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Do you need a Facebook Group?

Do you need a Facebook Group?

Do you need a Facebook Group? Well, it depends.

Facebook Groups have HUGE scope to help you find likeminded people, connect around shared passions and interests, and build a true community, but they can be hugely demanding from a time point of view. And if you don’t put in the work, they’re unlikely to yield the results you’d like…

Do you need a Facebook Group?

A little while ago, I was giving a webinar and someone asked me whether they should have a Group or a Page on Facebook. To me, they’re very different animals, so I took the opportunity to explore this a bit further on this week’s episode of the podcast. Hopefully, if you tune in, you’ll be a whole lot more informed and it’ll help you understand the key differences between Pages and Groups, to find which one/s suit you the best, to help you achieve what you like.

To give you a super quick guide…

You might need a Facebook Group if…

  • You have a cause you want to create a community around
  • You have a subject that you’re deeply passionate about that you know others share in that you’d like to share knowledge and create a community around
  • You’re part of something that you want to create a community around

In short, Facebook Groups are about the community. Whilst you have admins who help to manage the Group, ensure people play by the rules, etc, Groups are driven by community. Everyone (who wants to) contributes. You as an admin aren’t responsible for every post. And you as an admin don’t need to respond to every post. When the Group starts, you might need to do a lot more of this, but when it’s established, it’s a different animal.

When it comes to Pages, I really do believe that brands need Facebook Pages- Pages act as the shop window to the brand. The brand controls all content posts. The brand should be responding to all comments. The brand should be leading the fans and followers vs. in a Group where it kind of leads itself.

However, Groups can be awesome. The Small & Supercharged Facebook Group, which I founded quite a few years ago now, has provided an awesome community for equestrian and rural businesses. And it’s helped people to grow and develop their businesses by being part of it… you can join the FREE Group here.

And, if you want to take your learning to the next level, master your marketing, score on social media, and make shifts in your business mindset too, in addition to being part of an awesome community, then you might want to have a look at the Mastermind group too…

Small & Supercharged Mastermind

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Why the Facebook and Instagram crash was a good thing…

why the facebook and instagram crash was a good thing

I know, I know, anyone who does anything with social media’s jaw has just dropped reading that title. But stick with me. I genuinely believe that the Facebook and Instagram crash was a good thing. Not at the time because, let’s be honest, when your content won’t load or refresh you have a minor panic/shake the phone/check the wifi/text people/go to Twitter. But now it’s all over, it really was. And that’s exactly what I’m talking about.

 

Why the Facebook and Instagram crash was a good thing…

If, like me, you use social media to market your business BUT you have some ‘owned’ real estate on the internet too, the crash was a bit stressful. If you have your business on Facebook or Instagram and nowhere else… I can’t even imagine the stress the crash will have caused you. Everything you’ve worked for – gone. Just like that. And nothing you could do about it.

Of course, Facebook and Instagram did come back and although it feels highly highly unlikely that both will vanish tomorrow, if they did, there would be nothing you could do about it. But what IS more likely is that something will change inside the platform (because, well, it happens all the time) and that change could make content less visible and reduce reach, thus reducing the number of potential clients who see it. If all your eggs are firmly in this basket, the crash should have, hopefully, highlighted that you need to spread them out a bit.

But there are things you can do; ways to help spread the risk and allow you to feel confident in that you have more than one way to reach who you need to. I’m talking about websites, mailing lists, real connections and lots more.

And before you think ‘what? She’s changed her tune, she’s a social media junkie’, don’t misunderstand what I’m saying here. Social media is incredible. I love it. The opportunities it provides for us are like nothing else seen to date and worlds away from how it was when I started in marketing and PR. But the line between owned and not seems to get blurred online, so it’s not uncommon for people online to exist as a business purely on Facebook. And that is what I think the crash, hopefully, shone a spotlight on as a poor business plan.

As always, I hope you enjoy this one – and I hope you pick up some ideas to firm up your online business.

Subscribe to the Small & Supercharged podcast on iTunes

 

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What rocks and sucks about running Facebook groups?

