And we’re here to answer your questions about it! Think of us as your Social Media Dolly Doctor, your go-to gals, your secret weapon.
With our phones in one hand and a coffee in the other, the Social Cut team is here to help small businesses and the digitally curious tackle social media challenges. We’re a boutique creative agency, based in Brisbane, with a social media first approach to digital marketing.
We believe digital marketing is about having a conversation, so if you have any questions about growing your business in the digital world (from copywriting, to content creation, to campaign activation and anything in between) ask us!
Facebook has been putting a huge emphasis on video content. From the metrics offered in ads manager and the reported insights in Creator Studio, to the layout of the Facebook feed and the Watch section, it is clear that video is this is a form of content which marketers have to understand and leverage. Who better to talk to about the power of video on social media than local Brissie viral video star, Dan Lee.
Daniel Lee is the Principal Agent at Plum Property, and does all his own stunts. The videos Plum Property creates for their clients go above and beyond the industry standard, leveraging social media in a unique and engaging way that has led to selling multi-million-dollar homes.
We’re so excited to share this bumper episode with you which digs into what makes these videos so successful!
EPISODE NOTES:
TIPS
- Placement is key: Facebook and Instagram in particular are news and entertainment platforms, not advertising platforms. Plum Property videos fulfill their purpose of displaying a property and promoting it in a way which gives people what they want when they go to these platforms.
- Video View Time is one of your best indicators of the quality/suitability of the content. There is no definite industry average, but Facebook reported waaay back in 2016 that just under half of people who watch the first 3 seconds of a video (which is the minimum time for a ‘view’ to be counted) watch up to 30 seconds. That number is still a solid indication that people are intentionally consuming your video content. But now Facebook only has metrics for up to 10 seconds, and has percentages for measuring the watch time beyond that. Which is a pretty good indication that if your videos are being viewed for 10 seconds on average, you’re doing a good job.
There is some more info on metrics for measuring the success of videos here according to Facebook and how they are measured.
- Pick the right medium for your purpose: video can show things that photography can’t, so what do you want to focus on?
- “Entertaining” doesn’t mean distracting or concealing. Entertaining can mean getting your audience onside and making them feel something, as well as presenting facts. Dan’s tongue-in-cheek honesty wins people over, creating trust which converts.
- Touchpoints:A correction thatit takes 33 touchpoints to convert a cold lead to make a purchase.
- KPIs: Landing Page Views is what Dan looks out for when monitoring the success of an ad, 2-3 thousand landing page views being a sign it’s a good ad.
- Repurpose content: Repurpose your video content by cutting it into smaller clips for Stories or your feed so you can get as much out of is as possible.
We believe digital marketing is about having a conversation, so if you have any questions about growing your business in the digital world (from copywriting and content creation to campaign...
Everyone knows that establishing an online presence is important, and having a website is one of the best known ways to create and control your brand. But there’s more to it than meets the eye- especially when it comes to getting onto the front page of Google.This week we had the great pleasure of talking to Janet Camilleri, who breaks down SEO in a super simple way. Janet is a multi-award winning SEO expert specialising in allied health website optimisation, a copywriter, and the only person we trust with the keys to the Social Cut website. This episode is a valuable overview of what SEO is and how you can use it (no matter how big, small, or busy you are).
This week’s question is from Brodie, who asks:
How can I make my website work for me?
EPISODE NOTES:
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation, and is an umbrella term for what goes into making your website rank well on search engines like Google. This is important because if people can’t find your website quickly and easily when they search for you, they’re going to find someone else.
TIPS
- Three pillars are: technical, optimising what’s on your website, off-site optimisation
- Build you back links! Back links form part of off-site optimisation and involves getting other websites and webpages link to yours.
- Technical: make sure your webpage loads quickly, especially in the country that your target audience is.
- What’s on your website: make sure you choose certain key words (which are actually phrases) to make sure Google ranks you as highly as possible. You find these by investigating what your customers are looking for when you’d like them to find you.
- Name your photos using your key phrases before you upload them.
- You don’t have to spend a lot of money optimising, as long a you’re prepared to spend a bit of time and be diligent with your research and implementation.
Check Janet out on ,, or for useful tips and insights. You can also request to join her if you are a small business who wants a bit of help to make your website work for you. If you’re more into emails, Janet has a great mailing list, and if you sign up through her you’ll get a free SEO tips and tricks downloadable!
