Very often, our customers are asking us about their strategy for marketing on social networks:

“Where to focus my efforts – on Facebook or Instagram. Which would do a better job for my business purposes?”

This is a very interesting question and we are sure that you have been asking it yourself too. The truth is that there is no universal formula, and it all depends directly on your business niche and the goals you have set.

Today we will give you some hints and insights to help you (hopefully) make the right choice for your particular business case.

 

Instagram advantages

A leader in users’ engagement

Instagram is a social network for sharing photos and short videos. And that’s exactly its strongest side. Consumers respond much better to visual content than to text-only, easier to remember, easier to associate with, more likely to interact with the brand. And Instagram offers just that. This is the platform with the highest percentage of user engagement. Posts in Instagram have a lot more “likes”, outperforming both Facebook and Twitter. For example, the average number of “likes” that a post on Victoria’s Secret on Facebook gets is [2,078], and on Instagram [283,030]!

 

The power of the #Hashtag

Instagram allows much faster and easier access to a new audience. This is possible thanks to the use of hashtags along with the posts. Facebook also allows the use of tags, but the extent of their influence on Instagram is much greater. A photo posted with hashtag in the description will be seen even by people who are not your followers. They may like it, comment, even look at your profile. And if they find what they are looking for, they can follow you. At the same time, in order for your Facebook post to be seen by someone who does not follow your page, you need to advertise your content.

 

Уounger audience

You must be aware of Instagram demographic data so you can properly build your strategy and produce effective content. Considering that 59% of social network users are between 18-29 years of age, Instagram is a “must-see” place for brand positioning and attracting the attention of young potential customers.

 

Influencers

Influencers are well-known individuals among the broad audience which make collaborations with big brands and advertise their products among their followers. About 80% of Influencers choose Instagram as a platform to make these promotions. Influencer marketing is a great way to boost sales growth. Allows you to reach thousands of new people in an elegant way.

What are the most frequently asked questions we get about Instagram, you can read them here.

 

Facebook advantages

The Phenomenon of Sharing

Here is one of the biggest benefits of Facebook in front of Instagram. Facebook is a social network for sharing content of all kinds.

You like the video – you share it!
You like an article – you share it!
You like a photo – you share it!

This is the idea of ​​the social network – to voice your opinion to the things that are important to you and which others would appreciate. And if someone sees and really likes what you share, you can share it with your circle of friends. So the same post goes on the chain, over and over again. It’s called viral or more common “virus sharing” of information.

Everyday people see in their new feeds posts on pages that do not even follow, just because one of their friends shared them. This is not possible on Instagram. In the Instagram feed, the user only sees the personal posts of the followers. The ability of your brand to become a Facebook brand is much larger.

 

Different age audience

Not only does Facebook have the largest community of other social network users but also covers all age categories. The platform is widespread across the globe and your message can reach your target audience quite successfully, even if you do not set specific age limits. If you want to make your Facebook campaign really successful, read the article “8 essential elements of a Facebook campaign”

 

No limit on shared links

You are most likely already aware that in Instagram, links usage and sharing are limited. But on Facebook, they are not. You can share as many links as you like – to your own products from your E-commerce website to other pages, website, blog, video channel or whatever. This increases traffic to your website or landing page significantly.

 

Easy communication

Customer service is also made easier on Facebook thanks to the Facebook Messenger app. Your business can maintain a good relationship with its customers, resolve problems, create personal contacts, send promotions, and increase brand loyalty.

 

Well, what do you choose for your business? Facebook or Instagram? Or both? If you hesitate, contact our team at info@speedflow.bg. We will help you make the right choice!

The term Inbound Marketing was introduced by HubSpot for the first time in 2006 as “an approach focused on attracting customers through content and interactions that are helpful and relevant.” This is a multi-component strategy that includes search engine optimization (SEO), blogging, creating text, visual and video content, email marketing, social network marketing (SMM).