What rocks and sucks about running facebook groups

Do you run a Facebook group? Have you thought about it? I run the free Small & Supercharged Facebook group and the Small & Supercharged Mastermind group too. The free group started life a few years ago and, since it launched, I have been on a very steep learning curve when it comes to running Facebook groups. So in this episode of the Small & Supercharged Podcast, I talk about what rocks… and what sucks… enjoy!

What rocks and sucks about running Facebook groups?

Here are the show notes for the Small & Supercharged Podcast episode 20 – what rocks and sucks about running Facebook groups. In this episode you’ll hear…

  • Why I started the Small & Supercharged Facebook group and the kind of people you’ll find there (as in, people connected to the equestrian and rural industry).
  • The differences between Small & Supercharged and the Small & Supercharged Mastermind group.
  • What rocks- you get to know people really well when running Facebook groups. You get to see the people who support others and understand what makes people tick too.
  • What sucks – it is hard work. The vast majority of the Small & Supercharged group members are very good, follow the rules and work together. One thing that takes a lot of time is the questions and the requests – particularly when people don’t fill in the questions.
  • What rocks – the engagement. In a group you get much better engagement than on a page. This can work whether you’re the admin or if you’re an active member of the group.
  • What sucks – people breaking the rules. I have really simple rules for the Small & Supercharged group, but these do still get broken. If you are involved with running Facebook groups, rules are really important as they allows everyone to work in the same way. When rules get broken, it does make you feel like the bad guy when you delete posts. That’s not fun.
  • What rocks- groups can be real forces for good. I give a few examples of how Facebook groups can do great things together. Being able to achieve lovely things, as a group, is such a great feeling. Without groups it would a lot more fragmented.
  • What sucks – copycats. I know I’m not the first person to ever have a Facebook group, but copycats in the same area are a bit of a kick (often using very similar wording and sometimes even promoting their groups in yours).
  • What rocks- the support of a community. This can be so, so lovely when people are having a challenging time or having issues. A good group means that you have somewhere to go and share and get support as needed. It can help to break a cycle of frustration and sadness and allow people to kick on.
  • What sucks – not answering the questions. Even if you set questions for your Facebook group, be aware that a LOT of people won’t answer them. I have just under 200 requests at the moment from people who haven’t answered the three simple questions that allow me to make sure they’re a good fit for the group.
  • What rocks – collaborations. I know that because of the Small & Supercharged Facebook group, a lot of collaborations have happened. Without the Facebook group they may not have found each other. And being able to facilitate this is so, so lovely.
  • What sucks- things can escalate really quickly. It can be a little stressful if something gets out of hand and it can get out of hand very quickly.
  • What rocks – people have got to know me. I really like the fact that people have got to know me better. It means that when I meet people at events and shows, we don’t have to go through the awkward first stages of a connection and friendship. It makes networking so much easier and it feels like I’m meeting up with friends at these gatherings, rather than strangers. I might not have met them in person all that much, if at all, but I know them.
  • what sucks – people not using the group properly. This is more disappointing I guess. It’s all about give and take, and some people tend to take a lot and give very little. This isn’t so much against the rules but it doesn’t feel great.
  • What rocks – it allows real life activities to happen. Things like the Small & Supercharged meet ups at Badminton. It’s nice to see people in real life, of course it is, but without the group I wouldn’t necessarily know these people. With the Hiho & Co event, a lot of people from S&S are coming, and I think letting people make these connections before an event is a real biggy.

So, that’s my what rocks and sucks about running Facebook groups podcast. I hope it shed a bit of light on the subject of groups for you, whether you want to run one or just want to get the most out of the ones you’re in!

If you’d like to join the Small & Supercharged Facebook group, you’d be very welcome – just join the Facebook group here.

Are you Small & Supercharged (find out more about the Facebook group)

Behind the Small & Supercharged group

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Small & Supercharged Podcast Ep 2 – Social Media Scaremongering

This week we’re having a solo Small & Supercharged Podcast episode with me – and it’s all about social media scaremongering… and why it drives me mad!

