Charting a New Course for GA4

While most of us use Google services on a daily basis, the average person doesn’t typically keep up with the company’s latest behind-the-scenes advancements. But fear not, for MJM has been a faithful follower of Google news on your behalf.

Here’s what your business needs to know: On July 1, 2023, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) will replace Universal Analytics (UA).

We suggest you don’t wait until July to start transitioning. You may access your UA reports for a short time after July 1, but all new data will track under GA4. An early switch to GA4 means the properties will have more historical data and insights.

What Exactly are Analytics?

The mention of data measuring services can make your head spin, so let’s rewind a bit. Even if you’ve never heard of Google Analytics, you’ve probably interacted with it. More than 28 million websites use Google Analytics to track user behavior. They then use that data to help improve their user experience.

For example, if you see that a page buried deep in your menu is getting a lot of traffic, you may want to make it easier to find. Or you may discover that the majority of your users are visiting on mobile and, if your website uses a lot of video and animations, you may want to adjust the design to keep load times speedy.

And no, using data analytics won’t give robots free reign of your personal information. Analytics data is anonymized, so you can’t see who is using your site; however, it can provide useful information, like location, gender, age, and device type.

When you create your Google Analytics account, you add a piece of JavaScript measurement code to your website’s pages. This tracking code then records how users interact with each page and sends the data to Google Analytics, who processes and organizes the information into  reports. You can place filters on these reports for more selective results, such as omitting employee traffic on the site.

GA4 Benefits

MJM has basically been a 24/7 celebration since the GA4 release… well a very tame party with lots of productivity and GA4 admiring. We think you should be excited too. Here’s why:

  • GA4 gathers data from both websites and apps, which provides you with a more complete understanding of your customers. You even have access to fine-tuned controls of how GA4 gathers information.
  • While UA uses independent sessions (the amount of time a user spends on your site), GA4 uses event-based data, which tracks interactions between users and your site; as a result, you can set your own goals based on the purpose of a particular page. Example events or goals include filling out a form or following a link to another page.
  • GA4 provides users with better privacy. It does not record or store IP addresses and even offers cookieless measurement. This feature proves to be pretty important as more and more governments tighten their data privacy laws, such as the recent California Privacy Rights Act and General Data Protection Regulation in the European Union.
  • Because GA4 allows you to set your own goals and track across different mediums, it is easier to obtain the ROI data you need to see how well a particular campaign is performing.

How to Get Started

While analytics may not pique your interest, they are essential to understanding your customers and improving your site’s accessibility. If you’re looking to make the switch to GA4, head on over to your Google Analytics account for your next steps or give us a call. We’d love to help you enter the next generation of data analytics!

Why Your Website Needs a Sitemap

Imagine if the construction crew who built your house skipped the blueprint. You’d end up living in a place with doors that lead nowhere and staircases that sharply drop off — if you even have them at all.

Blueprints ensure that your home is inviting, logical, and helpful to your everyday life. A similar thing happens with your website. Like your home, it should also have a blueprint, or sitemap as it’s known in the digital world.

What is a sitemap?

A sitemap is like a beautifully organized file cabinet (no messy manila file folders here). It organizes your website’s content in a hierarchical structure so that search engines can better locate, crawl, and index the content — all of which tells the search engine which pages are most important.

Flow chart diagrams or neat lists are the most common sitemap styles. Most sitemap diagrams display each page as a rectangle with lines which indicate the hierarchical relationship between pages. More advanced sitemaps may also show which pages link to one another. These visual connections represent the path that a user is likely to take when navigating your site.

Why do I need a sitemap?

Better organization and usability often equates with the one thing many site owners want most: better search engine optimization (SEO). Like humans, robots work better when organized. Having a well-structured sitemap will let search engines like Google crawl your website more efficiently and serve up more relevant results.

