Thinking of rebranding? Listen to this first!

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been discussing one of the most interesting (and, let’s be honest, slightly random) rebrands I’ve encountered—Twitter’s transformation into X. Elon Musk, the man behind this rebrand, is an impressive entrepreneur with an amazing record, but I was keen to get under the skin of this one and thought what better way than on the podcast… let’s go…

Twitter’s Rebrand to X

There are a few points to this podcast- the key talking points you’ll hear are around…

A rebranding overview: Twitter’s change to X breaks conventional rebranding rules, making it a particularly interesting case study. We’ll explore the strategy behind this move and what it means for the platform’s future.

The vision: It would seem that Elon is looking to evolve and develop Twitter into something much more expansive than just a social media platform. We’ll discuss his potential ambitions and what this could mean for users.

Why rebrand?: Companies rebrand for various reasons, including evolution, development, and sometimes to distance from past negative reputations. We’ll explore these motivations in depth.

What do you need to think about before you rebrand?: Before jumping into a rebrand, it’s crucial to understand why you’re doing it and ensure it’s not just out of boredom. A successful rebrand requires clear objectives and a solid plan to communicate these changes to your audience.

What makes a successful or unsuccessful rebrand?: We’ll look at examples of both successful and less successful rebrands. Factors that contribute to success include maintaining some consistent elements from the old brand to help with recognition and continuity.

What are consistent elements of a brand and why do these matter in a rebrand?: Brands like Apple have managed to evolve while keeping core elements intact, ensuring brand recognition remains high.

Tips for a Successful Rebrand

1. Why are you doing it?: Clearly define the reason for your rebrand. Whether it’s to modernise, shift direction, or target a new audience, knowing why you’re doing it will guide the entire process.
2. Consistency is key: Keep some elements of the old brand to ensure recognition. This can be the colour palette, fonts, or logo elements.
3. Communication really does matter: Ensure your audience understands the reasons behind the rebrand and how it benefits them. Buy-in from your customers and stakeholders is crucial in the success of a rebrand.

Rebrands are complex but necessary for growth and adaptation in a changing market. By understanding the reasons behind them and maintaining some consistency, businesses can navigate rebrands successfully. It’s going to be really interesting to see how Twitter/X’s rebrand goes, and the potential impact it will have on the brand.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Small and Supercharged Podcast. If you have any questions or want to discuss this further, join our community or Mastermind Group!

August 9, 2023/by Rhea Freeman

General Blog Posts

The Barbie Movie = a marketing masterclass

There aren’t many people that have escaped the Barbie-mania that has swept over the Uk over the last few months, and that’s far from accidental. Barbie the toy has always been a little bit of a crowd splitter, with people liking or hating the doll that was seen to symbolise a lot about women, but the film… that hit differently.

As someone who was most definitely in the ‘not a fan’ camp, I started noticing the marketing campaign as it unfolded quite a few months ago. There were filters, collabs, pink billboards… and when the film premiered (and the Malibu Dream House was available on Air BnB), the PR machine that is Barbie went up many (many) levels. I’ve been in awe of how everything pink and Barbie has infiltrated so many areas of our lives over the last few months. As I chat about in this episode of the podcast.

Even though the reported budget exceeds what most have to spend in a few lifetimes, there’s a whole lot to learn from Barbie, as I share in this episode of the podcast. Here’s how this podcast is broken down:

Let’s start at the beginning… Barbie’s history and stereotypes

There’s no doubt that Barbie has historically been well known for stereotypes connected to the appearance of women. I feel that this was one of the parts about the brand that, over the years, was so galvanising. As people’s body shapes and lifestyles have changed, I was interested to see how the scriptwriters would address this in the movie… but they have.

The marketing masterclass

As a marketer (or marketeer- however you want to say it!), I’ve been fascinated by the marketing masterclass that the Barbie Movie has been. Yes, the team has had a large budget, but the creativity and cleverness that has been applied in so many different ways has been- in my opinion at least- very exciting and inspiring to watch.

Collaborations

A big part of the Barbie Movie promotion has been around collaborations. These have spanned industries from games to cosmetics, food and so much more. Collaboration can be a highly effective way to marketing a brand and the fact that so much time, energy and money was put into this side of marketing here- and how effective it was- really does prove this and then some.

Promotional activities

It didn’t stop with collaborations- in fact- Barbie infiltrated every area of our lives around launch, including the Barbie pink Google search and the Barbie filters all over social. Not only were these fun and engaging but helped to further heighten the buzz and excitement around the film’s release.