Have a listen here!

Social media scaremongering – and why it drives me mad!

Show notes for the Small & Supercharged Podcast – Episode 2 – Social media scaremongering… what you’ll hear in today’s episode…

  • I recorded this episode as I wanted to talk about something that really annoys me –  scaremongering connected to social media algorithms. I see so much of this.
  • Every time a new update is announced on any social media platform, you see all the messages popping up about how it’s the end of the world. You read how Facebook’s dead and how Twitter is dead and how Instagram is dead and how everything is dying and dead because of this algorithm change. I want to tell you why these changes are not a cause for you to panic.
  • The main thing we need to realise here is that these are not our platforms, we have the absolute luxury and privilege to use these platforms for free, yet we can pay to advertise.
  • When some of these algorithm changes happen, it means that perhaps we need to pay to play a bit more.
  • When Facebook announced that they were changing the way that posts for businesses were displayed in the newsfeed, you would have thought that Facebook had announced they were coming to live in all your houses.
  • We’re so lucky that we get the opportunity to be part of these platforms, to be part of this. We don’t have control over it and that’s why it’s really important to grow our following in different ways, which is a subject for numerous other podcasts, but it maybe it should make us think about how vulnerable some businesses are to these changes that we cannot control.
  • The algorithm works on a series of things that we don’t know everything about. People don’t reveal the in-depth elements of that algorithm. All you can do, and I really believe this, is do your best work. Look at the response, adjust accordingly and go again. Rinse and repeat.
  • If you have a post and you put it out there and nothing happens and it’s rubbish, it doesn’t necessarily mean that an algorithm is screwing you over. It could mean your post is rubbish. It could also mean you’ve placed it at the wrong time of day. It could also mean that maybe the imagery isn’t as strong. It could perhaps mean the title isn’t getting people engaged. There are loads of different reasons and one of the best ones I heard was just your content isn’t that good?
  • The other thing I think it’s really important to think about when these big social media giants announce these changes, think about why they’re doing it. A lot people will say it’s to make money. But think about it even harder, Facebook has got over 2 billion people using it. If the Facebook community is getting really bored and detached from the newsfeed and they don’t want to click on the apps – we all have a problem!
  • If Facebook didn’t protect its community, it would hurt us all. If people did leave Facebook on mass, it would hurt us all when magazines were really the only way of getting your message out there, which was a while ago.
  • If you are putting out rubbish content, it’s going to hurt anyway, but you need to look at your content. Don’t blame any of the social media platforms, when you put out rubbish content and it does badly, that’s on you. You need to address what you’re doing. You need to do the research, do the legwork. You need to look at what your audience actually care about and you need to create content around that. There’s going to be loads of ways you can do this.
  • Make sure that you are thinking about your customer and you’re creating content that works for them.
  •  It should not all be sell, sell, sell, sell, sell. Social media has got the word social in it for a reason. It’s important to you. Respect your audience, you speak to them, you talk to them, you actually care what they’ve got to say.
  • I know some people who don’t have websites and have everything running through their Facebook page. Please don’t do this. If you do this, look at ways to make sure you are putting your eggs in more baskets. Get yourself a website, start growing your email list.

Thanks so much for tuning into this week’s episode of the Small & Supercharged Podcast – don’t forget to subscribe!

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Five facts about social media…

A while ago, I gave a TEDx talk about social media. Well, more specifically about how social media can connect rural communities and how it’s a force for good. I know, quite a wordy title. Part of my talk was social media stats. I felt this was an important if not essential part. Why? Well, I hear so many people say that Facebook is ‘dead’, or that no one uses social media anymore. Argh. It’s rubbish. We know this, but when you throw a few current stats at it, you realise how rubbish it is. So I thought I would share five facts about social media that I think are kind of mind-blowing… and the reason I think they’re incredible too. I have this thing that numbers are great, but adding a visual element is better. You’ll see what I mean…

Five facts about social media that you’ll want to remember…

Facebook is INCREDIBLE. Over 2.8 billion people are monthly active users of Facebook and 1.84 billion people use it each day – according to Facebook’s own stats. When you consider that there are around 7.6 billion people on the planet, this makes it even more incredible… don’t you think?