Users shouldn’t have to hunt for information on your site. Instead, your website should be navigable and help them follow a logical trail of information. For example, the homepage may lead them to your services page, which takes them to a specific service, which then leads them to an order or scheduling page; however, you may still want to place an “order now” or “contact us” button on each page to better accommodate users’ unique paths.

Moving pages around on a sitemap is much easier than doing it once the site is in development. Believe me, your developers will thank you. And once the site is live, if any new pages do need to be added, you will be able to see how they fit into the overall structure so you can find the optimal place to put them.

Sitemaps also foster better internal efficiency. Your team doesn’t need to be well-versed in computer code to read and understand your sitemap; however, you all should be familiar with your business’s content and how your consumers use it. When you know the ins and outs of your content, you can organize your sitemap in a way that optimizes the user experience and search engines’ indexing. If you’re not quite sure how your clients use your content, creating a sitemap will help you learn.

What’s next?

To get started on constructing your own sitemap:

  • Take inventory of all of the pages on your website and begin to group them in categories. Take note of overarching themes and organize content underneath each.
  • Send out a user survey to see how people are actually using your site.
  • Create a list of commonly-performed actions on your site and document the user path to completing those actions. Can you simplify the path?
  • Check your website analytics to see what pages are getting the most views and which ones are getting the least. Most-viewed pages should get more prominence and little-viewed ones can be demoted or even removed.
  • If you can access search history on your website, check to see what terms people are entering most frequently. Can you make those items easier to access?

With the new year upon us (and the organization refresh mindset at its peak), now is a great time to get your sitemap in tip-top shape. If you need an extra boost in creating or touching up your sitemap, give MJM a call — we would be delighted to help.

Snack-sized 2022 Trends in Marketing and Communications

Just like your favorite snack tray, your communication and marketing efforts are all about balancing sweet and salty, crunchy and soft, healthful and indulgent. Consider this your charcuterie board of salient trends for 2022. 

Social Media

If 2021 was the year of experimenting with video, 2022 will be all about getting the right mix of content. Top social channels continue to adjust their features, so content creators need to be nimble to avoid being left out. (Support for longer video on Instagram is coming and we are here for it.) If you’ve avoided video so far, consider this your nudge to give it a try. Just like other content, it should be concise, engaging, and match your brand’s personality. We have tips on how to shoot good video from your smartphone to get you started. 

Events

2020 was dominated by virtual gatherings. Nearly everyone participated in Zooms with friends, virtual worship services, or fundraisers. So it’s safe to assume most everyone is equipped to handle a Zoom webinar or virtual event. Even though evolving public policy gave us back some in-person events in 2021, we should expect a blend of both virtual and in-person events to pepper calendars this year. 

When hosting a virtual event, consider including a food delivery service gift card to double up on convenience AND incentivize participation. 

Email Communication

Sure, you can target audiences through digital and social media ads, but as we’ve learned, the rules and algorithms that determine success change often. Unlike other forms of digital communication, you own the data that’s driving email communication. Protect it, keep it up to date, and most of all, use it! Segmentation (and what some are calling microsegmentation) can help you reach your customers where they are in the decision-making process, delivering timely information, education, or opportunities to buy. Start collecting emails with a form on your website. 

Website Design

Our clients want to know how to rank on Google, and the answer right now is page speed. Removing unnecessary functionality, using appropriately-sized images and video, and cleaning up the back end of your site will help improve not only your page speed, but also your user’s experience. A good place to start? Review your site map for ways to reduce what’s slowing your website down. We’ll have more on that soon!

Bonus

QR codes are making a serious comeback. Phone cameras added QR code reader functionality just in time for them to become the go-to way to provide information in a no-contact format, like restaurant menus. Now the whole smartphone-carrying world knows how to use them. But like any piece of technology, they should be used when they’re helpful, and not because of their novelty. 

Two Things to Know Before Setting A Media Budget

Matt Jensen Marketing has clients across town, across the U.S., and even across the pond. Because we do, we’re often researching media costs for different markets. 