The Fine Art of Twitter Wars
Season 1 · Episode 8
Monday, June 8, 2020 • Duration 36:55
This week’s episode is a bonus, and a little different: We’re going to be stepping out the timeline of current events are disrupting, shaping and threatening the social media landscape.
As we mention in the beginning, we are not experts in the political aspects of these issues. We don’t want to detract from the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement, or in any way diminish it and the implications it has.
We are engaging with the topic within the context of our professional expertise, and examining the repercussions within the confines of the social media and digital marketing industry.
EPISODE NOTES:
Key Points:
Section 230 is important because it means that websites and platforms like Facebook cannot be held accountable for the comments that people post on artcles hosted on that platform.
Trump wants this protection taken away, he doesn’t want websites to be able to restrict or delete any information shared on them, and he wants to free up government ad spednign around freedom of speech, and state and federal to have oversight onto the reviewing of what data is shared, restrictred, deleted etc.
All of this comes as Facebook and Instagram in particular have been cracking down on what content can be shared and putting more in place to keep the user experience safer and happier. Plus FB has been doing heaps to restrict political spending on it’s platform in light of the Cambridge analytica scandal that was tangled up in the 2016 us election.
RESOURCES:
Australian Laws around comments and Liability:
Here is a recent article about that case that went before the Supreme court of NSW about media companies and their liability to third party comments, and here is an article from last year with a bit more detail about it.
Year of Podcasts
Season 1 · Episode 7
Monday, June 1, 2020 • Duration 35:14
This week we had the great pleasure of interviewing podcast expert, producer, and adviser Zane C Weber! Zane talks us through the basics of starting a podcast, the lay of the land, and give some insights on what value it could offer your business.
This week’s question is from Ash, who asks:
Is having a podcast an effective and cheap way to promote my business?
EPISODE NOTES:
Podcasting, like social media, is a way to personalise your connection with your audience, and strengthen your brand voice. It can create rich content which can be used across multiple channels. It’s often a more intimate experience for your community because they hear your voice… literally. A great case study Zane mentions is earth.offline.
TIPS
- The types of business podcast are: advice, interview, profile/thought leader.
- It can be a networking tool, to showcase case studies of your success stories.
- Making money directly off podcasting: is hard, this is a long game. You can sell ad space, create promotions from other businesses, and collaborate.
- Making indirectly off podcasting: easier. It’s great for client retention, strengthening your relationship with your current audience, networking, branding, content creation, and establishing yourself within your industry.
- Podcasting is relatively cheap in terms of equipment and running costs, but is very time consuming and labour intensive.
- Podcasting can be compared to influencer marketing int hat it’s the engagement rate that counts, not the follower numbers.
- Podcasting is great for content creation, and create ever-green content.
- Zane mentions “hosting” a podcast- this refers to hosting the data and audio on a website and linking is to podcast hosts. Sounds scary, it isn’t that bad.
How to Win Press and Influence People
Season 1 · Episode 6
Sunday, May 17, 2020 • Duration 25:31
This week we talk about how you can get free (good) press! That’s right, there is a way you can collaborate with big names in media, no matter who you are. We also get to share that our passion project, Shop Brisbane, is up and running! Check out the website if you want the inside scoop on Brisbane’s Makers, Shakers, and Risk-Takers. You can also find it on Instagram and Facebook.
This week’s question is from Jaimie, who asks:
I’ve just launched a new product, and I want to get more exposure. What can I do?
EPISODE NOTES:
Media outlets and journalists want your stories, and you want the attention they attract. Here’s how you can pitch and begin to build a relationship with media outlets.
TIPS
- Your media pitch = a short punchy message to entice journalists to work with you and share your story.
- This is not an ad.
- Identify your target audience, and where they consume their media.
- Create a list of media outlets which both attract your target audience, and fit your tone and the product or service you are trying to get exposure for.
- Put the bulk of information at the top of your pitch.
- Have a hook and a catchy subject line (if it’s an email).
- Think of what barriers a journalist may have to sharing this, and remove them.
We believe digital marketing is about having a conversation, so if you have any questions about growing your business in the digital world (from copywriting and content creation to campaign activation, and anything in between)
Thinking Fast and Social: An Interview with Psychologist Peter Doyle
Season 1 · Episode 5
Monday, May 4, 2020 • Duration 29:57
Social Cut has always been about collaboration and supporting our community in any way we can. This week we got a question about mental health, and as none of us are mental health experts, we brought one in! This is a special extended episode with Peter Doyle, a counselling and coaching psychologist. He is the founder of Guidelight psychology, and shares some great tips on how we can take of ourselves as individuals and within the workplace.
