Influencer marketing tactics utilize a digital creator’s audience, credibility, and ability to persuade their audience. Social media influencer marketing helps brands promote their products, services, or campaigns and is generally used when you have a specific call to action. We understand how stressful placing your brand's campaign message in an influencer's hands is, especially if you choose the wrong one. However, as a marketing agency, we’re here to help you, making influencer marketing a breeze.
Influencer marketing has grown exponentially in the past few years and will continue to grow. According to Matter, 69% of people are more likely to purchase something a friend, family member, or influencer recommends over the actual brand. Influencers are changing the game of social media marketing. At Cork Tree Creative, we stay up to date with all the latest social media trends, so we’re sharing the best tips and tricks for leveraging social media influencers.
Collaborating with an influencer with thousands or millions of followers means you can promote your product or service to a diverse audience that may not already follow you. Your chosen influencer’s followers are likely to read about, click, or, even better, buy your brand's product or service through their videos or images.
Some of the primary benefits of influencer marketing include:
With the digital world constantly evolving, we understand how overwhelming it can be to choose the right influencer to represent your brand. You want your influencer’s content to reach your campaign goal and their followers to resemble your target audience. There are three main types of influencer marketing: Content Creators, Influencers, and UGC Creators.
If you’re not sure which type of influencer is right for your campaign goal, another way to choose an influencer is to determine the platform on which you want to promote your brand. Online platform influencers can help improve your content by creating sponsored posts, affiliate giveaways, brand ambassadors, and product collaborations.
The five leading types of platform influencers are:
The first thing to consider when determining whether to use business-to-consumer (B2C) or business-to-business (B2B) influencer marketing is your target audience. If your goal is to reach other businesses, then B2B influencer marketing is for you. If you want to connect directly with consumers, you should utilize B2C influencers. B2B influencers consist of industry professionals and experts, and their content is more educational to generate leads and spread brand awareness. On the other hand, B2C uses social media influencers who create more entertaining content, such as engaging marketing videos, and help you reach new market audiences and sell your product or services.
Types of B2B Industry Influencers:
Types of B2C Industry Influencers:
There’s influencer marketing available for every industry, so it’s important to find an influencer unique to your brand's industry. As experts in social media marketing, if you’re debating if an influencer is the right one for your business, we recommend imagining your influencer's followers as potential clients. Would they buy your product or keep scrolling because it’s irrelevant to them? Partnering with the right social media influencer will increase your brand awareness and reach more highly engaged niche clients. Social media influencers' ability to sway their follower's opinions and purchasing decisions makes for the ideal collaboration.
Examples of influencer campaigns include:
Influencers have forever reshaped the way social media marketing works. Their authentic connection with their followers has opened the door for brands to connect directly with their consumers and broaden their organic reach. At Cork Tree Creative, we are a team of established individuals who know when to utilize influencer marketing appropriately. We have the connections to help you choose the perfect social media influencer for your specific market needs. If you need influencer outreach services in the St. Louis area, contact us today, and let us help you reach the perfect influencer for your brand!
TikTok isn’t just dances and funny skits; it’s the perfect platform to connect personally with your target audience. With 1 billion users, TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms available, meaning the reach and visibility potential could be a massive advantage for businesses. The viral nature of TikTok allows unparalleled opportunity for brand exposure and viewer engagement, unlike other social media platforms that make gaining visibility difficult for smaller accounts.
If you are a business owner, you need to be utilizing TikTok as a marketing and branding tool to reach your business goals! We’ve gathered some of our top tips and tricks to make your business TikTok account more successful!
TikTok marketing is an essential and valuable addition to your marketing plan. Here’s how to incorporate it into your business plan!
A business account is a public profile allowing businesses to use TikTok’s marketing tools for their strategy. Creating a business account will provide you with templates for content creation, analytics to evaluate your success, and a whole arsenal of tools for effective advertising on the app.