When marketers reference “media” they’re traditionally talking about a combination of tactics like billboards, radio spots, television commercials, and digital ads. There are increasingly more media options for advertising, but those are the main ones. 

While the costs from different markets vary widely, the same two questions kick off every media plan we pull together. The first question to ask is what does it cost to “play” in the market where your media will appear? 

This is a ballpark estimate that should be based on:

  • Reach – how many people will see or hear your message; 
  • Frequency – how often your message will be seen or heard; and
  • Placement – where it will appear (radio, television, billboards, or online). 

Knowing what it costs to get attention in your market is a big part of answering the second question: what is our company willing to spend on media advertising? When you’re new to media buying, the costs can seem unexpectedly high. Prices vary by tactic, time of day, demand, and frequency. In other words, the price of an ad at 7:30 a.m. can be higher than it is at 2:30 p.m. even though it runs on the same radio station. 

It’s also important to consider that the media ads you buy this month aren’t likely to yield noticeable results until 6-12 months later. You need to sustain your spend for several months so that it isn’t wasted. And, while it’s tempting to snag the most affordable placements and timing, you need to consider if those are actually reaching your target audience or not. 

Recent work with one of our clients demonstrates the importance of beginning with these two questions. As part of the company’s 2022 marketing mix, its leadership team was interested in billboard and radio ads. Our team pulled together a plan that included baseline pricing, scheduling, and placement in the specific suburbs they’d chosen. The company is in one of the most expensive markets in the U.S. – easily a $50,000 monthly spend to get any traction at all with their target audience. 

The client, however, only wanted to spend $15,000 per month, not nearly enough to get the exposure they want. It was an important discovery – one we’re glad to have made early – so that we could hone in on a more effective way to spend those dollars. In this case, it was choosing just one tactic and being very specific about where those ads were placed. The added benefit of this process is that, when they are ready to make a larger investment, they’ll be better informed thanks to MJM’s research. 

Looking to begin or refine your media buying? Get started by contacting the experts at Matt Jensen Marketing.

Marketing Budget 101: Begin With Goals

There are a few tasks that, no matter how many times you do them, they’re still daunting. Box jumps for one. Cooking chicken without drying it out for another. 

And pulling together an annual marketing budget. After nearly two decades in the marketing industry, I still have to mentally prepare for budgeting tasks. I’m relieved once it’s done, but hidden among dollar amounts for digital media, print materials, events, and every other thing required to keep your business active in the marketplace is a much bigger set of priorities and goals. What if you miss something? What if you don’t allocate enough? Or what if you don’t get the ROI you hoped for? 

Suddenly box jumps don’t look so hard.  

To jumpstart my budgeting — and now yours — I use this checklist. It’s possible you already do all of these things, but I hope that having them here together is just what you need to make budgeting easier. 

Before You Budget Checklist

  • Narrow your audience

    The best news in marketing is that everyone is not your customer. Your customers have specific needs, habits, and beliefs, and you should be using that information to target your messages. Getting specific ensures that your marketing dollars are aimed at the people most likely to respond and that your creative fits that audience. Creative that fits your audience will gain traction faster as it feels relatable and familiar to your people.

  • Set goals

    Establish goals and keep them at the forefront. Keep them simple, measurable, and as few in number as possible so that you can easily evaluate which tactics are meeting your goals and which are falling short. Be sure to scrutinize your goals annually to ensure they’re still the right ones.

  • Manage expectations

    Your budget is finite. Expecting too much of it only leads to failure. Being honest about what your budget can and cannot achieve is a great way to clarify your goals and gives you the best chance for success.

  • Budget sponsorships elsewhere

    Putting your business’ name on baseball jerseys is a nice nod to community spirit and is great awareness of your brand. However, sponsorships are better covered by your company’s charitable giving budget.

