MARKETING, DESIGN + PHOTOGRAPHY INSIGHTS FOR NZ BUSINESSES.
Welcome to the Shout + Co. journal. As an Auckland-based creative agency, we share our latest tips, behind-the-scenes projects and expert advice to help you grow your brand. Browse our articles below covering everything from custom web design and SEO, to commercial photography and social media strategy.
The essential brand audit checklist
In the fast-paced world of business, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day hustle of serving clients and delivering products. But when was the last time you took a step back to look at your brand as a whole?
Just as a car needs a regular service to stay on the road, your brand needs a regular check in to ensure it’s still aligned with your goals, your values and ultimately your target market. A brand audit is how you do just that.
Reels vs. TikTok in 2026: Where should NZ businesses focus?
Remember back in 2022 when people thought TikTok was just for Gen Z dance challenges? That feels like ancient history now… In 2026, these platforms have matured and now serve different purposes in the Kiwi digital ecosystem.
Here is the current state of play for NZ businesses trying to decide where to focus.
Mother's Day Preps
If Mother’s Day is a key date in your business calendar, we’ve put together a handy guide to help you get your digital assets in order.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Content Template
Keen to get your content planned out ahead of time rather than doing it as you go? We recommend using a Content Template - and we just happen to have one you can use - FOR FREE! This is the exact template we use when creating content for our clients and it’s super simple to use.
The pros and cons of the key social media platforms
When it comes to social media, 6 platforms have risen to prominence: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Whether you’re just starting out in business or embarking on an overhaul of your brand’s current social mix, you may be wondering which platform your business needs to be on to maintain its relevance with your target market.
The Benefits of User-Generated Content
Is user-generated content (UGC) a major focus for your business, or is it a largely untapped content stream you’ve yet to explore?
We share why you need UGC as part of your content mix and offer up some ideas on how to get started!
So what's your score?
These are the 6 social media sins committed by Millennials that make Gen Zs roll their eyes in our direction. How many of these have you committed?
Hashtag Research
If you're not using hashtags to categorise your posts effectively, users simply won't find you in amongst the millions of other posts that are being published every day. Hashtags help boost your post's visibility on social media. If finding suitable hashtags has been a spray-and-pray type of strategy for you in the past, here are some easy ways to research hashtags that your ideal audience will respond to…
Tips for Effective Call-to-Actions
A call-to-action is a little nudge you give your readers to get them to take action on your content. When used effectively, they'll encourage your audience to click, interact, shop, contact, or investigate further. So here are some tips to make them effective and irresistible...
We are HIRING!
We are hiring a Content Writer! Read on to find out more about the role and how to submit your application.
4 Reasons Why your Business Needs to be Blogging
Do you have a blog but don’t do much with it? Or are you dipping your toe into the world of blogging and wonder what all the fuss is about? Here, we'll look at why a blog could be just what your business needs to grow your audience, blog SEO, the factors that affect your SEO rankings and how to optimise your blog for search engines.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
If you’ve officially run out of great content ideas for your social media, here’s an idea: recycle previous posts!
Mother's Day Preparations
If Mother’s Day is a key date in your business’ calendar, we’ve put together a handy guide to help you get your digital assets in order.
Be Consistently Consistent
This is the final instalment of our 3 part series on the GOLDEN RULES OF SOCIAL MEDIA. This week, we’re focusing on consistency. Consistency of:
Messaging
Branding
Communication
Publication
Visual Identity
Content Creation 101
In this week’s 2nd instalment in our GOLDEN RULES FOR SOCIAL MEDIA series, we’re talking CONTENT.
These 3 Golden Rules are the core principles that make or break a brand’s digital presence.
Last week, we kicked off our series with a focus on COMMUNITY - building a strong digital audience that is fully engaged with your business. This week, it’s CONTENT’s turn.
Don’t use enough hashtags? Yeah, not a biggie.
Only post 2 times a week? It’s better than no times a week!
Not a fan of emojis in your captions? Audiences will survive!
But no community or crappy content? Now those are deal breakers…
To build a strong digital community, you have to give them something to keep coming back for. And that’s what we’ll chat about today: how to create content that your community will lap up and love.
Building your Community
There are 3 Golden Rules of Social Media which have proven themselves time and time again. They are the core reasons why people gravitate towards social media - and keep coming back for more after a late night scroll session. We discuss each in detail to help you nail your digital presence. This week, we start off with the 1st of our Golden Rules of Social Media “C’s” - Community.
Video Tips for Social Media
2021 is the year of the video!
Business owners are realising the brand building power of short branded videos - and we’re so excited to see this digital format shift from being a nice-to-have to a permanent fixture in marketing strategies.
We take a deep dive into why (and how) video is such a necessary digital tool for brands: from planning a video shoot to investment and even amplification.
Visual Consistency
When it comes to marketing your brand and amplifying its offer, the visuals (images, video, graphics, branding etc) are one of your business’ most important assets. Creating and using your brand visuals consistently enhance their power and efficacy.
Unofficial Observances - A Great Idea Starter for your Content!
If you’re stuck for content ideas - here’s a simple idea that could net you some phenomenal engagement and reach: Unofficial Observances!
What are these, you may be wondering?
They’re the random and weird unofficial holidays that get given a whole (global) day to themselves…
NEED HELP IMPLEMENTING THESE STRATEGIES?
Reading about marketing is one thing - executing it is another… Let our team handle the heavy lifting. Book a free 30-minute discovery call to talk about your next project.