To create your TikTok business account:
TikTok has a lot of business-boosting potential, but getting started can be intimidating. Here are a few practical tips and strategies to give your business an advantage!
Hashtags – everybody uses them, and they help get your content seen on TikTok! Using the right hashtags for your business will boost your visibility and engagement on TikTok. Hashtags ensure that TikTok shows your content to people interested in what you provide. Conduct some research on what hashtags are most relevant to your business, services, and brand image, and consistently use them on every post for maximum reach.
Leveraging social media trends is a way to ensure that your marketing efforts don’t go unnoticed. TikTok trends are trendy for a reason – everyone watches them! Tailor a specific trend to your brand or product so that anyone watching is exposed to your business. Spend some time seeing what sorts of videos trend, gain the most visibility on the platform, and determine if there is a meaningful way to connect them to your business. Not only will following viral movements result in exposure and engagement, but it can also help companies stay relevant and adapt to evolving consumer preferences.
TikTok also offers multiple advertising options through the platform for business owners to take advantage of. Through a business account, you can set your own ad budget and target audience and add your content to target potential customers best. A TikTok pixel can be added to your website to track viewer actions, engage previous site visitors, and reach new customers. TikTok provides a host of digital advertising and analytics tools to measure and evaluate your success and change your strategy if necessary. Through TikTok, businesses can leverage these options for ultimate growth, visibility, and engagement.
Are you on board with TikTok but unsure of how to effectively make the app part of your marketing plan? Do you have an account but struggle to keep up with trends and content creation? Hiring a good social media marketing agency can make all the difference for your business.
At Cork Tree Creative, our team of social media experts specialize in every aspect of TikTok, from strategy to trends and content creation. Our professionals help businesses thrive on TikTok by providing a unique marketing plan tailored to their services and target audience. If you’re ready to see actual results from your TikTok marketing efforts, contact us today to get started on the path to social media success!
Social media is an essential and unavoidable part of any good marketing strategy. To be a successful business owner, you need to know how to navigate and utilize social media. While getting started can seem intimidating, the financial and promotional benefits of social media marketing are unparalleled.
Social media offers several advantages for businesses, making it a powerful tool for advertising, customer engagement, and brand promotion. The accessibility and popularity of social media provide unlimited potential for brand visibility and driving sales. Additionally, social media is an invaluable conversion method, enabling your audience to make purchases or take desired action after exposure. With the right social media strategy, you can reach both existing and new customers more efficiently and effectively than ever. Learn our top five tips to leverage social media for your business.
Creating unique content that is on brand with your business and your image will help you craft a strong brand presence online. The use of features like hashtags and consistent posting on social media will increase the recognition of your brand among your target audience. Social media platforms allow even small profiles to trend so anybody can gain visibility online. The more you post, the more opportunities your business has to be noticed by your audience, and the more reliability you build in your industry.
Social media provides an opportunity to reach both existing and potential customers, making it an incredibly useful tool for businesses. Building a strong brand presence on social media will inevitably attract new customers for you to begin creating a relationship. Engaging with your audience is crucial to success. Create content that encourages audience interaction and reply to all comments and messages to strengthen your connection with potential customers.
Consumers turn to social media for guidance and recommendations. A great way to attract new customers while building brand credibility is to feature customer feedback on your business’s social media platform. Promoting positive reviews and testimonials enhances trust and credibility, helps boost your reputation online, and encourages customers to choose your business over others. Showing appreciation for these reviews also proves that you value your consumers and care about the experiences they have with your business.
Social media has multiple opportunities for you to reach your audience. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok all have different features that you can use for your business’s success. It’s important to utilize many of these platforms to expand your reach and connect with a wider audience. Make sure your content is cohesive enough to be recognizable across platforms.