Twitter is seen as a much smaller platform- because it is (let’s be honest), with an ‘advertising audience’ of around 356 million, it is. That number, however, is still pretty huge. And it’s also very funny that, whenever Facebook or Instagram have a wobble, everyone heads to Twitter to see if it’s ‘just them’ or if, indeed, the platforms are down!

Heard of the six degrees of separation? No? Well don’t worry too much… it’s a lot smaller now! According to Facebook’s own research, there’s not just 3.57 degrees of separation connecting everyone who uses Facebook. This was in 2016 for Friends Day, so the chances are it’s even smaller now!

Instagram has one billion monthly active users and 500 million daily active users. 500 million. Each day. On a platform that started in October 2010.

…and you know Instagram Stories? Some 500 million people use Stories EACH DAY too. 

So yes, I make no secret of the fact that I am a huge fan of social media. I find it incredible how many people we can connect to through it and the features it has. I mean, it’s amazing. I know it gets a bashing from time to time, but just look. Look at the potential it has. The potential for good. The potential for business. To me, that’s something that is very, very exciting and worth talking about. You can find a LOT more mind blowing stats about social media online… this just just a snapshot…

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When to pay to boost your Facebook post

When to pay to boost your Facebook postDo you see posts with the word ‘sponsored’ on popping up in your News Feed more and more? I do. I’m going to state the obvious here (I know, and I apologise), but this means that the creator of that content has paid to show that post to you. Maybe I’ve been noticing it more lately, but I’m beginning to wonder if Facebook’s new News Feed changes have caused this surge? Now, I’m in no way against giving a post a boost or placing an ad with Facebook. Quite the opposite. But what I will say is that although you can throw a LOT of money at Facebook, it will only generate the right impact when you’ve spent it on the right content. To help with this, here are my tips to help you decided when to pay to boost your Facebook post.

When to pay to boost your Facebook post

Some people say that you should never boost a Facebook post. There’s some good logic behind their reasons and if you don’t want to, don’t. I, however, do boost the odd post. I haven’t actually boosted any posts for a few months now on my own page. This is not because I have some objection, far from it, I just like to use my money wisely (even if it is £2!), and I haven’t felt the need to pay to boost a post for a bit. However, I want to share with you the thought process I apply when I boost a post. You don’t have to agree, you might have another method, but this is what I do. I would love to know how you decide when to pay to boost your Facebook post.

  1. I boost posts that do well organically. Generally I only boost posts that have started to gather momentum on their own. I use this as a test. Again, I use the word generally when I say that if a post does well organically, it’ll do well when boosted.
  2. I boost posts that have a point. I wouldn’t boost a post that didn’t have a point. But then I don’t tend to post that much that doesn’t have a point. I like each post to have some value in some way, as I for one am tired of self indulgent posts cluttering up my News Feed.
  3. I boost posts I want my followers to see. I boost a post if I want my followers to see it too. I would run an ad if I was looking to target new people and if the content was more of an advert nature.
  4. I boost posts that are informative (well, that’s the aim!). If I was creating something more like a straight advert, I wouldn’t post it on my feed, so I wouldn’t boost it, I would do an advert.
  5. I boost posts that are time sensitive. Not all the time, but something that is time sensitive is more likely to get a boost because I want people to see it quickly and don’t have time to recycle.
  6. I boost posts that I think people will engage with. Point 1 should have proved this, but if people start engaging the organic reach will increase too, making my boost do more.
  7. I boost posts when I just want a lift in a post’s reach. Facebook Ads have a lot more options and functionality so if I have more of a campaign in mind, I would invest the extra time in placing an ad as I would be able to make my ad style content work harder by utilising different styles of ad, objectives, etc. etc.
  8. I boost posts that meet the ad guidelines. Too much text, for example, might work in a normal post, but if I boost a post with too much text on the image (according to Facebook), my money isn’t working as hard as it could be.

