Ad spend to shift from Facebook to Instagram

Brands head to Instagram to spend their ad budget in 2019, with more advertisers preferring it over Facebook.

Instagram is becoming an increasingly attractive place for brands to splosh some dosh and the numbers suggest this trend will continue into 2019. With advertisers increasingly turning their backs on Facebook’s News Feed and making better friends with Instagram’s Stories.

According to Socialbakers, ad spend on Instagram increased in 2018 while decreasing on Facebook, driven by hard-to-rival engagement levels on the photo-sharing platform.

While Instagram has a smaller audience size compared to its parent company, its users are far more engaged. Suggesting that Instagram is the go-to for capturing quality engagement within smaller communities.

Last year, Instagram posts continued to reach and garner more impressions per fan than its Stories feature (around 15% and 25% more, respectively).

However, the volume of brands posting on Stories has quadrupled over the last year, with brands investing 212% more in Stories compared with the previous year.

A quarter (25%) of brands’ Instagram ad spend now goes on Stories. This will continue to grow through 2019. As just a few examples, easyJet recently made it possible for users to find and book holidays simply by clicking on a photo, while Spotify, SoundCloud and Shazam are offering their services via Stories. Expect to see more of this integration in the coming months, especially as Instagram promises to enhance its ecommerce features.

Alice Cuffe, editor at We Are Social, says while no one can argue that the specialised and detailed targeting of Facebook is appealing to advertisers, when it comes to creative innovation, Instagram Stories has the edge.

“Instagram has evolved Stories to allow brands to connect with audiences in a space where they feel comfortable enough to express their truest, least curated selves,” she explains.

“While Facebook is simple and reliable, Stories is currently owning the reactive space.  Functionalities such as polls, questions, emoji sliders and swipe-up links all provide an easy and immediate way to connect with your audience and allow them to react to your brand in the moment. The temporary nature of Stories also means brands have more freedom to experiment, without necessarily requiring heavy design work or rounds of internal concepting.”

Interested in how we can help with your marketing?

Talk to our team on 02921 320 200 or [email protected]

If you want to find our more about social media advertising, click here.

Source: https://www.marketingweek.com/2019/01/04/five-trends-media-2019/?cmpid=em~newsletter~breaking_news~n~n&utm_medium=em&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=breaking_news&eid=7065287&sid=MW0001&adg=5C1E1BD4-B878-43B7-9CA5-52C2F49301DB&nocache=true&adfesuccess=1

Improve the way you use LinkedIn for business

The latest blog from Cardiff marketing agency, The Media Angels. In the first post of our new blog series, how can you improve the way you use LinkedIn for business?

1. Post blog articles, written by you or relevant to your industry

This is a great way to involve your other social media channels. You could link to your recent blog articles, try captioning with an open question and tag relevant pages. If you don’t have a blog, you can link to other news articles relevant to your business. LinkedIn isn’t as advanced as other social media in that you can’t ‘like’ or ‘share’ another page’s posts. But by creating your own content, it helps keep your followers involved.

2. Keep your information up to date; website address, phone number, email etc

As LinkedIn is quite a limited platform for a business. It’s important to make sure that the information which is on there, is correct! If you change address, phone number or contact email make sure to keep it updated on your LinkedIn page too. We use our “About Us” section to tell people who we are and what we do. It’s a chance to get your brand’s personality across. You could also use this section to detail services your business provides.

3. Create a cover photo to add colour and more information

Like other social media sites, on LinkedIn you can create a cover photo for your page. It’s quite narrow, so make sure all your information is shown! This is a good way to add some personality to your business page.

4. Analytics, analytics, analytics!

Most platforms these days have some form of analytics and LinkedIn is no different. Through the “Analytics” panel on your business page. Here you can see how many visitors your page has had, what their jobs are etc. You can also see what updates get the best CTRs and engagement and where your followers are located. This is helpful to see what types of posts get your page the best response.

5. Use paid advertising to target potential customers

LinkedIn’s paid advertising has the ability to be really targeted. You can target people by job title, location, age, business, sector etc. The ad builder shows you how many impressions you are likely to get, and then you can set a daily budget and a maximum budget. You can also choose from a few different advert types, each one helps target a different response.

InLinks go live in Cardiff

InLinks launch in Cardiff: the second Welsh city to benefit from free ultrafast Wi-Fi and phone calls.

Cardiff joins Swansea as the second Welsh city to benefit from free InLinks, which already have more than 215,000 subscribers across the UK. 

The first three dual-language InLinks have been activated in the city, providing ultrafast Wi-Fi speeds of up to one gigabit per second (1Gbps), the fastest free public Wi-Fi service available in the UK. 

The first of the fully-accessible InLinks have recently gone live on Queen Street, St Mary Street and Bridge Street, with further activations expected in the coming weeks. With the roll-out of the first three InLinks in Cardiff brands have access to a busy high street audience. 

