It is expected that approximately 3 billion people worldwide will have a handle on social media by 2020, whether that’s through a computer, laptop, tablet or mobile device. Therefore, in a generation where digital technology is advancing at breakneck speed, constructing a modern social media strategy is vital for the survival of a company’s online presence.

Digital has increasing relevance in the modern world. Not only do consumers discover company updates through leaflets, poster ads and inside newspapers – it’s now also about LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. According to multiple resources* 88% of businesses now use multiple social media accounts as a part of their marketing strategy in order to reach a wider audience and solidify their brand’s name.

Increased Brand Recognition

Every chance a company has to disperse their content and presence across social media, they should grasp with both hands. A company’s social media channels are simply an extended voice for the brand. The profile pictures, bio and cover photos should all enhance the company’s overall identity, tone and image. Social media accounts should help new customers/readers identify who the brand is and what they do within moments of landing on the page. It should also aid existing customers with immediately recognising the brand.

Competitor Analysis

With the majority of a brand’s competitors continuously seeking methods to remain a step ahead of the game, social media helps to keep track of their latest ventures, projects and launches. Discovering this information aids brands with fresh ideas that could also work well for their own company. Conducting a deeper insight into the engagement and response from competitors’ audiences reveals what ideas worked well and may be worth testing out, knowing a positive result is anticipated. In addition, time is saved through learning which ideas did not perform so highly for others.

Staying Relevant

An audience’s attention predominantly drifts towards the most contemporary brands. Keep the company relevant through discovering current global trends with approaches such as Instagram polls, trending tweets and popular hashtags.

Relationship Building

New companies who wish to expand their audiences quickly, should understand that frequent usage of social media creates a snowball-like effect. Once relationships commence building, followers will tell their friends, their friends will tell their friends, and so on. Additionally, on top of emailing and phone calls,potential customers, clients and partners will also utilise LinkedIn messaging, Facebook messenger, DMs and comments

Driving Traffic

Promoting other areas of a business such as mobile apps, websites or competitions through social media accounts is an efficient way to increase recognition and traffic. New launches will take off and enter the public eye far more quickly with social media backing (and potentially sponsoring.)

If you wish to receive more information please contact us.

Segment your Audience to Create Stronger Marketing Campaigns

Here at Zest Media we love personas. We are content creators producing a range of beautiful Absolutely magazines and web-sites and knowing who we are speaking to improves our ability to engage with our target audiences.
Once you know what your ideal customers (your buyer personas) are interested in, concerned about, working toward, or excited about you can use this information to build content that helps your persona address these issues, overcome these challenges, and reach these goals.
And the best part? You don’t have to wait until your personas are complete before you can start creating this content for them. In fact, the very questions you’ll already be asking in the persona research process can be used as fodder for endless ideas and brainstorming on what to write and publish.  It is important to establish buyer personas for your business so you can segment your audience and create stronger marketing campaigns.  By using the tools and expertise of our partners at Hubspot we can help you establish your buyer personas – Zest Media is a Hubspot certified marketing agency and experts in content creation. As a starting point  this step-by-step wizard will guide you through the process of creating your own personalised buyer persona. Once you’ve started this process we would be happy to speak to you about the next stages in creating bespoke content for you – contact us here to find out how we can help you.

The Specialist Magazine For Investors in the London, UK & International Property Markets

Developers and estate agents looking to market their properties to Ultra High-Net-Worth investors from the Middle Eastern and International markets now have an exciting new publication to help showcase their forthcoming launches.

Absolutely London & UK Property (Global Edition) comes from Zest Media’s stable of beautifully produced and content-rich publications, with the added bonus of unique and strategic distribution to ensure that the magazines are reaching this exclusive target audience, who are notoriously difficult to reach.

Zest Media launched Absolutely London Property Magazine at Dubai’s Cityscape Global show in September 2016 and and captured on video the excitement of the occasion. 