…and I tend to boost posts for short periods of time… and for not much money. The kind of content I boost is usually blog content or day of the week style content.

When do you pay to post a Facebook post? Have I missed any criteria from the list above? I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

 

 

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Why Facebook ‘scaremongering’ angers me so much…

Facebook scaremongering Have you heard that Facebook is changing the way that posts for businesses are being displayed in the News Feed? And have you seen all the posts that explain how Facebook is screwing us over? It’s the end of the platform? They’ll leave Facebook? How it’s all a scam? How you should pay them money to beat the new changes? How many did you tick? Now, I for one am SICK of all the posts that get published of this nature. Facebook scaremongering I call it. There is no need to be scared. Or feel all is lost. And I’ll also explain why I hate the Facebook scaremongers.

So what’s a Facebook scaremonger? And why are people Facebook scaremongering?

I’m just going to clear this up now, before we hang out together for the next few moments. There are the ones who pretend they can see the future of Facebook and it’s bleak (you know, because they’ve read something). These people use a lot of different wording but most revolve around the ‘I told you so’ and ‘you’re screwed unless you pay me money to help you’ idea. Let’s just take a breath here. I’ll explain my take on this and any other tweak in the algorithm and how we’re going to deal with it. Like rational humans. OK?

If Facebook loses its audience its of no use to anyone.

Most of the changes that Facebook make involve protecting their community. The 2 billion plus people who use the platform. They need to protect these people because the people make the platform. Facebook with no people is a billy-no-mates convention. If the community gets fatigued and detached from the News Feed and what they’re doing, they’ll come back less often. The news from Facebook states that: ‘we will also prioritize posts that spark conversations and meaningful interactions between people’. And let’s just think about this phrase in relation to what Facebook is all about. Connecting people. If they’re not chatting and having meaningful interactions, it’s not working. It’s not a community.

Now, let’s pretend Facebook didn’t protect its community. Our feeds would be filled with engagement bait and general rubbish and it would become a whole heap less interesting. And when people get bored they don’t keep coming back. And if the audience goes, what use is that to anyone?

Your reach might suffer

Yep. The news item states that too. Depending on the content you create and promote, it could hurt. A lot. But you don’t need to lose your mind here. You need to innovate. You need to read what the news item says. The one on Facebook, and look at what it’s saying. There are themes that we’ve all known have generated better engagement for a while, and these will probably help us to get the exposure. The content you put out on social should be good. It should aim to engage people and spark conversation. Because you can post every minute of every day, it really doesn’t mean you should. You should look to put out your best work, your most useful content, the posts you think people are actually going to care about.

So, why are we not panicking?

Because Facebook is continually tweaking what it does. We’ve all noticed changes on our pages and profiles, different functionality, new things, different things, etc. And we adapt. If a post doesn’t work the way it should, you learn and try something else. And if you’re not doing that then you’ve been doing social media wrong! Social media is all about engagement. The clue is in the name. So if your posts haven’t been getting engagement, you need to change what you’re doing anyway. And if you haven’t been, this is your wake up call. Crack on.

So, Facebook is screwing us over?

Nope. Facebook is a FREE platform that was developed to help PEOPLE connect with PEOPLE. We, as small business owners, are beyond lucky to have the chance to engage with customers and potential customers for free. Yep. Zero cost. Zilch. And if we want to increase a post’s reach, or target different people, we can throw £1 at it and that happens. £1. I mean, I’d suggest you spend more than £1 if you’re serious about it, but you get my point. Can you do that in a magazine? Can you attend an event for that? Do a leaflet drop? Reach someone on a different continent who has similar interests to your audience? Nope. Facebook isn’t screwing us over. It gives us amazing opportunities each and every day, and we need to respect it and that. And if we have to ‘pay to play’ and up our content game, then so be it. Facebook is a business at the end of the day. It needs to protect itself and the asset it has (people’s attention and engagement) which it converts in money through advertising. I’m good with that.

What if you rely on Facebook for your whole business?

