Month: May 2021

Written by Becca Miller

Edited by Allison Herrera

Even though it may seem like a no brainer to create a social media account for your business there are a few steps you should consider before whipping up a business profile. 

For starters, what is your goal behind creating your social media profile? Because it shouldn’t be just to have a profile to keep up with the digital marketing world. Your goals should surround how it can benefit your business in the end. 

Think in terms of increasing brand awareness, increasing traffic to your website, or even increasing your revenue. All of these goals, and more, are just one way to help not only grow your business but help be the driver for your social media strategy. 

Here are 6 great goals you should consider when setting up your social media profile. 

1. Brand Awareness
2. Engagement 
3. Followers
4. Traffic
5. Lead Generation
6. Revenue

Each goal has different distinctions based on your business. There’s business to consumer (B2C), consumer to consumer (C2C), or business to business (B2B). Each one carries a different social media strategy and end goal based on what your business is selling.

Have a question about how to focus on these goals, along with each distinction? Give us a call today. We’re happy to help!

Written by Brittany Pratts

Edited by Allison Herrera⁣

Pinterest not only gifted us with a glimpse of hope and normalcy during this year-long pandemic, but it’s a great place for your business to shine. Pinterest is quickly turning into a more visual version of a search engine. Businesses are now able to use the search bar to easily get new ideas, find inspiration, or even start a board of their own to organize their branding elements all with a simple search, & its numbers are sky-high.

Pinterest searches were up 96% this year for Gen Z users. More specifically, searches increased for both things they missed and for new hobbies. So, let’s break it down a bit. 

As we know, Pinterest is an amazing tool for when you want to find a new recipe, home decor, wallpapers, makeup, hairstyles – pretty much anything you need. Pinterest is a vision board made easy. Gen Z users apparently thought the same, considering searches for vacations, outfits, home renovations, and aesthetics all rose over 50%. 

What did we all long for most in the pandemic? A good vacation. Not just any vacation – a destination or luxury vacation. We were stuck inside and unable to even travel to the next state. So of course when we dreamt, we dreamt big. This could explain why vacation searches increased by 75% for Gen Z users. The search for “dream vacation destinations” alone increased 13x. 

What else did Gen Z users miss during the pandemic? Dressing up. Sure, we all love sweats & being comfortable, but dressing up gives that extra confidence boost that we were lacking. Therefore, it’s not that crazy to believe that just the search for “outfit” was up by 26%. Specific clothing trends also skyrocketed in the pandemic. For example, the search for “clay rings” was up 303x (yes, 3030 – that is not a typo) and the search for “Y2K outfit ideas” was up 230x (again, 230 is not a typo lolz). What better way to spend the pandemic than planning for your iconic comeback to the fashion world? 

The most unsurprising search that increased by 64% was, of course, parties. Gen Z misses going out, they miss seeing their friends, & just partying how they used to. Searches like “dinner date outfits”, “party food buffets”, and “Euphoria party ideas” all increased by well over 10x. With Gen Z being in at a prime party age, it was really hard for them (*cough* me *cough*) to accept that they could no longer spend all of their time celebrating life in general – especially living in New Orleans, where there is a party every weekend. Since they can’t have actual parties right now, obviously they are going to work to plan the absolute best post-pandemic party possible. 

The search for home renovations was at an all-time high, which is not very surprising. A majority of people (regardless if they were Gen Z or not) started renovating their homes in the pandemic. Whether it was a small project like a bathroom remodel or buying a new house and renovating the whole thing, we needed ideas. What better place to start than Pinterest? Creating a Pinterest board to organize all of your ideas and figure out exactly what you want to do in your home was really a game-changer for a lot of people. Searches like “home renovation ideas” were up 5x and searches like “sage green aesthetic” were up by 32x. If you’re going to be stuck in your house, you might as well update it to something you love. 

Now, I know what you’re thinking…what does any of this have to do with marketing? Well, surprisingly, Pinterest is a great marketing tool. Through seeing what Gen Z users are most interested in, you can more accurately tailor your campaign to something that will resonate with them. If they like parties and fun outfits, put a fun outfit in your ad and make the setting a party. The possibilities are endless, but with these small insights into the mind of Gen Z users, we can more easily target them and understand what they really want. Don’t know where to start? Uptown Girl Media can help you identify your company’s branding and figure out what current trends can help your business succeed. Just give us a call!

Written by Allison Herrera

Branding and marketing work hand-in-hand with one another, but they are two separate concepts that many people become easily confused on and/or interchange terms. So many people ask us which one should they focus on to grow my business. The answer is actually both!

What Is Branding?

Think of a brand as a visual component. Brands are comprised of your logo, colors, style, tone, and voice. Branding is who your company is – what it looks like, its personality and how it engages with others. I like to tell clients your brand is your company’s identity and tells your company’s story.

Digital branding is the same concept, but online. It focuses on websites, social media, blogs, and newsletters when developing relationships and building engagement, which educates, entertains, and boosts exposure.

What Is Marketing?

Marketing is the act of promoting and selling your products and/or services. Unlike branding, marketing is high-paced and changes day after day – especially since this digital era has blossomed. Marketing is simply another route for potential clients to see where your products/services are available.

What’s The Difference?

Branding is who you are and marketing is how you build awareness. Branding creates your company’s personality, whereas marketing is an extension of that. Everyone likes parties, right? Well, let’s think of this as a party.

Marketing is the party planner. She sends out the invitations for the event you are hosting. The invitation must look good – enticing the receiver to come to the party. So, if people show up to your party, your invitation (aka marketing) is a hit! Now, where does branding fit? Well, branding is the experience your guests receive from attending your event!

You most definitely cannot successfully market your business without developing your company’s brand. The flip side to that is you can’t build a company’s brand without marketing it. Branding is the key that drives marketing because branding is strategic. Branding defines your long-term goals and how you’re planning to achieve them – giving you the path you need toward achieving your organization’s mission. Whereas marketing is all about tactics – it’s much more concrete and is often oriented toward smaller steps and a shorter time frame along the way.

Do you have any questions about your brand or want to boost your marketing? Let’s chat – we would love to help you out. Email us today at contact@uptowngirl.media for a customized brand + marketing plan.