  • Build a cushion

    Don’t overlook the dollars it takes for production. That digital ad may cost $1,000 to run, but you’ll also need to pay for design, writing, and set-up. And, as wise as planning an annual budget is, unexpected opportunities may arise. Leave some cushion for the ones you can’t afford to miss.

  • Don’t skip ahead

    Marketing is a tiered approach. Tier One is brand awareness. In Tier Two you promote specific products and benefits, and in Tier Three comes price point messaging. Your marketing budget should always be a mix of the three; however, if you’re just starting out, allocate heaviest for brand awareness — no one’s coming in the door if they don’t know who you are. It’s tempting to cut brand awareness because it can be expensive and difficult to measure, but it’s important to spend the money to build and maintain that base before you focus on the other tiers.

At MJM, we work with a variety of budgets and needs so we agree with you — setting an annual budget isn’t easy! However, it is worth it, and you’ll be glad you put in the work. 

Your Five-Minute Communication Workshop 

During college, I always knew the school year was winding down thanks to the gaggle of seniors lined up outside my dorm room door. A dazzling resume was the first step to them landing choice jobs after graduation and rumor had it I could help.

One after another, they’d shuffle in and ask me to improve the drafts they’d printed on linen paper. All of them echoed the same refrain: “I’m horrible at this!”

Truth was, some of them truly were horrible at it, but it took years to dawn on me that communicating well is a vital life skill — one that I should have taught to my collegiate colleagues instead of letting them lounge in my bean bag chair while I worked.

Decades later, I still hear, “I’m horrible at this!” Twice just this morning, in fact. The reality is, being a poor communicator was less of a problem in 2001 than it is today. On top of resumes, we build social media profiles and compose posts, send dozens of emails, text at all hours, and coordinate our professional lives through Slack. Competent communication has morphed from nice-but-not-necessary into an expected part of daily life.

So, in the spirit of graduation season and better communication, here’s what I should have told those college seniors all those years ago:

Start with the Musts

Before you begin fleshing out full sentences or dream up a catchy line, type the details you can’t afford to leave out. A date, a time, the location, a project description, an attachment — this is the required information you’ll look silly for forgetting, so get it down first. Basic and simple will do here.

Get to the Point

Story arcs that build toward a climax and descend into a happy resolution work well in books and on the big screen; however, professionals can simply state their point and follow it with vital details as needed. Giving your readers what they’re skimming for as quickly as possible increases your communication’s effectiveness.

Don’t Over-Explain

Your client doesn’t need to know every type of card stock on the market or the minutiae of your rigorous seven-point testing process; they just need to know about the two most relevant to their project. Don’t make your reader wade through an abundance of details to find the most relevant information. You’ll do it for them when you only include what’s most pertinent.

Reread

We know it’s tempting to skip a reread; however, a second pass is always worth it. While scouring for obvious errors, also be attuned to missing words. In the digital age, we’re master skim readers to the point that our minds automatically fill in blanks.

Challenge Yourself

Hunt for phrases or sentences that clutter up your writing and cut them. “Here are the proofs you requested” is cleaner than “Per our discussion on Thursday afternoon, I’m sending along the proofs you asked me to update for you.” Cutting back can become a fun and addicting game. (Yes, really.) For an even better challenge, add contrast to your writing.

Tread Lightly on Humor

Levity is always welcome. However, without eye contact and body language to play off of, be cautious about using humor in written communications. That said, do let your personality shine through. Just make sure it’s appropriate to your audience.

Communicating well is worth the effort. You’ll rarely post or email a masterpiece, but you can always be clear, concise, and easily understood.

Need help with your communication? Contact the expert team at Matt Jensen Marketing!

You Already Have the Data to Understand Your Customers

Apple’s new privacy updates are great for consumers, but they’ve left businesses worried about how to effectively target advertising. But don’t fret — chances are you already have access to a wealth of information about your customers right at your fingertips. Here are a few ways to unearth it:

Check Your Demographics

Basic data is still extremely valuable if you know how to interpret it. Anonymous information like age, gender, and device type is still compiled through Google Analytics, social media channels, and even email services like Mailchimp. It may not seem like much to go on, but with a little imagination, this data can be very useful.