Some platforms are more beneficial for sharing certain content as opposed to others, so it’s essential that you design your content with a specific channel in mind. For example, TikTok is better for sharing short videos, while Instagram prioritizes higher-quality photos. Working with a social media marketing agency can help you strategically plan content uniquely suited for each platform for the best results.
Influencer marketing can be a great advantage for a business looking to leverage social media. Influencers are opinion leaders and creators with great influence online, and you can utilize their following for your business. Partnering with a social media personality who has authority and an audience similar to yours can boost your brand’s visibility and engagement and drive customers to your site. Industry influencers are available across all types of businesses – if there’s an audience, there’s an influencer!
In today’s marketing environment, leveraging social media is a must to keep up with the competition and connect with your audience. If you’re ready to see your business expand and your marketing efforts rewarded, it’s time to start leveraging social media advertising. There are several considerations to be made when beginning to create a social media strategy for your business. Which platforms to use, what kind of content to create, and how to even get started can be an intimidating process – but it doesn’t have to be!
Working with a social media marketing agency can provide you with the guidance and expertise you need to be successful. An industry leader in social media management and marketing, Cork Tree Creative can help you start crafting a social media plan uniquely tailored to your business and your advertising goals.
Press releases aren’t just about getting media coverage anymore—they’re a tool to leverage your search engine optimization and social media presence. With the right strategy, you can get more eyes on your news, drive traffic to your website, and expand your brand’s reach. Whether you’re announcing a big company update, launching a new product, or sharing industry insights, when you optimize press releases, it ensures your message reaches the right audience.
To make the most of your press release, you need to craft it strategically. From keyword optimization to social media promotion, here are 10 essential tips to ensure your press release and public relations efforts get the attention it deserves.
Your headline needs to do two things: catch attention and help you rank in search results. Keep it short (under 75 characters) and include a relevant keyword phrase (3-4 words) that aligns with what your audience is searching for. When you optimize press release headlines, it increases the chances of your news getting found and clicked.
The first paragraph of your press release should pack a punch. If there’s a trending topic relevant to your news, weave it in. Tools like Google Trends and social listening can help you identify what’s hot in your industry. A compelling lead ensures people keep reading—and Google notices engagement, too.
A great press release isn’t just text—it’s visually engaging. Photos, infographics, or videos increase engagement and shareability on social media. Plus, search engines prioritize content that includes multimedia, making it a smart move for search engine optimization efforts.
Strategic linking from your press release helps drive traffic back to your website. Add hyperlinks to key pages (like a product page, blog, or service offering), but keep it natural—one link per 100 words is a good rule of thumb. This not only benefits SEO but also guides readers to take action on your website.
Google only displays about 60-65 characters of a headline in search results. Keep yours short, clear, and loaded with relevant keywords. A strong, optimized headline makes it more likely your press release will get found.
Once your press release is live, don’t let it sit—promote it! Share it with engaging captions and relevant hashtags on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Break it down into bite-sized posts to keep the buzz going over time.
Your email list is a powerful tool—use it! Send out your press release to your subscribers, linking back to the full release on your website. This not only increases visibility but also helps drive traffic directly to your site.
The boilerplate (or “About Us” section) is your brand’s calling card. Keep it concise but informative, highlighting who you are and what you do. Most importantly, include a clear call to action—whether that’s visiting your website, following you on social media, or getting in touch.
Want even more reach? Submit your press release to online distribution platforms like PR Newswire, Business Wire, or GlobeNewswire. These services help extend your reach and increase the likelihood of media pickup.
A well-crafted press release can do more than just announce news—it can strengthen your SEO, expand your audience, and enhance your brand’s credibility. By optimizing for search engines and social media, you’ll ensure your news gets the attention it deserves. Need help crafting a public relations plan that gets results? Contact us today, and let’s make your news work harder for you!