 

Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is not an invasive way to attract consumers to a brand. It is not intended to interrupt users constantly without their permission as we know Outbound marketing does (billboards, ads, press releases, etc.). Inbound messages are not intrusive at all. On the contrary, they attract those who are looking for answers. By using Inbound Marketing tools, you help your potential customers find you more easily online. Provide them with enough information about your product or services and they will be able to make an informative decision about purchasing what you are offering.

 

 

Nowadays, it would be very unusual if a company does not use Inbound Marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy. To find out where you should put your efforts in 2018, do not stop reading. Here are four Inbound marketing trends that will help your business become even more successful in 2018.

 

Chatbot

We hope that you are still not tired of listening about artificial intelligence (AI) and the benefits it has on business. Chatbots are a type of AI technology that is becoming a powerful tool for Inbound Marketing. Why?

Over the last few years, people have begun using messaging applications more than social networks to keep in touch with one another.  What is interesting is that they use them more and more as a way to communicate with brands too. A chatbot is a computer program that makes it possible for brands to provide 24/7 customer service on the biggest messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger, Viber, Skype, and more. These virtual assistants answer user questions via automated messages. At the same time, they collect valuable information and statistics about their preferences. Companies can then use the gathered data to improve and update their marketing strategies.

 

Guest blogging

Everybody knows that having a blog where you publish articles regularly is an extremely successful method for generating organic traffic to your site. Millions of articles are published online every day. Blogging has grown into an actual industry. It evolves continuously and competition is becoming fierce. A good way to spice things up while attracting new customers is through guest blogging. This means that your article will be published on another website or blog. Although this is not a new practice at all, 2018 has set big expectations about it.

NOTA BENNE! Publishing an informative and quality article on a website that has less than 1000 visits per month and users who do not share its content would be totally meaningless. When you blog on popular websites with good rating and of relevance to your business, you will bring quality traffic and adequate potential customers back to your page. And this is directly related to the number of sales if the page offers some kind of product or service, such as “eCommerce website development” for example.

 

Podcast

A podcast is an audio show that is broadcasted over the Internet. More and more companies are incorporating such type of content creation in their brand awareness strategies. Consumers can listen to podcasts anywhere, even in the shower! Although this is a relatively new tool for Inbound Marketing, 11% of marketers are planning to include it in their marketing strategy in 2018.

Podcasts provide informative content in a very convenient way. They are extremely user-friendly. It’s nice to listen to something interesting without the need to constantly stare at the computer screen, phone or tablet. Podcasts are the favorite blogs of people with limited spare time.

Creating a podcast does not require any investment. The best part is that after broadcasting it, you can transcribe the dialogue and publish it as a blog post with a link to further increase the traffic to your website. Eric Siu, co-host of Marketing School along with Neil Patel, says that once they began making podcasts, their website traffic increased by up to 25-30%!

 

Live video

When we talk about trends in Inbound Marketing, we cannot miss mentioning live videos which will still keep a top position in 2018. People like live streaming and statistics show it clearly:

• 82% of users prefer watching a live video to reading a blog post;
• Live videos are viewed three times more than regular videos on Facebook;
• The most viewed live videos are about breaking news and conferences (56%) followed by concerts (43%);
• 67% are more likely to buy a ticket for a concert or conference after watching a live video about.

That’s why your brand should start live streaming interesting brand happenings. Share about an event you are attending or an interview with an expert someone, show people behind the scenes stories, anything that matters to you and your target audience.

 

What other Inbound marketing trends you think will rule in 2018? Share with us in the comment section below.

Last month Facebook announced that they are making three major updates in the way the whole social media network works. The changes will completely revamp the algorithm which is responsible for the order in which posts appear in individual News Feeds.

As it’s already clear from our blog article “Facebook News Feed – changes and their impact on business” the platform is constantly being updated and changed. Here’s what Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg shares on his wall:

“We’re making a major change to how we build Facebook. I’m changing the goal I give our product teams from focusing on helping you find relevant content to help you have more meaningful social interactions.“

So about the last three updates and they are:

 

1. More posts from friends and family

Facebook and users

With the new Facebook version, people will see more photos and posts from their friends and family. The same goes to publications that encourage better communication between users in the form of comments, conversations, likes, shares. As a result, there will be fewer public posts from companies, brands, media, celebrities.