Branding and consistency

One area that the team nailed was the detail around Barbie’s brand identity. The specific shade of pink, the specific fonts in campaigns… every time we as the public see these, not only can we instantly recognise them without the whole story, but it further reinforces the brand recognition and recall.

Influencer marketing and social proof

I also talk about how influencer and social media played a huge part in the hype, and this was largely thanks to the thought that the marketing team put in to make these interactions engaging, interesting and photo worthy. These steps illustrated the power of social proof in building credibility and excitement around a brand or product.

And the star of the show- Margot Robbie

Margot had a huge impact on the marketing of the movie and continued to ensure column inches for each launch around the globe thanks to her fashion choices mimicking those of actual Barbies through the ages. This helped to generate even more interest in the Movie and a lot of media coverage too.

July 26, 2023/by Rhea Freeman

Small business, Small business coaching

Let’s talk about Threads

Threads has been everywhere since it launched less than a week ago. With Meta’s latest app receiving 100 million plus sign ups (which is incredible) in just a few days, I wanted to share some tips and thoughts to help you get to grips with it (if you’d like to!). On this episode, I explain where it fits in the social media landscape, why I like it, what’s missing, and plenty more besides.

Exploring Threads – The New Social Media Platform

I’ve condensed this into seven questions as I’ve been doing a fair amount of TV and radio about this shiny new app, so I have picked out the recurring themes to deliver you a fast guide to help you on your Threads journey!

What is Threads?Threads is a new text-based social media app closely integrated with Instagram, owned by Meta (formerly Facebook). Unlike Instagram’s focus on visuals, It emphasises text-based conversations, making it a platform for quick exchanges and engaging discussions.
Do You Need Threads?Whether you need it depends on your preferences and social media strategy. I’m enjoying it and like its community-oriented approach.
How to Get Started?Getting started with Threads is easy, especially if you have an existing Instagram account. The app seamlessly integrates with Instagram, carrying over your profile information and allowing you to jump right in.
What Should You Post?While there’s no strict rule on what to post, focusing on conversation starters and engaging discussions aligns well with platform’s ethos. Quality conversation takes precedence over flashy visuals.
What’s Missing?Currently, Threads lacks features like functional hashtag search and direct messages. However, it’s a young platform with lots of potential for growth and improvement.
Do I Like It?So far, I’m enjoying it positive experience with Threads. The platform has a different vibes to others and there are some great conversations being shared.
Should You Join?Whether you should join depends on your interest and willingness to explore new platforms. Being an early adopter presents opportunities to make a significant impact within the community should it become successful.

In summary, Threads offers a fresh take on social media, and really does focus on meaningful conversations over visual content. While it’s still evolving, joining early could potentially enhance your online presence and influence.

July 12, 2023/by Rhea Freeman

Equestrian Business, Podcast, Social Media

Going viral, dealing with trolls, and social license to operate with Niki Baxter

Is going viral all it seems? Do we need to be aware of social license? We chat about this as well as how to deal with trolls on this week’s podcast with Niki Baxter from Baxter Equine Services

You can listen on Apple here…

I’ve followed Niki for as long as I can remember and have been wowed by her perfect plaits, amazing clips and stunning quarter marks and more for years. Some of Niki’s videos have gained huge traction with one getting over 160 million views making it truly viral… but is going viral all it’s cracked up to be? Spoiler alert… not so much. Niki has had her fair share of viral content and the trolls and opinions that come with it, and I’m so pleased that she was open to sharing the ups and downs of this journey.

150 million views

One of Niki’s videos recently received well over 150 million views, and the comments she received provided a great opportunity to discuss whether going viral is all it seems, and the fairly significant negatives this can have.

Niki also discusses dealing with opinions on social media, social license to operate and why we all need to be aware of this, and shares lots of tips too.

It was an absolute joy to speak to Niki and hear her insight on all these subjects. Not easy ones but very important ones for any user of social media and any equestrian too.

To find Niki in all the places, make sure you check her out on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and her own website.

July 6, 2023/by Rhea Freeman

General Blog Posts, General Business, Social Media

Is that really you? How to spot a fake account on social media

Have you ever had an encounter with someone who pretended to be someone they weren’t? In real life, the fake moustache is a big giveaway(!), but online, on social media, it’s a lot harder to spot. A few weeks ago, some delightful individual decided that I would be a good person to pretend to be. The whole thing was more than a bit strange, but as you know, I like to use these weird experiences as learning points for anyone who needs them- myself included(!), so, let’s dive in to how to spot a fake account on social media, shall we?

This blog is taken from a podcast I recorded all about the experience, so make sure you head off and listen to the whole podcast for all the juicy details (and all the strange bits of the story!)