Oh, the ‘pound’ sign. How far you’ve come. A hashtag is a powerful categorizing tool. More specifically, it is a symbol of grouping together like content that lives on social media. Somewhere around the year 2007, Twitter users were in a frenzy about how content was displayed across the platform. It was a big jumble of topics with no rhyme or reason. In an effort to control the chaos, hashtags were thrown into the mix. Now, posts on Twitter that contained keywords or phrases preceded by a ‘#’ symbol could be displayed in one cohesive place where interested parties could find them. All you had to do was search the keywords in the search bar, and it would pull up related posts, mentions, and other media with the same tags.
While the use of the hashtag for categorizing topics was born on Twitter, other social media platforms quickly followed suit. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest also allow for content on their sites to be grouped by relevant hashtags. Groups that can benefit from adequate use of hashtags differ with each platform. Depending on your target audience, LinkedIn could be the best or only platform for you to shine. And shining bright on LinkedIn involves the proper use of hashtags (among other things). LinkedIn suggests using hashtags on its platform to establish credibility, reach people who value your offerings, and network and start conversations over shared goals and interests.
Yes of course, we wouldn’t be talking about them if they didn’t. One of the best ways to reach your audience in this saturated market is to target yourself to the people or entities that care. Why would you want to sell hair products to a bald person? Or a car for someone who only wants to use bikes or public transportation? Once you lock in your ideal audience’s wants and needs, you can use hashtags to your advantage. Additionally, LinkedIn is a great place to do it right now because, according to their user data from 2020, only (approximately) 1 to 2 percent of users are even creating content regularly on the platform. This gives you even more room to stand out versus on other social media.
Believe it or not, there’s a method to the hashtag madness, especially on LinkedIn. Being more of a showcase for businesses and talent, the content you post should be targeted, organized, and relevant to your audience. Not only must the tags be relevant, but they should also be work-appropriate. What works on one social media platform could jeopardize someone’s business on LinkedIn.
Hashtags can go anywhere you can write words. They go on your own LinkedIn posts, shared articles, comments, groups, messages, videos, images, and job postings. Anything that has a text box can contain a hashtag, but that doesn’t mean you can just put hashtags anywhere, and they’ll do what you want. While hashtags can go in comments and articles, this type of content doesn’t show up in search results. Try to keep hashtags at the end or embedded in your posts, media, and shared content. Hashtags aren’t meant to replace copy and shouldn’t be used as an alternative. This also appears unprofessional. One way to get the jump on where to place your hashtags is to write out your posts and then embed them where they make sense. They’re supposed to be used to complement and clarify your writing, not to replace it.
You may have assumed by now that the number of hashtags you should use on your LinkedIn posts also matters. You don’t want to have too many keywords; this will dilute your topic and can confuse your audience. Keep it concise, LinkedIn recommends the use of about 2 to 3 hashtags in each post. There’s technically no limit to how many hashtags you can use, but try to keep it short and simple with what matters most. Each industry varies, however, so if yours could benefit from more than three hashtags, don’t limit yourself, but also don’t get out of control.
During your hashtag research, you must decide whether to use long-tailed keywords as hashtags or use one-word or concise hashtags. Longer words or phrases have the advantage of less competition but are also in fewer search results. Concise, one-word, or popular keywords will have higher search volume but bring more competition. Understanding what type of hashtags to use is an evolving process that must continually be tested and evaluated.
This really depends on who you’re targeting, as different buzzwords will matter to different niches. Use hashtags exclusively depending on the specific post versus your entire brand. Are you a shoe company looking to sell comfortable sneakers to working-class folk who are always on their feet? You can do research on bigger companies doing the same thing. What hashtags do they use? Note selected hashtags on their posts with high customer engagement. Start following these hashtags and do a deep dive into all content in this niche. Following hashtags is as simple as searching for them on LinkedIn search, clicking them, and then hitting follow once you are on the related search results. Here, you can start to build a robust list of related keywords and phrases to test out on your LinkedIn posts to see if their hashtags resonate with your audience.