Posts that encourage engagement in communication will see a boost in the News Feed. These are for example live videos, group posts, business and media pages that share local events and news important to readers. Have you noticed that the changes are already taking effect and that your News Feeds is dominated by such posts? If not, try. You will definitely see the difference.

 

Facebook and business

Since space in the News Feed is limited, the new update will undoubtedly have an effect on public and corporate pages. A decline in their traffic is expected. Of course, the magnitude of the changes will vary from page to page depending on the content they publish and how people react to it. Pages that generally cause less interest, have no comments, shares, etc. will notice the biggest decline in reach on Facebook. On the other hand, pages that create prerequisites for dialogue and interaction between friends will not see a significant change.

!Nota Bene: Of course, your content will not disappear completely from the Facebook News Feed section. Facebook now offers to See First, an option where users can set their preferences and thus not miss posts from their favorite pages. The change is not supposed to eliminate public posts, but simply to display more publications from friends and family. The update does not apply to paid Facebook promo!

 

2. More posts from trusted sources

Shortly after Facebook prioritized posts from friends and family, from the management announced their next step towards bringing communities closer together – optimizing the quality of public posts. This change is aimed to reduce the amount of misleading and fake news. News that users rank as credible and from trusted sources will appear higher in Facebook News Feed. Thus the Facebook team wants to make sure public posts are of good quality and are useful to the global community.

However, it will take awhile for these changes to take place. A considerable number of surveys needs to be conducted. The process has been initiated in the United States and by the end of the year, it is expected that credibility will become one of the signals for post ranking in Facebook News Feed.

3. More regional and local news

There will be more local and regional news in the News Feed according to the latest Facebook update from 29^th of January. Your location, the pages you like and the posts from local publishers will determine what you will see first in your Individual News Feed. It is easy to predict that this will have a positive impact on public pages that share local news and are targeted specifically to local communities.

But how does it work?

Is this domain local?

Facebook says: “To determine if a domain is local to you, we look at where its readers on Facebook come from. If you live in the same area as the majority of those people, it is considered local to you.”

 

Is this domain a news source?

And: “We use a variety of signals to identify news sources on Facebook. These could include hard news, sports updates, a neighborhood blog, or other local sources.”

 

However, the change will initially start in the US and will gradually spread to other parts of the world.

 

Don’t forget to follow our blog and be one of the first to find out what other Facebook updates are coming! For now, only time will show.

Yesterday Plovdiv was the meeting point for hundreds of IT professionals, enthusiasts and entrepreneurs, the reason being Digital4Plovdiv 2017. This year the conference was dedicated specifically to online marketing and e-commerce. It took place on 30 November at the St. Petersburg Hotel, Plovdiv. Ivan Totev, the mayor of Plovdiv, gave a welcoming speech and started the discussions.

Our team was pleased to be a part of the conference and learn in more detail about the hottest topics and the latest practices in digital marketing and online shop optimization. More than 30 specialists presented the most effective tips and tricks for the successful development of e-commerce businesses and increase in sales.

The conference program was held in three different halls. There were lectures, presentations, workshops and case studies. Everyone found something new and interesting to learn and apply to their work or business, including our team. Among the most discussed topics were Behavioral economics, SEO audit, SaaS, ERP systems, Internet security, video marketing, remarketing and many more.

All lecturers were prominent experts in their field with extensive work experience. It was a real pleasure for us to be part of over 300 participants at the event. More information about Digital4Plovdiv 2017 can be found on the website.

AI robots are being deployed to various industries, bringing benefits not only to hi-tech companies, but to customer-centric ones too. Nowadays we can see an explosive growth in the popularity of Chatbots. These innovative virtual agents communicate with clients, being a time-saving and cost-effective solution with a great future!

If you want to learn more about what exactly is a Chatbox and how it can help your business, read our article here.

Speedflow at the GITEX exhibition in Dubai

Last week Speedflow Team visited GITEX exhibition in Dubai, a leading event in the whole IT industry. It brings together decision-makers, engineers, managers, and marketers from the Middle East and from all over the world. All innovations and trends are discussed during numerous conference panels. One of the hottest topics at GITEX digital marketing vertical day was AI, Chatbots and their progressive contribution to business development.

