clubs, hotels, massage and days spas. It is no surprise to find out why Instagram is hugely popular in Bali, it fits in with showcasing many businesses and if you have a business/product in a similar location that is visual then you need to be on Instagram.

Superstars are made with Instagram digital marketing

That is correct Instagram and its sibling Facebook are extremely popular and when I look at a hugely popular and successful business that have come out from nowhere, the first action is to look at their social media pages. It is usually busy and very popular. I analyse trends, it’s what I do, and I see this trend repeated over and over again. It’s not a secret formula. Now before you run away and get super excited, only the strongest win online. I can quantify this, the top 10% make it work.

Do you have what it takes to be a digital marketing success on Instagram?

Instagram is super powerful; however, it is also extremely competitive. Only the absolute best see any positive results. 10% who advertise on this platform will see a direct and often a massive benefit to their business. What about the other 90%?

Exactly what about them, they were not good enough. Their marketing was either too weak, did not reach enough people or did not have a clear goal. Marketing and advertising online is a profession, not everyone can do it. I will state the vast majority of people I have met have no idea about what will or will not work. This is exactly why you need to get us to help you with your Instagram and social media marketing. If you think you can do this, I will wish you all the luck in the world but experience tells me you will be in the bottom 90%.

Video content for Instagram, super powerful

Finally, if a picture is 1000 words, sometimes a short well made video can be an entire chapter.
We know Instagram is visually built to display images and visual content. So, what would give you an additional advantage? Video content.
It is great for telling a short story and often is even more compelling and engaging than a good image.

So, this means when you advertise on Instagram you need it because Instagram is extremely competitive and that means you need every advantage possible. Again, if you do this yourself, you will probably make a complete mess of things. I don’t know you but I know again from past experience most people think they can make great video content, but they can’t.

This is exactly why you would come to us for assistance. We are experts and social media marketing and creating awesome powerful promotional video content. So, work with us, we are the best team in Bali because we have global expertise.

Facebook Marketing Is it worth It?

Bali is not a normal place. It centres around tourism and while tourism right now is down globally it will be back. Facebook marketing is therefore extremely important and can have significant gains regarding marketing and creating a buzz around your business you might need. Simply put it can get you right in front of potential customers and this is extremely important for any new or existing business.

Facebook and Instagram for Bali

Some businesses perform extremely well with social media and others don’t. It comes down to the nature of the business. We know from years of marketing experience that bars, clubs, cafes, restaurants, resorts, hotels, gift shops and day spas all work extremely well with Facebook and Instagram. This means a large number of businesses in Bali can benefit from this form of marketing.

Is Facebook Marketing worth It?

This is a question I frequently hear and I need to be as insightful as possible. Facebook has an agenda. It is to get you to use their marketing platform, to keep you using their marketing platform and get as much money out of you as possible. They too are a business and they want your money and the money from millions of other businesses globally.
Now if it did not work you would soon leave or give up and never return. Therefore they must have a really good platform otherwise it would not be so popular. Facebook marketing if done properly most definitely can work extremely well. So Facebook marketing is worth it if your campaign is managed by the right person.

How much will you need to spend on Facebook Marketing?

How long is a piece of string? We are consultative in our approach. We examine our clients business, their short and long term goals. We assess who their competition is and who their customers or clients are. More importantly where there are, and what are their behaviours We factor all of these things in consideration when making a recommendation. Budgets can vary and are highly scalable. So we can and have experience working with multinational brands and small businesses to startups.

Facebook Marketing Services

So to get the most out of this platform you need to work with an agency that is highly familiar with the Facebook advertising platform. We know all of the tricks, intricacies and have an intimate understanding of the advertising platform. Regardless of whether you are a company based in Australia, New Zealand or Singapore or are a local business in Bali and need to reach customers speaking in Balinese or Javanese we can assist you and place your business and content right in front of your targeted audience, your customers. We test what works, what does not work and scale up or down accordingly.

Video Content for Facebook

We also help you produce powerful video and animation content for a very affordable price. It is emotive and compelling and will assist in helping you grow your business online. It’s no longer enough to have photos or simply text content. People now want and expect more and this is where we can help you.

Finally, You need to be realistic with social media marketing

One of my biggest frustrations is dealing with potential clients who are just not on the same planet.

They literally say they want to make $10000 per month and have a budget of $100 or $150 per month. My response is perhaps brutal. I will tell them to add a zero to their marketing budget and half their goal. That right, this is reality.

A marketing budget of $1500 and a goal of $5000. Now, if your budget and goals were smaller. Say your marketing budget was $500 and your goal was to make $2000, I would say, let me help you. So if you need some Facebook Instagram marketing assistance we are here.

How can you protect yourself from covid 19 in Bali?

Covid 19 in Bali is not bad, it's a total catastrophe so how can you protect yourself?

There is a saying: 'ignorance is bliss.' Well, it can also be your downfall. The single biggest issue right now in Bali regarding Covid 19 is it’s simply not being reported accurately. How many people in Bali have actually been tested for this virus? 50%, what about 20%, less than 2%? This is the issue. The complete lack of transparency!!!

How many people have actually died from this virus in a country where it is not mandatory to investigate the cause of death? How many have been tested? Questions left unanswered.

Now for the obvious. Wear a mask, that means not on your chin. All you have to do is walk around and it is astounding how many people are simply not wearing a mask or placing it on their chin. Zero protection!!!

Socially distance is a total joke. Right now there is a complete lack of social distancing. People are going to weddings, parties, having families and friends over. The official response is to wear a mask and continue as normal. Nothing is normal, it's a pandemic!!!