My impersonator (affectionately referred to as ‘fake me’) did a really good job. They took lots of elements from my account and bio, targeted people I knew, and bizarrely even promoted a course I run (I assume this was some kind of trust gaining exercise), but they let themselves down on a few points, which I chat about on the podcast.

From this, I have opted to pay for verification on my Instagram account. Should I have to? No, but my Instagram account is important to me. Did it aid the removal of the fake account? It vanished in under 12 hours. Should you? It’s a personal decision whether to opt for the subscription, but it did provide me with a positive outcome in this situation.

Dealing with impersonation on social media can be unsettling, but there are steps you can take to protect yourself. Here are some key takeaways:

1. **Be vigilant**: Pay attention to language, communication style, and subtle details that might indicate an account is not genuine.

2. **Check usernames**: Look for subtle variations, extra characters, underscores, or misspellings in usernames that impersonators might use.

3. **Avoid clicking on links**: Be cautious about clicking on links, especially if they are shared through direct messages. Verify the legitimacy of the links through other means, such as going to that person’s website and

4. **Screenshot and report**: If you encounter an impersonation account, take screenshots of the interactions and report the account to the platform. Provide evidence to support your report.

5. **Inform the person being impersonated**: If possible, reach out to the person being impersonated through other channels to let them know about the situation. Share any evidence you have.

6. **Consider verification**: Depending on your situation and preferences, you might explore verified subscriptions offered by social media platforms for added security and support.

Remember, maintaining awareness and staying proactive can help protect yourself and others from the impact of impersonation on social media. If you ever find yourself in such a situation, follow these steps to address it effectively.

June 28, 2023/by Rhea Freeman

General Blog Posts, Small business, Social Media

Do you really want to go viral?

Do you really want to go viral? Let’s talk about the Unicorn of Social Media: Going Viral”

Welcome to the Small and Supercharged podcast! In this solo episode, I explore the concept of social media virality, talk about what it means to go viral, why people are obsessed with it, and whether it should be the aim of our content.

I was recently on the radio discussing the topic of going viral, and did a dive into the pros of reaching the right audience versus any audience. Because that’s the think. When content goes viral, it can extend way beyond your audience, beyond your audience’s audience, and out to thousands and thousands (or even millions) of people who aren’t ‘your people’. This can apply to various forms of viral content, including videos, memes, and photographs.

Is going viral predictable?

In this episode, chat about the importance of understanding the unpredictability of virality and how it often hinges on the shareability and uniqueness of the content. I also discuss the challenges of defining what constitutes a viral post and whether there are different levels of virality based on individual account metrics (spoiler alert, I’d say there are!)

Why do people want to go viral?

The podcast touches on the reasons why people desire to go viral, including increased exposure, potential opportunities, and positive impacts on personal branding. I do understand the excitement of content taking on a life of its own and spreading rapidly, I really do- this podcast isn’t a negative one about the subject, it just ‘unpacks’ it in. more detail.

The discussion also covers the difficulty in predicting what will go viral and the lack of a foolproof formula for achieving virality. I also talk about what I advise content creators to do, and that’s to focus on putting out their best content, staying true to their brand, and analysing previous successful content to understand audience preferences.

Due to the unpredictable nature of going viral, if you do create a piece of unicorn content, then I’d definitely look to enjoy the ride. That said, see content going viral as a nice to have, the aligns with your account and purpose, but the overriding objective being to build your brand and increase your reach through engaging with your fans and followers via quality engagement.

Shameless plug!

If you’re interested in social media tips and building your brand on a budget, don’t forget to check out my book, “Small and Supercharge: Small Steps to Supercharge Your Brand on a Budget,” available on Amazon.

March 19, 2023/by Rhea Freeman

Podcast, Small business

Is it all bad? In praise of social media…

Have you noticed? Every time social media is mentioned in the news lately, it’s for something bad, isn’t it? This publicity then increases people’s fear around its use- and I get it- but we need to remember that the issues that make the news are in the minority, that social media will continue to be a part of our lives… and that burying our heads in the sand won’t solve anything… and that’s what this podcast is all about.

The main issue for me is that it’s not the platform’s fault. It’s like blaming paper for what journalists write, the car for the drunk driver… it’s the conduit for the badness. The badness comes from people who use it. They are the problem.

I do understand the fear, particularly when we look at the younger generation and their use of it moving forward, but deciding to ban something that can be so beneficial isn’t the answer. Or, at least, I don’t think it is.

