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.
How to Survive Digital Marketing in 2019
The only thing that is consistent about Digital Marketing & Social Media is its ability to change and update itself on a very regular basis. What worked yesterday no longer works today. What’s going to work tomorrow probably hasn’t occurred to anyone today. But when it’s the most cost-effective way for a small business to grow and thrive, you kind of suck it up and deal with the changes, right?
Digital Marketing: the 3 biggest issues small business owners face
If I were to ask you what the biggest issue is that you face when it comes to running your business, what would you say?
Shout & Co. at Home
Take a tour of Shout & Co. at home with some before & afters of our renovation
So what is Digital Marketing anyway?
It’s a pretty broad term - one that encompasses a LOT of digital activities. Get it right, and there’s a lot up for grabs. Get it wrong or don’t put enough focus into it and you’ll be missing out on a LOT of potential business.
But what does it all mean? What exactly does it cover? And why is it important to know this?
Digital Marketing Thrive Guide
If you’re a small business owner, you’ll know that your to do list is bursting at the seams - 2458745 things for you to tick off - and that’s just before you have to pick up the kids from school at 3pm (trust me, I know the feeling). So things fall off the grid - and you don’t get to do all the things you NEED to do to build your business.
Digital Marketing Calendar
Planning your digital marketing activities for 2019, but not quite sure where to start?
Have a peek at a planning tool that I use with my clients to plan the year ahead and download a copy of it for yourself.
Planning for 2019
If you’re looking to use this holiday period to work on your business instead of just IN it, here is guide to setting yourself (and your business) up nicely to take on 2019.
Photographing Faces
“People buy from brands that they like. They like you, because they trust you.”
- Pippa, Shout & Co.
10 Content Ideas
If you’re serious about growing your business, social media is the place to make it happen. Digital marketing has become the single most important tool in a small business’ promotional arsenal, so care and attention needs to be undertaken to get it right.
Compare, but only in this instance
I'm a HUGE proponent of not giving a crap about what your competition is doing: comparison is the thief of joy so why wander down that path when you could be focusing on your own business? In fact, if there was any advice I could have given my younger self, it would have been this: forget about the competition, stay in your lane and grow your business in a way that makes sense to you.
BUT.
4 Ways to Style a Flat Lay
The flat lay is arguably one of the most popular forms of visual content on social media these days and it’s easy to see why: it works across a wide variety of product types, you don’t need much to make one work and it enables you to showcase a relatively large volume of products in one image. If done correctly, a flat lay can be a beautiful way to show off your business’ wares – done poorly and it’s likely to put your audience off.
The Shout Studio
If you've been watching my Instagram stories, you'll know that we've spent the last month renovating the sleepout on our property to become the new Shout & Co. studio. When we bought this house just over a year ago, we renovated the main house and decided to keep the sleepout renovation for a later date. Since we moved in, it's been a storage room, then a craft / rumpus room of sorts and now finally, a studio for Shout & Co. We employed the skills of my hubby's colleague's partner who is a builder extraordinaire and gave him the task of completely overhauling the space: from insulation right up to a new ceiling.
Christmas Blow Out
If you sell a product, then chances are you are looking forward to the silly season when consumer spending skyrockets. It's your time to shine, to bank some buck to see you through the post Christmas retail slump.
A little background...
If you're new to these parts, then this post should help you figure out who the heck is behind this little slice of the internet. Hi. Come on in, grab a seat and let's get right to it, shall we?
Social Media Tip of the Week: Instagram Algorithm Insights
Sheesh I haven't written up a blog post in so long, digital tumbleweeds are blowing through. So I figured it was about time I scribbled some tips, ideas and information for you because at the end of the day I'm here to help you kick ass online.
Living your best digital life
Groceries. Cooking. Laundry. Run a business. Make some money. Keep the lights on. Get dressed. Find time to take a shower. Keep your kids alive...
There are a lot of things that we have squeeze into our days - especially when you own your own business. How you do find the time to do it all and live a happy life while you do it?
SOCIAL MEDIA TIP OF THE WEEK: WHEN SOCIAL MEDIA GOES WRONG
Social Media can be great fun, especially when you’re stuck in a meme battle with your bestie who lives on the other side of the world. It’s also pretty handy when you run a business and want to stay relevant and visible with your target audience. But what happens when it goes wrong, placing your business in the center of a digital shit storm? Going viral for all the wrong reasons can be an ordeal: before you know it, you’ve got an NZ Herald reporter’s microphone in your face asking for a comment (thankfully not speaking from experience here, knocks on wood) What can go wrong (from a business perspective) and how can you fix it?
Social Media tip of the week: what to use, when
Instagram. Pinterest. Facebook. LinkedIn. Twitter. Where do you start when defining your social media strategy? Which platform is right for you? Which ones will work hardest for YOUR particular business and which ones can you go without?
I'm about to tell you.
1 - on - 1 Social Media Crash Course
Does social media totally confuse you?
Not sure how to make it work for you and your business?
Overwhelmed by the choices of platforms, hashtags, emojis, engagement, ads, reach and all of the new-fangled words that come with it?
Well, here's my offer to help you straighten it all out so you can get on with business:
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.