The people preaching to continue as normal are prioritizing economic interests so it is up to you to place your life and your family's lives as the priority. Avoid all contact with people not in your household. Work from home if you have the option otherwise mask, face shield, maybe a hair cover, and sanitize constantly.

Invest in a face shield. Due to the sheer volume of people not wearing a mask or socially distancing I would strongly recommend wearing a face shield in combination with a mask. This is simply an added layer of protection and it is most definitely needed.

Gyms and absolutely not safe right now, neither are places of worship. Lots of people in a confined space. That is just not a wise move. Your favorite deity will understand. Bars and clubs and getting a massage, the same, not safe and probably the most dangerous place is the ATM booth. Constant AC running in a very small confined area visited by hundreds of people each day. It just takes one person to cough or sneeze in this environment.

Ultimately it's up to you. You know what's right and what is irresponsible. You know how to protect yourself. Remember, Indonesia has the worst health care system in all of South East Asia, it ranks lower than Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. If you or one of your family members contract Covid 19 and get seriously ill it's not going to end well.

Finally, get your vaccine. There is a real push for people in Bali to get vaccinated. Even if it has 50% efficacy it will help. Our Team is looking after your wellbeing.

It’s 2021 SEO Social Media or Google Ads Who is the winner?

It’s 2021 SEO Social Media or Google Ads Who is the winner?

So now in 2021 if we compare the three major online methods of Digital Marketing, who is the real winner? Before I get into this I hate articles that conclude by saying, “you need to do both” or “The best approach is to do all three.” No, I am not going to do that. If you had to chose between these three options, say you were on a limited budget, which approach would be the best, which would be the least favourable. Let’s acknowledge one important aspect.

It is not longer 2010, and it is no longer 2015. For years acquiring traffic organically via Google Search has been King. SEO for a decade or over has been the top dog. SEO experts have ranted about how ranking organically in the long run is the best long term approach. Well it’s now 2021, let us see if this rhetoric still holds true. Finally, I am agnostic, I am being objective in my opinion. I don’t favour any of the above methods. Without question there is a winner in 2021 and it has lapped the other two forms of Digital Marketing.

The winner is Social Media Marketing. When I say Social Media Marketing I am specifically talking Facebook, Instagram and Youtube. So Google is also still up there. It really is about getting quality video content in front of your potential customers. Video content is very powerful and these platforms are highly sophisticated at targeting the right customers, using data, artificial intelligence and so on. This is the best way to advertise in 2021, this is far more powerful that SEO which has clearly been dethroned. The content is visual, powerful and you can create multiple ads and within a day or two compare which ads and which campaigns are having greater success. I love the video content aspect of social media, it’s creative and fun. Just look at our website, it is now full of video content and also helps with engagement and credibility. People can see your work and will trust your brand all in a few seconds.

Now lets look at SEO. The internet, and Google Search has changed a lot over the past few years. It has gone from being competitive to being super ultra competitive. Reality is if you have a new business and invest in SEO for several months you may still never rank. Why, because there are probably 10 no 100 website who have invested in SEO and have been doing the right thing in Google’s eyes for many years so why should they push these sites back to rank you. Simple answer, they wont, and that means you wont rank. Now an SEO expert will say, ‘oh you just need to rank for less competitive key words.’ Really who wants to do that. Rank for key words that no one is search for, that is basically the advice. Now I have championed SEO for six or so years and it has literally been lapped by Social Media Marketing. Why would you constantly spend money in SEO hoping to rank and seeing no improvement month after month. Worse, you actually rank for a while then suddenly go to the bottom of page 3. Many businesses especially new businesses only have SEO as a Digital Plan and 90% of these businesses typically fail in the first 3 months. That’s right, not one year, three months and they are gone.

Finally let’s look at Google Ads particularly Google Search. I am leaving Youtube Ads out of this as I consider Youtube Marketing to be part of Social Media Marketing. I am specifically talking here about Google Search and to a lesser extend Google Display. A few years ago people were encouraged to run Search Ads and bid in an auction for key terms if their site was not ranking organically. It was combining SEO and Google Ads. People were encouraged while there site was slowly gaining organic rankings to in the interim use Googele Ads. Today I think it is still an acceptable approach if you have a very new business but reality is Google Ads is a plan B if your SEO is not working or you are going through seasonal quiet months. Well today SEO is now plan B or even plan C. Ideally you would have two Social Media plaforms to serve as plan A and B. That means Google Search Ads are an absolute last resort. They are way too expensive and if you spend half the money on Facebook, Instagram or Youtube Ads I am sure it would go a lot further.

The biggest single issue with Google Ads is the assumption, if a customer clicks on your Ads and visits you site they will become a customer. Websites do a very poor job at selling a product or service, You many need to get hundreds of visits to your site to make one sale. What about conversion optimisation for your site. What about it? It might improve a fraction, not much. On the whole websites, even ones with conversion optimisation do an awful job selling. Google Search and Display Ads are really a last resort and you can often lose money running such campaigns. Yes, even if they are managed by a so called expert.

It’s 2021, the future of our business is creating awesome video content for our clients to use in Social Media Campaigns. That’s right were are going to help your business get right in front of your customers and impress the hell out of them. It’s a lot more fun than working on SEO or boring Google Text Ads. We will still offer these services but we know what our preferred method of Marketing is. Finally it’s for serious clients, ones who actually have a monthly Marketing budget that is realistic to their desired goals. We can help from as low as $150 per month.