The Best Things in Life in June

June is finally here... the start of the summer with the promise of balmy nights and sunny days. Although we've not seen much evidence of hot weather our 'best things in life' inspired by Red Magazine always cheers us up!

Katie

The best things in life...

Park runs… After being recommended the Alexandra Heminsley's book ‘Running Like A Girl’ and being inspired by my friend Rowena’s running regimes I have totally got back into my stride. I love to run around my local park, especially on a Saturday morning, followed by a trip to The Juice House for my favourite juice – Ginger Beer (without the beer!)

I recently visited the Ikon Art Gallery in Birmingham, and it was really inspiring, plus I loved the cute little shop on the ground floor that sold unique books, stationery and art. I will definitely be vising again sometime soon!

Hampstead is so gorgeous in the summer and I recently went to visit my friends as they have moved into a new area near Golders Green. We had a lovely weekend walking through the parks, shopping on Hampstead High Street and we rounded it all off with a visit to Villa Bianca for some delicious Italian food.

If I could only take one book on the beach it'd be... 

Anything by Philippa Gregory! I love stories weaved around history, especially the Tudor times. I get totally caught up in the characters and their stories set against the backdrop of historical happenings. I loved the TV adaptation of the Philippa Gregory's The White Queen last year too.

What are your social media habits? What's the last...

Instagram picture you posted? A quote I love from Maya Angelou – “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

Pin you pinned? ‘Hell Yeah’ I loved the design, but the words just stood out for me and made me excited for our trip to the South of France this Summer!

Tweet you wrote? In aid of Volunteers Week I wanted to mention my local homeless shelter who run a 24 hour place of safety and warmth every year during Christmas.

Jane

The best things in life...

Summer festivals - Although I'm not a camping-lover I am really excited to be on the road at some fantastic festivals this summer with our veggie hot dog truck Not Dogs. We're still adding to the calendar but I'm really looking forward to seeing Tom Odell at Wakestock, MIA and A$AP Rocky at Lovebox and Bastille at Boardmasters.

ASOS - Having five weddings to attend this summer I needed some pretty dresses that could be adapted to use again with different accessories and additions and after spending hours physically shopping finding nothing ASOS came to the rescue! The website is great; the best feature being the in-depth filtering which means after seeking inspiration on Pinterest I could find the outfits I wanted.

Gino D'Acampo's Italian Escape cookbook - I love to cook mainly sticking to my favourite cook Nigella Lawson's delicious recipes as they never seem to fail to be perfect but my dad bought be Gino D'Acampo's Italian cookbook and I'm in love! Not only are the recipes full of flavour, the photography in the book is beautiful, especially the shots of the Amalfi Coast. I recently made a six-course dinner for my friends - sounds like a lot of effort but it was actually very easy and a resounding success!

If I could only take one book on the beach it'd be...

The Island by Victoria Hislop - it's my ultimate favourite book; I've read it twice and listened to the audiobook read by Emilia Fox countless times. This summer I'm re-reading it again as I am heading off to Crete where the book is set and fulfilling one of my 101 dreams by visiting Spinalonga a little island off the coast which plays an integral part in this amazing novel.

What are your social media habits? What's the last...

Instagram picture you posted? Very cliché but a picture of my labrador Beau! I captured his beautiful long eyelashes and couldn't resist edited it with Instagram!

Pin you pinned? I have a board named 'My Vision Board' on Pinterest where I pin any random image I feel drawn to and my most recent pin was to this board; a large open window looking out onto a sunny garden with a white squashy chair in the foreground... lovely!

Tweet you wrote? A tweet about starting the month of June with how to better plan social media activity.

Five Things You Need to Know about Facebook Advertising

Recently we came across a new business email selling services to handle Facebook Advertising and it prompted us to think about how advertising on Facebook can still be a confusing marketing tool. We don’t profess to know everything about advertising algorithms but we do know it is much more simple than it looks to manage your own ads. So, here are five things to think about when creating your own Facebook Adverts…

#1 You can target your adverts

It’s really simple to set your target audience for your set of Facebook Adverts. It's best to go niche (and not to try and target the whole wide world at once!) so before you start carefully think about which target market you want to reach through Facebook, what their interests and likes are, and their demographics.