It blows my mind that some people rely on a platform that they do not own to support their entire income stream. If you’re in this boat, you need to get on the other social platforms, get yourself a website and OWN your own brand NOW. That isn’t Facebook’s fault, it’s something you can thank Facebook for as it’s given you warning. If my sole income relied on something that could literally vanish tomorrow, I wouldn’t sleep at night. Seriously. Take control of your own destiny. And part of that is having your own owned platform that you can promote yourself from.

I hope you’re feeling a bit calmer?! This is something that I will be chatting to my coaching clients about in the coming weeks and months, but that is NO DIFFERENT TO NORMAL. We are always reassessing what’s working and what isn’t and building on it. 

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Liked posts to liked pages on Facebook

liked posts to liked pages on facebookDid you know that you can invite people who like a post of yours on a Facebook page to like your actual page too? Yep. Honest. It’s a really nifty Facebook page feature that can significantly grow your following over time. And it’s free and REALLY easy to do. I used this as a Tip Tuesday on my Facebook page and on Instagram too and it got a really positive reaction… so I thought I’d share it here too…

How can people like posts and not pages?

If someone engages with your Facebook post, their Facebook friends could see when it appears on their timeline. If one of their friends likes the post, then they could well like your post, but not necessarily the page. This doesn’t mean that they don’t want to like your page, it’s just another step that people don’t always think about. Don’t be offended, this is life… but there is something you can do about it…

You can ask them to like your page

When people ‘react’ to your post, you can click on the number of people who have engaged and Facebook will kindly show you a list of all of those who have liked your Facebook post. But more than this, on the right of the list, it’ll show you whether these people have already liked your page, AND it’ll also give you the chance to invite them. All you do is click the ‘Invite’ button. Facebook will invite them to like your page, and the button will turn to light grey and say ‘Invited’. And that’s that!

And will they then like your Facebook page?

The short answer is they might do… but they might not. You can invite them but like when you ask friends to like your Facebook page, some will, and some won’t… and that’s just life! But if you invite them, Facebook will give them a little nudge and suggest that they do in the form of an invite. It might not work, but I have genuinely grown my following using the next method.

 

Have you tried it? Did you know about this function? Let me know!

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For the love of flat lays

So today it’s all about flat lays – why? Because last month’s Small & Supercharged VIP challenge was all about flat lays… and the winners have now been selected… but before I let you look at the videos announcing the winners (Ok, you can just scroll down!), I wanted to give you a bit of background about it.

Why flat lays?

Each month in Small & Supercharged VIP, all the members have access to a carefully created resource pack, made with an expert. Last month was flat lay. Why? I love flat lay and by embracing it I have saved money on buying stock images, created some social images that have got great engagement and more. And I did it all on my kitchen table. And it cost me nothing. OK – it took me a bit of time, but no longer than it would take me to trawl the stock image sites and find pics I like…and then forgotten my Paypal password six times, been furious and reset my password again… and then bought. You get the idea…

Are flat lays hard?

And you know what else I found? They weren’t half as challenging as I thought they would be. I mean, you have to think about a flat lay, but they’re actually really fun to create. And messing about with lovely things and arranging them differently is actually rather relaxing, and very rewarding.

However, I’m not an expert… so I recruited one for VIP… and that expert was Rachel Bragg.

The flat lay queen

Rachel is the lady behind Sweet Images Photography and is a friend, client and general all round superstar. I had a chat with her about flat lays because  I have long admired the ones that she has produced for her own social – just look at her Instagram feed.

And the challenge

Rachel put together a superb resource pack for the VIP members that talked about flat lays, worked through examples, gave a tutorial and tips too. And more than that, Rachel gave feedback on all the posts inside the closed Small & Supercharged VIP group. It was brilliant. To add a competitive elements (because I’m nothing if not competitive!), VIPers were invited to post their flat lay onto their Instagram feed, tagging myself, @rheafreemanpr, and Rachel @sweet_images_uk, and using the #smallandsuperchargedvip… you can have a look for this hashtag now and see the results. They’re nothing short of incredible. Anyway… the winners.