I do have concerns about the next generation and their use of social media, but perhaps not for the reasons you may think. I worry that there’s not enough education in schools about it and how many parents don’t educate themselves about it so they don’t understand the platforms when the times comes that they need to. In my opinion, schools should be teaching social media (and the associated skills such as photography, videography, caption writing, online networking, safety) because it’s not going away, it can be a hugely valuable tool in supporting a happier life and better prospects, and pretending it’s not ‘a thing’ and will go away is just silly.

Anyway… I recorded a podcast about all of this! I hope you find it useful…

February 15, 2023/by Rhea Freeman

Podcast, Small business, Social Media

Social media ads 101 with Aggie Meroni from White Bee Digital

Social media ads are here to stay. We all have the ability to place them, but that doesn’t mean that the whole process isn’t overwhelming. Particularly if you’re just starting out.

As a Meta Lead Trainer, I teach a fair amount about the ads process and how ads work on the different platforms, but for this episode I wanted to go deeper and speak to an ads specialist who works across a range of platforms, and that’s Aggie Meroni, the founder of White Bee Digital. Aggie is an expert in paid social, working with individuals and agencies to help them maximise the effectiveness of their ad spend.

Aggie has worked for years with a range of businesses when it comes to placing ads on social, and here she gives us a masterclass in how to get started on the ads journey. Yes, it can feel like a lot, but with Aggie’s help, tips and some of her fab freebies and checklists, it needn’t be at all.

Find out whether the boost button really is a waste of money, how much money she suggests you need to spend to make an impact, and why Christmas should start in September if you’re serious about ads… it’s a good one!

To find out more about Aggie and White Bee Digital, just see the website.

February 8, 2023/by Rhea Freeman

Podcast, Small business

Should you use awareness days for your social media and marketing?

With this week being home to Blue Monday, it seemed like a good excuse to have a chat about the potential issues that come from using awareness days for your social media, as part if your content plan… and that’s what this podcast is all about.

Should you use awareness days for your social media and marketing?

Let’s dive into what an awareness day is, shall we? Awareness days are specific dates that are dedicated to raising awareness about a specific issue. This could be something health related, connected to the enviroment, or even around food, such as Chocolate Day! Some ‘days’ last a lot longer with weeks and even months being dedicated to causes and awareness raising. Some of these awareness campaigns are UK only, some are international, and some might even be local (there’s a Yorkshire Day that fits this brief!). There are a LOT of days, and this can help you and your business to promote something you are truly passionate about, but it can also look false or irrelevant if not handled well.

Of course, the right awareness days can add a lot to your messaging, your brand, and your customers, but when brands latch on to any day they think they can ‘make’ work for them, it rarely ends well.

Ask yourself…

Is this awareness day relevant to me?
Is this awareness day relevant to my business?
Is this awareness day relevant to my customers?
Am I really aligned with this day, or am I a) struggling for content b) want to get extra reach from being involved c) am I doing it just because I think I should but don’t really have anything to add?

The answers to these questions will lead you in the right direction!

Hopefully this episode will provide some food for thought, and a bit more background about Blue Monday that might encourage a little more research before other days are adopted into your plan.

And pssst- Blue Monday was created by Cliff Arnall, a psychologist based in the UK due to a variety of factors that he thought made the third Monday in January the saddest day of the year. It turns out that this is a subject for debate amongst scientists, so don’t get too attached to having to be miserable that day!

January 18, 2023/by Rhea Freeman

Equestrian Marketing & PR, Podcast, Social Media

Really easy Reels

Reels have been in the social media news a lot of late, and whilst many people like watching them, creating them can be a bit of a time consuming chore.

Really easy Reels

And yet, if you try and shun these short-form video snippets, the chances are that you’ll be losing out on reach and getting your message and content out to the people you really want to see it.

So what can you do? On today’s podcast, I talk you through some really simple, fast Reels ideas that anyone can do in moments. I promise.

Are they going to be as good as the incredibly timed masterpieces we see on the accounts of influencers whose job it is to create content? They’ll be different to these, and that’s fine too. But through using the tools inside the app and changing your thoughts from ‘no, I don’t want to’ to ‘how can I make this work for me?’, you have a much (much) greater chance of Reel success and Instagram growth.

How to create Reels in next to no time…

Check out Templates on Reels. Templates allow you to take your Reels to the next level without spending hours and hours trying to get every single transition in the right place in time with the music.
Gather content during your day to show a process. Set up your phone and get it to film something during the day or during a process. You can then speed it up for Reels.
Reels don’t have to be videos! An easy way of doing Reels is to use images, or use an image and then add timed text for that dynamic element.
Find trending sounds and use these over relevant videos. Really easy and very effective.

August 10, 2022/by Rhea Freeman

Browse

Services

Useful Links

Recent Posts