#2 You can set your budgets

We’re not talking thousands here, but if you can put aside a small but decent budget to run adverts each month, then you’ll see the best results. Facebook make it easy to set a budget per day or a lifetime budget so you keep control and you are regularly updated on how your ads are performing via notifications and emails. Also, you can edit your ads at any time, even when they have already gone live.

#3 You can measure your success

We find Insights are greatly underused by brand teams and business owners on Facebook, especially when it comes to advertising reports. Facebook will give you data into how each of your ads have performed so at the end of each campaign you can delve into what worked and what didn’t, evaluate the images or text used and think about how you can adapt your future ads to make them better.

#4 You can find the time

If you are regularly posting engaging content on Facebook, then it really won’t take up too much extra time to set your ads to run alongside your activity. Once you've created the ads and Facebook approves them (which can take as little as 30 minutes), you need to set a time frame for the ads to run and then you can carry on with creating a great Facebook presence for your growing audience.

#5 You don’t need to be an expert

Every expert, was once a novice and the same goes for Facebook Advertising. If you manage your social media, then Facebook advertising should be integrated into your activity, promoting your engaging content to your target audience. Once you run your first ad campaign, you’ll see how simple and effective it is. Plus, if you run your Facebook Advertising yourself you can ensure every penny of your budget is spent on the ads and not taken up by an agency fee. However, if you really do not have the resources to create and manage the ads then do seek the advice of an experienced and credible expert in the field who can explain every step of the process to you.

We hope we have inspired and encouraged you to have a go at creating your own Facebook Adverts. We created a post on about the difference between Facebook and Twitter advertising which you can read here and below is a selection of our other blog posts on social media to help you further.

Katie x

www.katieandjane.com 

Content Schedule Template

Awareness Day Calendar

Facebook Strategy eCourse

How To Become a YouTube Superstar!

Twitter Lingo or 'Twermingology'!

Simple Social Media Advertising Tips

Facebook & Twitter? I’m not Pinterested!

Pinterest - The Only Social Network Needed for Luxury Brands?

Twitter Lists and How to Use Them

New Facebook Competition Guidelines - What You Need to Know

Social Media Competition Guidelines Made Simple!

The Hashtag & How to Use it by #katieandjane

Social Media Recipe for Success: The Sequel - Part I - Understand Social Media

Back in 2013 we blogged about our popular 'social media recipe for success' series and now, another year on, we thought we'd take the previous parts of strategy, content, organisation and evaluation and add to the recipe with this post 'Understand Social Media'...

By no means do you have to be an expert to have a successful social media presence but you do need to understand the basics of social media (from a brand's point-of-view rather than a personal one) and ultimately have the passion for social media to take it forward.

Step One - Use Social Media

Yes, posting on social media is very different from a brand or individual's perspective but actively using social media yourself can help you to understand what your consumers want to see and how to post effectively. From now on, when you are on social media, take notes of other brands you like the activity of, record how you use social networks as a consumer and jot down any areas of each platform you don't understand.

Step Two - Learn

In order to effectively understand how to use social media for your brand we'd recommend you get learning in your own time! There are so many great blogs (favourites are Mashable, Social Media Examiner and ours of course!) that give you to-the-point, simple information so you can answer the questions you had from step one.

What's great about social media is you can test out your new knowledge on your own social platforms before experimenting on the brand page but remember; you can't really 'go wrong' on social media as long as your content is appropriate, it's all about trying things, if they don't work discover why and move on.

Step Three - Nail Your Plan

So now you know how to use social media and have a basic knowledge - it's time to get started with your strategy. For a simple strategy you need to answer...

• Why do I want to be active on social media?
• What are my objectives?
• Which platforms is my target audience on?
• What are my three key messages?

Of course this is a very basic strategy starting point but it gives you a few things to think about before simply jumping onto social media with no plan at all. We created a Facebook Strategy eCourse with SkillShare which gives video lessons and practical exercises finishing with a full Facebook strategy at the end here - take a look at the chapters even if you don't fancy completing the course for an outline.

Step Four - Constantly Explore

Once you nail your strategy and become active on social media you may find yourself sticking to one platform that you personally enjoy or you are having more success on but you need to be open to exploring other platforms.

You may want to achieve an objective of 'increase web referrals from social media by 25%' and you may be doing a good job of that on Twitter with external links and interesting tweets but did you know that Pinterest drives the most traffic on the web after Facebook? Maybe your users are more visual and enjoy pinning and repinning images... increase your research and you may find you're able to reach even more people online.