For example, you may learn that the majority of your users are women aged 34 to 45 using mobile devices. This likely means that a large portion of your audience is busy moms on-the-go who are more likely to watch a 30-second video than they are to read a 1,000-word blog post. Once you’ve put a face to your audience, it becomes much easier to extrapolate what their problems are and how they go about solving them.

Be sure to check your demographics for each platform as it’s likely they’ll vary. Noticing that your email list subscribers are aged 45+ and that your Instagram followers are largely 18 to 25 is information you can’t afford to ignore. It’s a golden opportunity to adjust your tone and messaging to suit each audience.

Review Your Search Terms

Search terms can be a gold mine into figuring out what is going through customer’s minds and they are easier to get than you may think. There two types of search terms, each with their own valuable insights.

You can use Google Search Console to see what terms or phrases people are typing into a search engine to reach your website. Google Analytics, on the other hand, can be configured to give you a list of what people are searching for once they are actually on your website. Think of these terms as a free gift — people are telling you exactly what it is they’re looking for.

You can also use Google Trends to take a look at what search terms are trending in your region or across the globe. You may discover that people are asking a question that you have an answer for, so you can now make it your mission to let them know.

Talk To Your People

Data is a powerful tool, but nothing beats a boots-on-the-ground approach. If your business model allows you to interact with customers, do it! You don’t need to be pushy, but sincere curiosity can lead to valuable insights.

Even if the topic of conversation has nothing to do with the business itself, learning more about your customers’ daily lives can help you build empathy so that you can make your messaging more relatable. You don’t need to track people’s phones to find out what their favorite restaurant is or where they like to shop — if you engage with them openly and honestly, they will probably tell you themselves.

And even if you don’t deal directly with customers, someone on your team does. Your front desk and phone teams have the most direct interactions with your customers and they probably already have a list of common pain points as well as a general sense of what your customer’s lives are like. So don’t forget to ask them about it!

Conduct Formal Surveys

The old standbys of marketing research, consumer surveys do still have a place in the modern world. Depending on your scale and resources, this may be as simple as an online form or as sophisticated as an in-person focus group.

In order to get the most value from these tools though, you need to keep in mind that people are more willing to share surface-level feedback than their true feelings and opinions. A good survey will be able to dig into the why behind their feelings. That is the information you need to make sure your business is actually solving their problems.

So now that you’ve gathered the data, what do you with it? Create user personas! User personas are amalgamations of your average customers: their likes, dislikes, challenges, and needs. And now that you are armed with your customer research, the process will be much easier. Learn more about personas (and how to use them) in this post.

And if you need help along the way, Matt Jensen Marketing is here to be your guide. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you define and reach your desired audience.

Save Time, Dollars, and Guesses with Customer Personas

There are plenty of marketing strategies that aren’t worth the time, dollars, or guesswork.

Building customer personas isn’t one of them.

The vast reach of social media and the web in general can be a siren song to many marketers and business leaders — it seems logical that the more people who see and hear your message, the better.

But the reality is, blanketing your message to large groups that only meet your basic demographics is diluting the message for your true prospects and wasting it on people who never were your prospects in the first place.

Enter the customer persona. A well-researched one will lessen your workload and target your marketing dollars toward your best prospects.

Personas also help you empathize with your customers. It’s easy to only think about what your business wants from those who use your products and services without considering what they need from your business. Increasingly, consumers are seeking companies they trust. One way to build trust? Empathy. One way to empathize with your customers? Personas.

What exactly is a persona?

A persona is a fictitious character who represents a group of real customers with common traits. Creating a persona is much like a novelist creating the heroine for his next bestseller. Except in this case, instead of using your imagination, you’ll draw from research. This can include surveys, data analysis, and demographics.