Researching and following hashtags on LinkedIn is a good way to get an idea about popular keywords and phrases in your niche but in order to access specific hashtag metrics and data on your LinkedIn content, you’ll need to use a media monitoring tool. You can monitor the hashtags you follow and see how many people also follow them, but that’s about it (for now) on hashtag metrics from content produced directly on LinkedIn. If you don’t use a monitoring tool, you can simply observe engagement in your content by taking notes on how many people interact with your posts. Metrics you can find include reactions, shares, follows, and comments.
Here are a few important things to avoid when utilizing hashtags on LinkedIn. Make sure you do not:
Here are a few tips and things to remember when drafting up tag ideas. Try to:
Can’t figure out hashtags? We can help. Cork Tree Creative has a knowledgeable team that specializes in the evolving nuances of social media. Your online presence is important and can be the difference between brand recognition... and rejection. Make sure you’re getting it right the first time. We can help you brainstorm which tags to use, where they should go, and how to get you right in that visibility sweet spot.
So, you’ve got your company’s social media platforms ready to rock and it is time to start posting. Before you begin, ask yourself – “Ok, so when is the best time for me to throw these tweets, posts, and updates out to the public?” Well, be happy you’re here because we are going to teach you just that.
First things first, you want to know where most of your audience lives. This will help you determine what time zone you should focus your posting in. So, let’s say the majority of your customers are in Sweden, you’ll need to execute your posts during CET. Or maybe your largest audience is in the USA and Canada? You’ll want to focus on timing your posts during peak EST hours. Since EST hosts cities like New York and Toronto – this time zone has the largest number of people.
However, the more popular your brand is, the more time zones you’ll likely need to consider. Your goal here is to reach as many time zones and customers as possible without overdoing it. To determine what geographical area your audience is coming from you can use social media analytics tools to help plan which times work best for your business.
Now that we know you want to make sure you’re posting when your followers are online, this will be different for each platform and each brand. To go along with that, you need to post during your customers’ highest engagement period during the day, not just the largest audience. If you are posting on LinkedIn, your audience’s prime time of engagement will differ from the most engaging time for customers on Facebook or Twitter. A good way to do this is by not only tracking each platform separately, but also by tracking your competitors. See when they post and how those posts do in terms of engagement. (If it works for them, it’ll probably work for you!) By keeping track of when your audience is the most active, keeping up to date with current trends, holidays, and events, you can maximize engagement with your customers.
While it’s important to track your own social media metrics to determine the best time to post for your business, there are some general go-to times to get you started with your posting.
Best times to post: (data from Sprout Social)
In the end, your brand’s prime time to post is just as unique as your customer base and will vary channel to channel. While the times we mentioned above can get you started on the right path to posting, you will need to keep tracking your company’s data on each platform to find the optimal time to engage with your audience. Keep it up! With the right tools and constant improvement of your posting schedules, you will drive results and improve your social ROI for an awesome social media presence.
Do you have questions on how to leverage your company’s social media to build business and brand awareness? We have a team of social media strategists ready to help! Contact us today for more information.
In today’s technology-driven, app-crazy, and influencer frenzy world, it can feel hard to keep up. You’ll want to begin utilizing social media to positively impact your business. Now, you might be wondering, “Where do I start?” Luckily, you’ve found us, and we are going to give you a simple play-by-play on how to create the perfect social media plan for your company.
Sit down and ask yourself this question: “What is my brand's mission?” This is the first step in helping to set your business goals and objectives. Once you have decided on these, it’s time to decide what you want to achieve from utilizing social media. Is it to increase awareness? Expand your brand's audience? Generate sales? Boost community engagement? Or are you trying to drive more traffic to your site? These are just some of the things your business may want to achieve from utilizing social media. These goals can help you determine which social media platforms are best for your biz and leverage social media effectively.