This is our first Zoom podcast recording, the sound isn’t as crisp as usual and we’ll be continuing to improve the quality as we navigate a different way of doing things in between our usual (responsibly distanced) recordings.
This week’s question is:
This whole pandemic thing is really affecting my productivity. I find myself endlessly scrolling on my phone, and everyone on socials is somehow living their best life? Even the friends I have who have unfortunately lost their jobs seem to be feeling okay, and not like everything is a huge effort. How can I take better care of myself, but also use this to build my brand on social media seeing as I sort of have the time?
EPISODE NOTES:
Here are Peter’s top 6 tips to calm the mind, calm the body, and shrink the worries.
TIPS
- Question it. Is it true? Is this glossy insta post reality or is it pretend? Is this negative thought factual or fearful?
- Journaling and putting down the dot points of what is bothering you.
- Exercise and moving your body to release physical and neurochemical tension.
- Laughing, relieving the stress on a chemical level by engaging with something that make you laugh.
- Distancing yourself (from the stressful thoughts, sometimes by projecting into the future in a )
- Stop Sign technique: hold the negative thought, take a deep breath in, and tell yourself to stop, to let this thought go because it does not serve you. Some people like to visualise a red stop sign as they do this, or a glass shattering etc.
The Success Platforms
Season 1 · Episode 4
Sunday, April 19, 2020 • Duration 25:26
Social media is an excellent way to market your business on a budget, and deciding where and how to invest your time will be a big part of determining your success. This week, the Social Cut team talk about the pros and cons of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest.
This week’s question is:
I’m just starting out as a business but I have no idea what channels I should be on. How should I choose? What’s best for what?
P.S. This episode was recorded in early March before the restrictions on gatherings came into play, and since then the whole Social Cut team have been working from home and observing physical distancing. We’ve also been creating content to get you through, so follow us on Instagram to see what we’re up to!
EPISODE NOTES:
If you haven’t seen Gourmet Makes, here is the full video series (it is HIGHLY addictive).
Here is that list of Australian user stats for each platform that we mention, this is the report for January and here are the stats for March. The number of users on each platform and their demographics haven’t shifted significantly, if at all. This means people aren’t changing what platform they engage on right now, but spending much more time than usual on there. Scroll down to the trends section for more info.
Tiktok is the latest young fun platform, and content travels more widely and “democratically” than Instagram or Facebook. However, there are some downsides (of course). We briefly mention the privacy issues that are associated with using Tiktok, which you can read more about here. If you’re interested in big data and how it’s used, Four Corners has done a great which is available to stream right now on iview. And here is a resource if you want to know more about .
12 Rules for Instagram Growth
Season 1 · Episode 3
Sunday, April 5, 2020 • Duration 19:38
This week the SC team give you the run down on how to organically grow your Instagram account. From copy writing to content tips and outreach strategies, this a great introduction for beginners, with plenty of tips for the more seasoned iger.
This week’s question is:
I can’t afford to run any ads so I need to really leverage my organic content as much as possible. Do you have any tips around growth hacking and copywriting which really converts?
P.S. This episode was recorded in early March before the restrictions on gatherings came into play, and since then the whole Social Cut team have been working from home and observing social distancing. We’ve been creating content to get you through, so follow us on Instagram to see what we’re up to!
What is growth hacking and is it legit? As an area within marketing, “growth hacking” is very closely connected to the user experience, so it’s an expansion on those funnels we talked about a little while ago. While there’s not a lot you can do to “hack” growth, it is certainly important to have a growth strategy. And there are people who have entire jobs dedicated to this area; it’s done through A/B testing, data analysis, and working with product teams. Read more here.
TIPS
- Spend time in your account. There is no getting around this part, you just have to do the thing.
- Engagement KPI: other accounts, hashtags, like comment organic story reacts discussion
- Try and gamify it if you can
What Would Don Draper Do? FB Edition
Season 1 · Episode 2
Monday, March 23, 2020 • Duration 24:22
We’re here to help you get the most out of a small budget, so you don’t get Zucked by the algorithm.
This week’s question is:
I really need to run some facebook ads for my business (I sell beauty products and have makeup artist services too) but I don’t know where to start.