The winners are…

We decided to pick two winners for the flat lay competition… so we actually picked three. I know. But when you watch the videos. You’ll understand why. So, I’ll leave you in Rachel’s safe hands to explain who won what and why.

Fancy joining Small & Supercharged VIP or want to find out more? Have a look here…

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How collaborations work between brands… with Hiho Silver

How collaborations work between brandsI’m very excited to be able to bring you a real life example of how collaborations work between brands. Or, at least, how they can work when they’re done well. And, to make it even more exciting, WE HAVE A CASE STUDY. Oh yes. How collaborations work between brands using a real life example. The real life example uses Hiho Silver, who recently completed a superb competition online that allowed people to win a lovely prize each day for 10 days, to celebrate reaching 10k fans on Facebook.

How collaborations work between brands… and why it matters

If you follow this blog you will know that I am a big fan of collaborations. Why? Because they work. They generate feel-good for everyone involved. Customers win. Businesses win. And it doesn’t have to cost all that much either. What’s not to love? Collaborations can add lots of value to your brand, your followers and the company you’re collaborating with too.. so why doesn’t everyone do it? It’s simple, it takes quite a bit of leg work and often an ability to put your brand’s needs on a level to brand you’re collaborating with. For everyone to win. Everyone needs to win. But that’s a whole different blog.

Now, onto the case study – Hiho Silver

As you may or may not know, I am very proud to count Hiho Silver as a client and the people behind this brand as friends. Hiho Silver is interesting for so many reasons, not least because of the amazing exclusive country and equestrian jewellery designs they create. But more about that another time (or just follow them on Facebook or Instagram, or have a look at their website to see for yourself!). Another thing that is superb about Hiho is the company’s ability to fully embrace new ideas and work with others. It’s refreshing, forward thinking and is one reason the brand is as successful as it is.

ANYWAY. To celebrate Hiho Silver reaching 10k fans on Facebook, it was decided that we’d create a competition to thank the fans for their continued support. The Hiho Facebook community is a special one and gratitude is a theme that runs through everything Hiho does, and it’s always nice to have a reason to celebrate. As it was Hiho’s 10k, it was decided that one prize would be offered each day for 10 days. And that fans could enter on Instagram and/or Facebook. The entry mechanisms were slightly different (and native to each platform), but both options were there to give people maximum opportunity to get involved. So far, so good.

So, where does the collaboration come in? And how do collaborations work between brands?

Hiho collaborates with a number of brands throughout the year on a range of different projects, so it made sense to speak to some of Hiho’s ‘friends’ to see if they wanted to be part of the celebrations. Why? Just to get free stuff? No. It was more than that. The brands that Hiho collaborates with have been chosen because they have a similar target audience – ie – they make/sell products and services that the majority or a significant portion of Hiho customers would be interested in. For this competition, Hiho decided to speak to Annabel Brocks (who provided a stunning Contrast Leather Belt), Evemy & Evemy (who provided a Pluma Silk Scarf), Mackenzie & George (who provided a Chatsworth Belt and personalised keyring), Femmes Fatales (who provided a day’s shooting) and Fairfax & Favor (who provided a Pembroke Handbag). In addition, Hiho provided an Exclusive Hammered Pheasant Necklace, an Exclusive Spinner Ring, an Exclusive Cherry Roller Bangle with CZ Roller and a Leather Wrap with horseshoe or cartridge slider. So there were 10 prizes in total. And so it began. One prize a day for 10 days… and didn’t Hiho’s fans love it! Oh yes. And then some.

Did the brands involved benefit from the collaboration?

And did the brands that were involved benefit too – oh yes. Exposing some of their products to Hiho’s fans and followers (and their fans and followers as people frequently shared posts on Facebook even though this wasn’t an entry mechanism… because it can’t be according to Facebook terms and conditions). Hiho put together two graphics each day during the competition and posted these on its various social channels. In many ways it was a simple competition, but the planning to make the simple competition work was quite involved. Worth every second, but it takes time. To make collaborations work between brands – between anyone – you have to dedicate some time to the cause. And then the results really mean something. And everyone wins. Which is what it’s all about!

 

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