However, since data points can’t be marketed to, personas must also include details about customer attitudes, beliefs, goals, and motivations. It’s not enough to know that most cataract patients are in their late 60s to early 70s and are 60% female. You need to note that on the day of their surgery they’re likely to clear their calendar, dress a little nicer, arrive with plenty of extra time, and feel nervous.

A persona is useless unless it gives insight into what your customers are thinking, feeling, and doing while they try to meet their needs. That’s the information you need in order to see how best to help them succeed.

How do you build a persona?

Like many things, there’s no one right way to create a customer persona; however, at MJM we recommend these steps to our clients who are just starting out.

Step 1

Gather your customer data. This likely begins with basic demographic information. Here’s a quick tutorial on how to glean that data from your Google Analytics and website logs. This will give you a base you can use to build your persona. Demographic data largely reinforces what you already know so use it only to begin seeking insights you may not already have.

Step 2

Identify customers you can talk to and ask them lots of questions. MJM strongly recommends gathering as much firsthand insight as possible. The only way to truly do that is to take the time to talk (and listen!) to your customers. You may even consider specifically seeking out those whose experience was less than ideal as their assessment can point out gaps in service your satisfied customers may overlook.

Step 3

Group customers and look for patterns. Find similar responses and traits from the customers you’ve spoken to and build a persona around them. Highlight the beliefs, goals, and frustrations that bring this group to life. Give your fictitious customer a name or title and attach a photo to make the character memorable and more realistic.

Have fun with this! Some of our clients have found that they enjoy the process and when it’s done, they’re relieved to have that “person” to return to time and again to make wise marketing decisions.

The MJM team loves personas! And we’d love to help you with yours. Download our starter worksheet or contact us for a consultation.

5 Tips to Being Master of (Virtual) Ceremonies

Virtual events have been a staple this year. There’s no need to rehash why, but now that we’ve grown comfortable with them, they’re here to stay in some form or another. They can’t replicate the connection of in-person gatherings; however, a virtual event can be an affordable, easy-to-execute bridge between the larger events your organization invests in. Especially when done well. Here are our 5 best tips for making yours a success:

1. Pre-record most, if not all, of your presentation

Since you can’t out-plan a technical glitch, pre-recording is your best bet for limiting how much can go awry. Bonus: there are a lot of ways to present your pre-recorded message so that it seems live. If you must present live, consider using a professional production team to troubleshoot technical issues as they arise.

2. Keep your presentation to 30 minutes or less

We know. That’s not a lot of time. We’ve found that people are often curious enough to tune in, but are quick to tune out. The short timeframe ensures that you stay focused and on message, which is always a good idea anyway.

3. Stick to the schedule

Make sure speakers (pre-recorded or live) are brief and to-the-point. To accomplish this, assign topics and time limits beforehand and consider a dry-run to suss out any potential problems. Limit the amount of giveaways, speakers, and other transitions so that the presentation doesn’t feel rushed and chaotic.

4. Anticipate and extend the experience

Build out your event with a series of social media posts and emails prior to the date and follow-up with a similar series afterward. This gathers anticipation beforehand and keeps the “after glow” going once it ends. It also expands your communication window beyond the 30 minutes of your event. Additional ways to build out your event would be to send a postcard invite or, once the event concludes, create a new Facebook group of attendees to keep the conversation going.

5. Choose your date strategically

If it’s a social or fundraising event, experts agree that Saturday evening is the ideal time to host your event, virtual or otherwise. Attendees will be more relaxed, their kids aren’t likely to have competing extracurricular activities, and people’s moods are better than during the work week. Thursday evening is the second best option. There’s general agreement that Friday evening is the worst time to host an event as people would rather unwind on their own after a full week. For educational or instructional events, consider lunch time on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Social Media Tools & Trends You Can DIY (and Ones You Shouldn’t)

Show of hands: keeping up with social media trends comes naturally to you and you eagerly anticipate the next round of updates for Instagram and Facebook? Ok, got it. The two of you who raised your hands can put them down now.