Turns out the clear water and dolphins in Venice are fake news
If you want us to do a webinar on Facebook Ads for small biz, tell us on Instagram! If you’d like us to run a one on one zoom session with you and take you through step by step, get in touch through our website.
TIPS
- Boosted posts are different to ads
- Brand Awareness campaigns (the ad type you can select when setting up your ad) aren’t worth the money. If you want to generate brand awareness, set up a Traffic campaign instead.
- Always set up your paid ads/boosted posts through the back end of Facebook in Ads Manager, not through the Publishing Tools section.
- Utilise those email addresses to create an Audience
- You can create audiences by connecting your Instagram account, or retargeting people who visit your website.
- INSTAL A PIXEL ON YOUR WEBSITE. Learn how for free from Facebook here
- Ad spend is going up right now because of Coronavirus and how it is affecting user behaviour.
Instagram in The Time of Covid19
Season 1 · Episode 1
Monday, March 23, 2020 • Duration 22:35
What a year this week has been. We were meant to be bringing you some workshops, but then Covid19 arrived and canceled everything. So instead, we’re taking to the airwaves to answer your social media questions.
This week’s question is:
I’m a small business owner and I’ve been hit pretty hard by the fires and now Covid19 (I’m a baker) how can I keep up my social media presence and use my Instagram to reach my audience and get my community behind me? And what is the deal with hashtags?!?!
We believe digital marketing is about having a conversation, so if you have any questions about growing your business in the digital world (from copywriting and content creation to campaign activation, and anything in between) ask us here!
- Podcasts don’t offer great data capture or analytics at the moment.
- There is reason to believe that podcasts may start going the way of TV: there will be free to air, and there will be Foxtel and Netflix equivalents.
We believe digital marketing is about having a conversation, so if you have any questions about growing your business in the digital world (from copywriting and content creation to campaign activation, and anything in between) ask us here!
- Positive brand messaging, particularly right now, is about seeking to be of service without looking to push people through a sales funnel. Operate from a place of loving kindness, and find ways you can contribute right now. It sounds counterintuitive, but establishing an authentic connection by offering help without any kind of hook or
If something we talked about today interested you, check out the Guidelight website for free resources on workplace psychology. They’re useful both for individuals, as well as teams.
We believe digital marketing is about having a conversation, so if you have any questions about growing your business in the digital world (from copywriting and content creation to campaign activation, and anything in between) ask us here!
Snapchat and Snapchat TV, like all social media platforms, has seen record breaking numbers during March as the world immerses itself in the internet. Here is a quick look at the trends within the app’s usage. If this is the platform for you, it might be time to make and buy time for a custom filter.
TIPS
- Your business accounts social media accounts are different to your personal accounts
- Still be authentic and bring your personality to your social media accounts though
- You kinda have to have a Facebook page for your business, but you don’t have to invest a whole lot in it if it’s not going to help you.
- Ditto Linked In for your personal profile.
- You do not have to be on every platform on the internet, but you do have to invest time and effort into the ones you put your name on. Choose well, and don’t over stretch yourself
We believe digital marketing is about having a conversation, so if you have any questions about growing your business in the digital world (from copywriting, to content creation, to campaign activation and anything in between) ask us here!
- Identify a pain point your customers have, and offer value through your social media accounts
- Move your key info to the front of the copy.
- Use your hashtags wisely
- Don’t post just for the sake of posting
- Light and bright content for organic content, and show the people behind the brand
- Your outreach strategy should include online and in person networking with people and accounts who share a common customer base.
We believe digital marketing is about having a conversation, so if you have any questions about growing your business in the digital world (from copywriting, to content creation, to campaign activation and anything in between) ask us here!
We believe digital marketing is about having a conversation, so if you have any questions about growing your business in the digital world (from copywriting, to content creation, to campaign activation and anything in between) ask us here!
- Choose hashtags based on interests ( #bakewithme ), locations ( #brisbane ), and location interest ( #brisbaneeats )
- Reach out to other small businesses in your industry to see if there’s a way you can collaborate
- Organise an Instagram Live with your audience to share something with them
We believe digital marketing is about having a conversation, so if you have any questions about growing your business in the digital world (from copywriting, to content creation, to campaign activation and anything in between) ask us here!
*If you don’t feel Brooklyn Sourdough has improved your life, there’s nothing we can do for you.
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