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Does anybody else think Twitter is having an identity crisis?

Back in 2006, when Twitter was first launched, I loved that the platform was doing something different. Unlike other social media sites, it restricted the number of characters account holders could use to post updates. (Back then, you only had 140 characters to work with, not the 280 of today.) This was a pretty big deal. Every letter had to count. You had to really think about what you were putting out there.

With such little space…

Anybody else counting down the days to Christmas right now? I know I am!

From a work perspective, it’s that time of year where much of our time is spent tying up loose ends and prepping projects for the New Year (oh – and finding some time for the odd festive tipple!). But as much as you might be looking forward to a well-deserved rest, and as tempting as it is to go completely off grid for a couple of weeks, it’s really important to maintain some kind of social media presence over the holidays…

2021 has been packed full of social media headlines, hasn’t it?

We’ve seen blackouts, bans, meltdowns, letdowns, and even digital fisticuffs – and the year isn’t even over yet!

To tie in nicely with Fireworks Night here in the UK, here’s my pick of the 5 most incredible (and EXPLOSIVE) social media stories from the last few months. Enjoy!

1. Facebook disappeared – and boy, did we feel it

OK, let’s start with the serious stuff. Facebook has suffered outages before, but it beat all previous re…

I can’t lie – I’ve gone a little Instagram mad over the summer.

It’s partly because I embarked on an exhausting but fascinating Reels challenge that saw me posting unique video clips to Instagram for 31 days, non-stop. (You can read the results from that here).

It’s a little bit down to the pandemic. Sometimes a little escapism works wonders amongst all the doom and gloom, and, like TikTok, Instagram delivers the entertainment factor.

But it’s largely because it just feels a little more fun t…

You’d think that I’d shy away from working with people who say they hate social media, right?

Nope.

In fact, this is often something I look out for when I’m in conversations with other business owners.

I love nothing more than converting a social media cynic into a fierce advocate of everything these incredible tools can do for them.

Here are four reasons why you might have beef with social media – and what you need to do to overcome your limiting beliefs and start embracing everything these…

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably noticed that, for the month of July, my Reels output was OFF THE SCALE.

Earlier in the summer, I decided to set myself a little challenge. I wanted to find out if posting more Reels to my account would result in more engagement and more followers.

In June, I committed to posting between two to three Reels every week (backed up by several static posts, of course). I saw a noticeable uplift in my stats; it was one of the best months ever in terms of ho…

“I have no idea what to talk about on my socials!”

“I know I need to keep showing up, Frances – but I just don’t know what to post!”

I hear you. Coming up with fun, engaging, informative and shareable social media content is hard.

Even if there’s lots to talk about within your business or in your wider industry, you’ll hit a creative block from time to time.

Sometimes, the best thing to do is go back to basics.

Following on from an Instagram Reel I posted on my own social media channels las…

Social media is more than coming up with some words, finding an image, and scheduling in your content in the hope it will get you noticed.

It’s about using popular channels to support your wider goals, in a way that will bring maximum value to your sales strategy.

Choosing social media goals is the first topic I cover in my Social Strategy Workbook (which you can download for just £14, by the way). It’s also something I talk about a lot with my VIBeans community and in my monthly Jelly Bean Wo…

Ad hoc, on-the-fly social media posts might get you some engagement.

Some of them might take off. Some of them might be a complete flop.

But when you’re putting your time into running a social media campaign, you don’t really want to be dealing in ‘mights’. You want to make sure that your efforts are going to pay off; you want to create fun, informative, shareable content that’s going to resonate with your fans and boost your brand’s profile. Every time.

And that’s why I always tell my client…

When it comes to getting better engagement from social media, video is the format that’s going to get you the best results, both now and in the future.

The people behind the world’s biggest social platforms know this, which is why many of them have started incorporating more video-driven features into their sites in recent years.

Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Twitter – they’ve all started featuring video more prominently. Even Pinterest has launched a Promoted Videos option to help marketers a…