 

Chatbots and their role in business

Chatbots become more sophisticated and at the same time more accessible for small and medium companies.  They are a modern, yet effective way to improve customer support and increase customer engagement. According to recent research studies, in the near future Chatbots development will become an objective for the business and companies which have deployed them earlier will get a competitive advantage.

Market giants can allocate costs to develop and implement complex Chatbots without any big problems, but for small customer oriented companies it can be really expensive.

That’s why Speedflow recently launched its own Chatbot development platform oriented specifically to meet the needs of cafes, restaurants and the food delivery industry in general.

Our Chatbot as a service solution allows small to medium businesses to integrate intelligent robots on their Facebook page in a week’s time without CAPEX and programming knowledge.

Chatbot in no time!

Just a few working days and you will be able to “hire” a smart and trusted employee that is available 24/7 and is always ready to assist clients, speeding up business processes. We provide customized Chatbots, following the corporate style of your brand. Boost your brand awareness, improve customer loyalty and analyze your target audience simultaneously with our bot assistants.

 

Develop the Chatbot your business needs. Outrun and gain an advantage over your competitors. Don’t wait for the future to come, make it happen now and keep abreast of the times!

I am pretty sure you have had a conversation with a customer service representative at least ones in your life – to get more information about the shipment status of your parcel. To check shoe size in-store availability. Or to simply order food online.  For sure, these customer support representatives have passed several training sessions. They have reread the customer service guides and regulations and have mastered their company business ethics.

However, the customer service process cannot be optimized completely.  Still, the speed and quality of service do not depend solely on the human factor. Exactly the opposite! In most cases, it highly depends on the CRM system and the methodology used by the employee in their work. The answers you are looking for as a client can be 10 clicks away. May require a few minutes of loading the right information or the filling in of some data inside a form.

Is there a solution to these problems? Yes, there is! It is called a Chatbot.

 

What is a Chatbot?

 

A Chatbot is a computer program that automatically responds to customer questions. Simulating the feeling of having a conversation with a real person. This communication can be done through text, audio, or other visual elements like images or emoticons. There is no need of having a specific person dedicated solely to replying customer inquiries or redirecting their requests. To get a better idea of what exactly a conversation with a bot looks like, check out the image below.

 

 

Currently, most Chatbots communicate with end users through the biggest messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger, Viber, and Skype. Their main purpose is to take the place of applications. What does this mean? Instead of closing Facebook Messenger and opening a particular restaurant app to order food, you can just message the restaurant directly in Facebook Messenger. Quite useful and practical, right? It saves you time, as well as space on your smartphone.

The possibilities of implementing a Chatbot in your business are endless! Top brands have already developed their own customized Chatbots – from Uber and H&M to CNN news, Burger King, Skyscanner, and many others. Chatbots are an effective assistant to clients and help them with:

• shopping in online stores
• tracking orders
• booking cinema tickets
• booking a hotel room or a restaurant table
• providing information about the weather, health-related issues and what not

 

Chatbots and AI (Artificial Intelligence)

 

Some Chatbots have an AI (artificial intelligence) algorithm integrated into their software. Yes, that’s right – artificial intelligence. This means that they do not base their responses on the preset software template only. They have the “ability” to remember their customers’ questions, as well as the answers they have given them. What is spectacular here is the fact that they use the accumulated data and apply it next time when they have a conversation with the same client. These Chatbots can “evolve” without the need to be continuously updated as the other ones.

 

How will a Chatbot benefit your business?