Not only do 77% of consumers agree InLinks have a positive impact on their communities, our research has shown that 75% of them feel more positively about brands that sponsor services such as Wi-Fi, charging locations and travel information.

The UK rollout has so far seen more than 522 screens installed in Swansea, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Gateshead, Glasgow, Southampton, Newcastle and Sheffield, as well as nine London boroughs; with hundreds more to be installed in key towns and cities across the UK. 

Since the first InLink was launched in June last year, more than 215,000 people have subscribed to the service’s free Wi-Fi, using enough data to download the equivalent of more than 24.7 million songs. The InLinks have saved people more than £980,000 in free calls, with 50,000 calls being made on average every week across the UK. 

The InLinks also provide free phone calls to UK landlines and mobiles, rapid mobile device charging, the BT Phone Book app, as well as easy access to charity helplines. 

InLinkUK and its partner BT have worked closely with stakeholders in Wales to ensure that the new InLinks will support both Welsh and English languages, with both the screens and the tablet showcasing dual language information at launch. 

Cardiff’s local community are also benefiting from the InLink’s digital screens that display real-time information, including local events and interesting facts, as well as community messaging.

Adrian Field, Executive Director, for Cardiff BID added, “We are delighted that Cardiff will benefit from the installation of InLinks to help improve the aesthetics of an area, safety, and promoting key messages. It allows those in the city centre to have the means to make their visit an even better experience. We expect them to be widely embraced by visitors, residents and employees.” 

Source: Primesight

Angel to Apprentice

The end of August saw our Agency Support Executive, Daniel take to the streets of Cardiff to offer school leavers advice and support ahead of their GCSE results.

Showcasing what apprenticeships have to offer and talking about their first-hand experience of undertaking an apprenticeship.

Daniel joined the team back in May and since been going from strength to strength. Working closely with our client ACT Training Ltd we saw the great opportunities and benefits of an apprenticeship.

Daniel who has a thirst for learning jumped at the idea of doing an apprenticeship. As a team, we discussed what would be best for Daniel and the team. This September Daniel will be undertaking a Level 3 apprenticeship in Social and Digital Marketing.

Daniel said, “I’ve always been interested in the world of media and advertising so I’m really grateful for the opportunity to undertake an apprenticeship in social and digital marketing as it’s provided me with the opportunity to turn a long-standing hobby into a career.”

He added, “I’m looking forward to learning more about the practical applications of social media for a professional purpose and seeing how I can transform the social media channels of The Media Angel.”

As a team, we are very excited to see what Daniel will be learning and how we will put that into practice.

 

Watch the full interview with Made in Cardiff Tv – http://bit.ly/2caUWsv

Beyonce Takes Cardiff By Storm

 City Centre shoppers and concert goers alike were stunned to come across international pop sensation Beyonce walking around alongside them.

The ‘Crazy In Love’ singer was seen popping into Cardiff’s Park Plaza Hotel on Wednesday night and spotted having a drink with rugby pundit Jonathan Davies.  She was also caught last minute shopping in St David’s 2 shopping centre prior to her Formation tour performance at The Principality Stadium on Thursday 30th June.

OK!, we confess, it wasn’t the real Beyonce. It was an awareness campaign for our client ACT Training Limited. We hired a high-profile look-a-like Beyonce to tie in with Queen B’s concert, with the objective to raise awareness amongst young people about the apprenticeship schemes ACT has to offer.

Watch the promotional video below.

Gemma Shaw, our hired Queen B spent two days in Cardiff, travelling around in an ACT branded taxi and interacting with fans in the City Centre, followed by “Paparazzi” and accompanied by her entourage, drawing large crowds and taking selfies with fans.

Hired entourage and promo staff were briefed to engage with the general public, ideally targeting 16 – 24 year olds. As they eagerly waited to have a snap with the look alike pop queen, they were informed of ACT’s key messages.

Traineeships, Apprenticeship and Higher Apprenticeships – all offer an opportunity to earn and learn, working towards nationally recognised qualifications, whilst earning a wage, gaining skills and building a rewarding career. ACT works with over 700 employers across Wales who are waiting for young, ambitious candidates.

The first orchestrated sighting of “Beyonce” was on Wednesday evening at the Park Plaza Hotel the night before the concert, accompanied by ACT brand ambassador Jonathan Davies. We thought this scene of an unlikely couple would be perfect to create talkability across social media and ignite the buzz of Queen B’s arrival to the Welsh Capital.

• Reaching 2,000 views on a video in 24 hours was perfect thanks to a post from I loves the diff.
• #BEYanapprentice was trending on Twitter across Cardiff due to a high volume of tweets, retweets, and social interaction.

Thursday 30th the day of the concert, we arranged for the lookalike to visit ACT apprentices in their workplaces, The Early Bird Cafe, and The Vanilla Rooms in Cardiff where the look alike Beyonce used their services to promote the schemes. The entire process was documented and leaked across social media channels to achieve interaction across our client’s social media channels.