Each month, set a goal of exploring the pros and cons for your brand of some of the emerging platforms like Google+, Vine and Snapchat. This will also help you expand your social media knowledge and spark ideas for you to utilise on the core social media networks.

We'll blog about part II of our new 'social media recipe for success' soon but in the meantime take a look at the links below for other social media blog posts you may enjoy!

Jane x

How To Become a YouTube Superstar!

Twitter Lingo or 'Twermingology'!

Simple Social Media Advertising Tips

Facebook & Twitter? I’m not Pinterested!

Pinterest - The Only Social Network Needed for Luxury Brands?

Twitter Lists and How to Use Them

New Facebook Competition Guidelines - What You Need to Know

Social Media Competition Guidelines Made Simple!

The Hashtag & How to Use it by #katieandjane

Countdown Keeper: Our Favourite Moments So Far!

There’s nothing more exciting than seeing Countdown Keeper users posting their events across social media and joining us in collecting moments, so we thought we’d highlight a few of our favourites so far! You can download the app for free today here.

Countdown Keeper is all about getting excited about future events and remembering moments so we wanted it to be simple to record these special times. Users can count down to events and once the day arrives, Countdown Keeper will start to count since the day – keeping the memories to look back on afterwards.

Holidays are probably the number one thing many of us are looking forward to at the moment and we like to use Countdown Keeper to count down to the very last second until the rest, relaxation and fun begins! We loved this count down to Jamaica from one of our users looking forward to their holiday!

With a summer of sport about to commence (not sure how excited Jane is!) what better way to get excited than to load the app with up-to-date and by-the-second count downs to all major sports events!? Footy fans can start counting down to all those World Cup fixtures! Or, as with the London Marathon image, use count since events to keep you motivated!

With a busy business to look after we have to plan well in advance when we see our friends for a big catch up – especially when everyone lives in different parts of the world. It's great to use Countdown Keeper to count down and get even more excited and then share it with friends on social media too!

Yes our Countdown Keeper community are already counting down to Christmas... only 30 weeks, 6 days, 7 hours, 56 minutes and 30 seconds to go! If you’re inclined to count how many sleeps there are until Santa arrives – try the app. We’ve included a handy notes feature in there too so you can keep track of all your present ideas too!

We hope this has inspired you to keep on counting down to future events and since amazing moments! If you’d like to download Countdown Keeper you can do here or search 'Countdown Keeper' in the App Store.  A big thank you to our creative Countdown Keeper community so far – keep on collecting moments!

Find Countdown Keeper & join the community on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.

Katie x

Scrapbooking Secrets

In an era in which we're taking more and more photos yet printed photo albums are becoming extinct, I've found a way of displaying and remembering moments in a non-digital way which, for me, is very important... scrapbooks.

I've been creating scrapbooks since 2004 as a way of collecting all the lovely photos I'd taken with the additions of ticket stubs, printed programmes, gift tags and a whole host of other things. I store all of my photos digitally but there's something therapeutic and natural about collecting, cutting and sticking memories into a big book, which I now have four of.

My very first entry... 

For each major event in my life there is a scrapbook page, or a few! Birthdays, holidays, concerts but also special outings, business creations and puppy love! I love to sit every now and again and look back on all the amazing things I've done and it's just not the same doing that in front of a computer. I enjoy opening little cards that I've stuck in, pulling out festival wristbands and touching dried petals. I hope they become part of my family’s history one day!

My latest entry...

Tips on creating your own...

• Decide whether you want to go big or small (I go for A3) and buy your scrapbook. Over the years I've used black and coloured paper, both of which look great but I'd definitely say bigger is better
• Starting with your first entry go through your digital photos and print out those which mean something to you, capture the moment or make you smile. I try not to pick the typical 'posed' photos but more the ones that remind you of that moment in time perfectly
• Don't forget to start collecting additional souvenirs at events like business cards from restaurants you’ve loved, postcards and wrapping paper to add to your book too
• Once collected, get everything together; scissors, glue-stick and colourful pens to write titles and you're ready...
• I start by laying everything out in front of me with the items I'm not going to cut in one pile and those ready for the chop in another
• Take the 'non-cutting' photos and collections and position them in each corner of your page, leaving room for the title should you wish to have one
• I always position the important items in first then have a few 'back-ups' ready to fit in and fill the space if needs be
• Next I take the items ready for cutting and find spaces to fit them in, only cutting them once I see how they're going to fit on the page - I'm not a fan of gaps!
• Once you're happy with your layout (this may take a few attempts until you become a pro) carefully move the collection to one side, keeping the layout intact and start to stick them down. Pay attention to the bits you want to sit under others sticking those first
• Now that everything is looking lovely and is stuck down you can add a title - I like to add the event, date and sometimes who was there. Also, as I'm a tiny bit OCD if there are any gaps I do little drawings to fill them