Whether you’re a step away from #influencer status or the thought of adjusting to yet another app feature is just not in your mental budget, social media takes time and effort to make it work for your organization.

Some of the upcoming privacy changes from Apple and Google are expected to limit social media’s targeted reach, even so, it’s likely that your business still needs a presence on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and depending on your audience, Twitter or Tiktok.  Knowing that, the question becomes “how much can you manage social on your own and how much do you need a pro to help with?” Let us help you think it through:

Strategy

First, you need to decide how active your business needs to be on social. Some of the businesses MJM works with have only a basic social media presence. They know their audience is active elsewhere and invest accordingly.

When to DIY it: If you plan to keep things simple and small, DIY is likely the way to go. Organizations that only plan to utilize organic posts and basic tools can successfully manage their social accounts. Not all businesses need a full scale social media marketing strategy.

When to take it to the pros: The social media landscape changes fast. That’s been especially true this year as we tried to stay home and stay connected at the same time. New features and algorithm updates  are constantly changing how people use social apps and affect how well your posts perform. It takes a lot of time to stay on top of it all, so if social media is a big piece of your marketing puzzle, you may want to consult a professional for some or all of your needs.

Post Scheduling

Social media scheduling tools have improved drastically over the past decade. Facebook has offered post scheduling for a long time, now it’s available for both Facebook and Instagram through Facebook Business Suite (find it through “Publishing Tools”). If you’re going to schedule two or more posts per month, we recommend a third-party tool like  Social Pilot, SmarterQueue, or countless others that can help you set it and forget it. These tools can let you preview how a post might look and schedule ahead on multiple accounts — including Twitter.

When to DIY it: Scheduling tools are great for predictable events like holidays, for managing promotions, or evergreen branded content. Keep in mind you’ll need to stay on top of spontaneous happenings in your organization and the world,  i.e. the posts you scheduled featuring images of people shaking hands pre-pandemic needed to be updated once COVID started altering in-person interactions.

When to take it to the pros: Strategizing, writing, taking photos, and scheduling takes longer than you might think. Consider outsourcing your content calendar or getting a photographer to create a bank of photos for your organization. Additionally, most schedulers don’t have the capability to utilize all of Facebook or Instagram’s features: stories, events, live videos, IGTV, and more. If you want to promote multiple campaigns or simply don’t have the bandwidth, consider an external social manager.

Tip: The last social campaign MJM ran for a client showed that 80% of views were on a mobile device. Set up your posts with phone screens in mind and be sure to click the mobile preview to ensure that they look good and that your most important information is visible.

Graphics

Your organization should feel as professional in the digital space as you are in person. However, perfectly composed stock photos or graphics for every post could make your feed look overly produced and less authentic. Finding the right balance is key!

When to DIY it: Your smartphone camera, a Lightroom preset or filter,  and an eye for lighting can go a long way to producing your own sharable photos and videos. Stock images abound online, too. Plus apps like Canva or InShot are making it easy to add text to images or create simple graphics. Canva even lets you create and use custom templates so you’ll stand out from others using the same app.

When to take it to the pros: You’ve seen those instagram feeds with clever grid layouts? Simple strategies — like always using a border or alternating posts — are simple to DIY, but the more complex ones are better suited to someone with layout software (hey, that could be you too!). A designer can help you strategize or even develop templates that are custom to your business.

Staying active on social media is an effective way to extend your brand and reach your customers and potential customers right where they are. When managing your accounts becomes an afterthought, it’s time to consider turning to the experts to make it easier with templates, calendars, posting strategies, and more.

Contact MJM to discuss your needs and, in case you’re wondering, the answer is yes. “I don’t want to be responsible for thinking up content” is  a perfectly legit goal. We hear it all the time, and we can help.

(Maybe more than your nearest tween.)