The stunt was reported on WalesOnline – monthly audience of 2 million unique visitors. The stunt reached the site’s most read section of the website and achieved almost 1000 shares.

 

Jayne McGill Harris, ACT Training’s marketing and PR manager said:  “The Beyoncé lookalike, was spotted all over Cardiff and we’ve had a great reaction on social media. We are hoping that the extra attention our channels are receiving will help to raise awareness of the options available for young people to live, learn and earn with apprenticeships.”

Our Managing Director of The Media Angel, Alison Debono, added: “This was a great way to engage with youngsters on an interactive and unique level, ensuring that ACT’s campaign message Live Learn and Earn was seen by as many potential apprentices as possible.”

In 48 hours the campaign  –

• achieved a massive 496.2% increase in Facebook engagement
• reached 142,139 Twitter accounts
• gained 170 ,936 Twitter impressions
• had a 125.0% Increase in received Twitter messages
• saw 2,093 Twitter link clicks

If you want help to STAND OUT with your Marketing then contact The Media Angel  on 02921 320200 or [email protected] for award–winning advice on your next advertising campaign.

 

South Wales Fire & Rescue Service appoint The Media Angel for Summer Campaign

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) and the RNLI have chosen our team at The Media Angel to help them launch their ‘Get a taxi, not our boat’ campaign starting this week!

The aim of this campaign is to raise awareness about the high number of accidental drowning incidents that occur throughout South Wales; particularly after victims have consumed heavy amounts of alcohol. The campaign will aim to encourage people to make their way home more safely after a night out and avoid risky areas where both fatal and non-fatal drowning incidents can occur.

The South Wales Fire and Rescue Service and the RNLI had been searching for an agency to help bring the important message about drowning prevention and water safety to the people of South Wales in a fun and engaging way while also proving to be best value after biding through the Fire and Rescue Service Procurement process.

Managing Director of The Media Angel, Alison Debono has expressed her delight at the news;

“We were thrilled to hear the news that the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service and the RNLI had decided upon us as their chosen marketing agency! I am immensely proud of my team for winning this fantastic and hugely important pitch for the Fire and Rescue Service in conjunction with the RNLI.”

 

“We couldn’t be happier about helping these two amazing services drive home their vital message about avoiding risky behaviour around water and respecting the dangers. We are excited about getting this campaign underway, and are really delighted to be working with such a fantastic team of people”.

The Media and Communications team at SWFRS and the RNLI also expressed their enthusiasm about working with us, stating “We are excited about the prospect of working with the team at The Media Angel on our upcoming water awareness campaign.  The team gave an excellent pitch proposal that was great value too.  When we met them they were great; really enthusiastic and flexible to work with. We feel that this partnership will result in a superb campaign. Exciting times lie ahead!”

This fully integrated campaign begins Monday 13^th July incorporating a mix of transport, outdoor, radio and online advertising to help get the message in front of youngsters during the summer. As part of the campaign the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service will also be offering individuals the chance to win a Kindle Fire HDX!

From the 13^th July residents of Cardiff and the surrounding areas will be able to spot South Wales Fire and Rescue branded taxis across the city; make sure you take a picture of the taxi and tweet #getataxi to enter the competition!

The Media Angel first to advertise on Cardiff’s new iconic digital SmartScreen billboard

It has been an exciting time for advertisers in Cardiff this month, as we welcome a brand new state of the art SmartScreen digital billboard to one of the city’s busiest junctions; the corner of Newport Road, Dumfries Place and Queen Street.

In what has been described as a “Piccadilly Circus moment for Cardiff” the new HD LED curved SmartScreen sits on Wales’s sixth busiest pedestrian shopping districts, reaching key audiences of around one million every week! The screen is dynamic, spectacular and unmissable; a fantastic out of home opportunity for brands in South Wales looking to deliver impacts in a prime location.

Perhaps even more exciting is the news that The Media Angel is one of the very first clients to advertise on this brand new platform in the capital city. As this exciting digital screen debuts this May, we are very proud to announce that our advert will be reaching large numbers of the Cardiff population on such a unique and high impact format.

As media planning and buying specialists, we pride ourselves on our knowledge of the latest and most innovative advertising opportunities available for our clients in order to help them stand out and get noticed; this new SmartScreen digital billboard has certainly received our seal of approval!

Would you like to reach an affluent audience of over one million each and every week? Do you want to take advantage of this brand new state of the art technology and deliver your message to around 1 million people every week on a high definition and highly influential platform?

Contact The Media Angel for more information on Cardiff’s answer to Piccadilly Lights. Email [email protected] or give us a call on 02921 320 200.

Media Angel client first on new bus advertising formats!

We are thrilled to have helped our clients advertise on new platforms that are completely new to Cardiff – T-Sides and the Bendy Buses…

As an innovative advertising agency we are always looking for new, exciting marketing platforms for our clients, in order for them to stand out, create an impact and ultimately increase the effectiveness of their campaign. The new platforms have already caused a buzz on social media.