Next, take the time to get to know your target audience. This step is vital to the success of your social media plan. Knowing who your ideal customers are and what social platforms they are utilizing is crucial. For example, if your business is targeting millennials – Instagram may be one of the platforms you make a priority. However, if your product is geared more towards business-oriented professionals – LinkedIn should be your focus. If you already have business social media accounts created, it’s time to research your existing audience and how they interact with you. Remember, don’t spread yourself too thin by creating an account on every platform. Instead, focus on those platforms where your primary audience is.
Your social media content calendar is going to be the backbone of your social media strategy. This tool will allow you to stay organized, plan ahead, and ensure fresh, consistent content. This is where you can keep up with which campaigns your business is running this month, what holiday events you may be advertising, and more! Your content calendar should be unique to your company. If you are using social media management tools to automatically post for you, make sure it aligns with your content calendar. Your calendar should include what content you are posting, which platform you are posting on, what time you should post it, and any images, videos, text, or links. This way, when the time comes for you to share an update on your social channels, you and your team are ready!
As you are putting together your company’s social media plan, you will need to decide what metrics are most important to your brand. Then, track, analyze, and improve them. Keeping track of important metrics will allow you to know what works and what does not. Most social media platforms will allow you to navigate your page’s analytics. For Facebook, they are in the Insights tab. For Twitter, go to Twitter Analytics. And if you have a business account, Instagram does a good job of summarizing your content data for each post. While at first, this may be a trial-and-error situation, examining the real-time metrics of your campaigns can allow you to change your social media plans as you go.
Some of the most common and valuable metrics to pay attention to are engagement, impressions, reach, referrals, conversions, share of voice, and reply time.
Let’s talk about social media content. It’s important to stick to your company’s brand. You want your theme throughout your social platforms to stay true to you, like your “Instagram grid” should have an identifiable and cohesive aesthetic. More importantly, though, you want your followers to interact with you, and there are several ways of achieving this. Creating polls on your favorite platforms is a sure way to get your audience involved and a great way to learn a little more about them. One of the best ways to engage with someone is to ask them questions.
Also, it’s vital to stay up to date on all the social media trends. Is a certain song viral on TikTok right now? Hop on that movement and create an engaging TikTok video about your product or brand. Then, share it to the reels on Instagram for increased exposure. Overall, remind your audience that there are humans behind your posts. Content that shows off your company’s “human side” will help you connect with your followers more than anything.
Never undervalue the power of a social media plan! In today’s world, a strong social media presence is vital to any company’s success. If you have any questions about curating a social media plan for your business, contact us!
Not long ago, when someone asked if you pinned it, you probably thought it was a reference to wrestling. Today, Pinterest has become a popular social media site where users can find great ideas. Anything from recipes, to home decor, DIY projects, and more. What does this mean for business owners wanting to expand their “social media marketing” horizon? It means Pinterest could be a powerful tool for your business.
First, it’s important to explain that Pinterest is more about “things” than other social networks popular today. In the study, the top keywords used are “DIY” and the symbol for heart (<3), along with “use, look, want, and need”. What this means is that Pinterest is about sharing your likes and dislikes. It is more about feeling than thinking. Twitter and Facebook users are generally having to “think” about content to post, but with Pinterest, it is quite the opposite. Users are “not prompted to think at all, they are prompted to feel” with the images they see and pin.
For industries that include do-it-yourself, crafts, hair and beauty, as well as designers, this may be a social media dream come true. The article goes on to highlight proper photo techniques that work best. Additionally, you learn why some images are pinned more successfully over others and demographics of Pinterest users. One statistic states that “customers spend more money when they convert from a Pinterest referral than any other social network.” Facebook comes in a close second.
Edwardsville, IL based Cork Tree Creative, Inc. has worked with many clients overseeing their social media program from start to finish. If you already have a social media presence but you think it may be time to enhance it, give us a call. We’d love to help make all of your social media marketing dreams come true! Illinois and St. Louis customers can call (618) 656-7333 for more information.
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