Scrapbooking has been an important part of my life for over ten years now and I aim to continue it for a long, long time. Although it can be a little time consuming at first, stick with it as the rewards are great!

My favourite entries...

Jane x

App Review: CamMe - But First, Let Me Take a Selfie

The word of the year for 2013 was 'selfie' and the global obsession with selfies doesn't seem to be slowing but I'm not particularly mad on selfies and I certainly don't feel the need for every other Instagram photo of mine to be one but I do enjoy an innovative app when I see one... enter CamMe!

Take a look at their fun video...

CamMe is essentially a photo app which allows you to take photos without touching your phone but instead holding your palm towards the positioned camera then making a fist once you're ready to take the picture. It's a really simple concept but one that really solves many 'selfie problems'; awkward positions, arms in the photo or fitting everyone in it.

Since discovering this award-winning app on Mashable in February I've been telling people about it, although I'm not sure my friends here quite understood the concept of taking your hand away first!

The app was rightfully awarded the 'Most Innovative Mobile App' at the Global Mobile Awards this year and aims to change the way we take pictures forever. It's well on its way to achieving that with over 1 million downloads to date and regular updates with new features such as Photobooth and Funshots.

I tend to just use the app to take pictures with friends (or occasionally checking an outfit on myself!) rather than using the additional features, but I'm sure many users love them. Photobooth adds a frame to pictures so you can create a collage of more than one photo and with Funshot you can turn yourself into a lion (!?) with scene cutouts.

I agree with CamMe when they say they've created 'the best app for taking great selfies'!

Score: 8/10

I love...

• The simplicity and innovation of the app
• That I can get everyone into a selfie now easily

I'd like...

• A nicer interface - the menu and user experience is a little boring for me

Jane x

Facebook: The Forgotten Features

For many brands Facebook is the social media platform which they have been active on the longest and most are comfortable with their Facebook strategy, tone of voice and content. However, there are still some Facebook features that are being overlooked which are so simple to use, but pack a mighty punch for your social media efforts if used correctly – so we thought we’d share a few of them with you...

#1 Pin to Top

This feature is found top right of your post and allows you to pin that post to the top of your page so important information doesn’t get lost down the page. It's great for competitions or timely news updates as the post will stay pinned to the top for 7 days, but if you’d like to unpin it earlier – just hit unpin.

#2 Highlight

This is a lovely feature and can also be found top right of your post. This especially works well if you have a great eye-catching image you want to show off. By clicking ‘Highlight’ it expands your post across the width of your page, increasing the post in size, and increasing reach. Posts with images achieve 120% more engagement than those without so a good rule to have is to include an image with every post and get highlighting!

#3 The Timeline

Could this be the most forgotten Facebook feature? The Timeline is an underused feature that allows you to input dates in your company’s history – we like to use ours for important milestones and fun facts. Brands can also utilise this feature by creating competitions around it, for example, asking fans to answer a question about an interesting piece of company history by scrolling through the Timeline to answer and enter the competition.

#4 Edit

Halleluiah! You can now edit your post even after it appears on your page. This is great for editing after you've seen how the post looks on the page. For companies with a number of admins, you’ll also be able to see which admin member has posted each post & who has edited it too.

#5 Insights

Use them! This is the best way to get an idea of who your current audience is and work out how alike or unlike they are to your target audience. The insights can be found in the admin panel and allow you to look at your posts and page content to evaluate how well each are received and compare what works and what doesn’t. We advise you to simply have a play within the Insights panel and see what you can discover about your fans. Remember always evaluate your efforts!

We will be covering insights and evaluating social media presences in more detail in a blog post coming soon, so stay tuned!

Katie x