 

Having read everything so far, I am sure you grasped the main business benefits of having a Chatbot, namely assisting clients on diverse matters and improving customer experiences. Anything else? Oh, yes! Below, explore the additional benefits of implementing Chatbots in your business:

 

Eventually, only the happy and satisfied customers will be motivated enough to repurchase your products and services. Chatbots play a significant role in this case. Helping you with improving your customer satisfaction, as well as with:

• Conducting targeted marketing campaigns
• Promoting new products and services
• Sharing popular products and recommending them to your customers
• Getting free feedback from your clients
• Collecting analytical data about customer behaviors, clicks analysis, as well as their Chat history
• It is easy to use
• Provides the user with quick access to the information needed
• Chatbots provide uninterrupted 24/7 service
• There is no need to hire a specific person dedicated to customer service 24/7
• An opportunity to attract and contact customers from all over the world, regardless of their location
• And much more

 

Many people say Chatbots are the future of communication and information technology. Search engines were a boom in the past, now applications are hype. But Chatbots are an investment that’s worth your attention.

If you want to learn more on the topic and are interested in developing your own customized Chatbot, do not hesitate to contact us. We will help you to improve your customers’ online experiences.

In June 2017, Facebook announced that more than 2.01 billion people are actively using the platform every month. And the average stay of 20 minutes per visit! The impact of this social network is inevitable for both end users and businesses.  Considering the fact that most people visit it more than once a day.

What do people see in their individual News Feeds? Once they have opened Facebook the news are determined by a complex algorithm that is constantly evolving and improving. Why? Because Facebook wants to create a community, where the information you receive is specifically tailored to your preferences and interests. You have noticed that, right?

Let’s look at the changes Facebook made recently and what their effect on business is.

 

Fewer links to low-quality websites

 

One of the main goals is to reduce the negative experiences of users that have clicked on links leading them to poor quality web pages. Pages with non-informative content, and compulsive or shocking ads. After carefully researching and analyzing thousands of links, Facebook created a special AI (Artificial Intelligence). The algorithm that checks every single link. Those of them shared on the platform and will be ranked according to their content quality. In this way, links with bad ranking will appear lower in the News Feed. While those of good quality will be shown up in the News Feed. The result: users will see less misleading and more informative posts.

 

Effect on business:

These changes will take effect gradually. It is expected that in the upcoming months, posts leading to good quality websites will notice some increase in traffic. While those that do not – a slight decline in traffic. Of course, this will vary from user to user. And corporate pages will still be able to freely share stories and posts of interest to their followers. Therefore, you should carefully review your online shop and website content. Providing excellent online user experience will help Facebook rank your shared website links higher.

 

More informative links

 

According to one Facebook survey, there is a group of users who share a large number of links daily thus spamming other users’ News Feeds. To reduce the impact of spammers and the spreading of problematic links such as clickbait, misleading headlines, and sensations, the Facebook team constantly strives to decrease the visibility of those links. However, post ranking is not determined solely by this fact. So initially this new change will only affect links (link to an article, for example), and NOT domains, pages, videos, photos, check-ins, statuses.

 

Effect on business:

Most Facebook users will not notice any major changes in their News Feed. But this is not of no importance to the business. Тhose who reach a larger audience by sharing spammers’ links may see a small decline in the number of people reached by these specific posts (posts shared by spammers). In other words: Be careful what you share on your corporate Facebook wall. If you share a link posted by a spammer on your professional profile, this particular link will reach fewer people. And this leads to losses of potential customers. You don’t want that happen, right?

 

Prioritizing links to faster loading pages

 

About 40% of website visitors will abandon the page if it hasn’t loaded in three seconds. To reduce the user waiting time and improve their satisfaction, Facebook is taking actions. Prioritizing those links in the News Feed witch loads more quickly compared to slower ones. You too would rather spend your time reading something interesting than waiting for it to load, right?

Whether a link loads faster or not depends on both: website loading speed and users’ Internet connection. These two are also taken into consideration when Facebook places a link higher or lower in the News Feed.

 

Effect on business:

This adjustment will not cause any dramatic changes in your News Feed. But websites that load more slowly can see a drop in referral traffic. Therefore, it is important to improve your website loading speed as well as its mobile version. This is not important only for link rankings on Facebook but also in Google. Most of all it is fundamental for your customers’ satisfaction with your user-friendly design.

You wouldn’t like to miss sales in your online store because your website is loading slowly, right?

If you need more detailed information about how to launch your next Facebook marketing campaign, check out our 8 essential elements of a Facebook campaign.