After the success of our Absolutely Property Abu Dhabi Edition, which was published in March 2017 the forthcoming Dubai 2017 edition is set to be one of our biggest and best yet as we have extended the advertising and editorial to cover the international property market due to demand from advertisers. With advice from both agents and developers on the best locations to invest in, plus market round ups from our renowned property writers, our titles are invaluable for overseas nationals and ex-pats actively interested in investing in the London, UK and international residential and new homes markets.

One of the most exciting distribution channels for the magazines are the  Cityscape Events, some of the largest and most influential property exhibitions around the globe, connecting international real estate companies, buyers and foreign investors. We are thrilled to have partnered with Cityscape and are planning the next next phase of launches. For more details on forthcoming titles and a full breakdown of media information and distribution, please see our dedicated media pack here.

A Diary of my Internship with Zest Media

First, let me introduce myself, my name is Gant Chinavicharana and I am an intern at Zest Media – starting in early June 2017. My role is content generation assistant.

My internship with Zest Media came about through my university, as part of my postgraduate final project. Prior to this internship I had little to no experience working in an office, mostly working freelance, so I was very nervous when I found out I had an interview with Zest. As I leafed through the Absolutely stable of magazines I felt slightly out of place – at the time, a high-end luxury magazine publisher was not a place I could see myself working. My writing has mostly been rather informal in both style and topic – outside of university I run my own video game blog, which I felt wasn’t a natural fit for Absolutely’s magazines and web sites.

That view quickly changed when I arrive at Zest’s open plan office and seeing how relaxed the atmosphere is. Most of the employees dress informally and the enthusiasm is infectious. My interview went extremely well and a few weeks later, I officially became an intern at Zest Media.

Despite being the publisher of luxury lifestyle magazines aimed at affluent audiences, the enjoyable working environment eased off a lot of pressure that weighed on my mind. Working primarily as a content generation assistant, I added to the creation of Zest’s own content. From writing blog posts (such as this one), taking photographs, helping to conduct interviews, to even having the chance to contribute an editorial piece in the magazine – which was published and credited.

Many of the tasks I was given would see me venturing out of the office to various locations, primarily Wimbledon as I was working closely with that edition of the magazine. From fashion events, to restaurant reviews, openings, and new menu previews, there hasn’t been a week at Zest that I was in the office for the whole week. My personal favourite would have to be all the restaurant and food reviews; being a bit of a foodie, getting to try new food and write about it was a lot of fun and makes the whole internship process more interesting and dynamic.

In the office, aside from writing content, I also worked in various research task to support the senior team. Additionally I was also given access to Hubspot, the sales and marketing software with a collection of online courses to teach users about inbound sales and marketing. Completing these courses and their corresponding test would award me with certificates, strengthening my CV and professional credibility. These more corporate tasks gave me more experience with office work, helping me to grow professionally.

Interning with Zest Media is both an excellent learning opportunity, personally and professionally, as well as being one of the most interesting and fun places to work. I can say with absolute certainty that my 6 weeks at Zest has been one of the most valuable experiences in my life.

Gant Chinavicharana

If you are interested in internships at Zest Media please contact us here

Keywords and meta tags play a key role in inbound marketing strategies, and when they are done right, marketers can expect much more lead generation, conversions, and traffic in general. However the practice of using keywords and meta tags are also rife with pitfalls and mistakes are easily made; so here are some tips.

Key Word Research:

A fundamental in many processes is research, and the same applies here. Through research, marketers can find the best fitting keywords for their products. For example, if the product in question is a luxury item, avoid words such as “cheap” or “budget”. While some of those excluded keywords may generate more traffic, prospective customers will not find what they are looking for; potentially even viewing the brand as deceiving by using mismatched keywords.

Make a List

Simple but effective, by making a list of keywords generated through research, marketers can save a lot of time and energy. Create a list for each aspect or factor that can be associated with the product or the brand in general; compiling all of them into one master list for easy access and a time saver in future marketing campaigns.

The Buyer’s Mindset

Entering the buyer’s mindset, and thinking like a customer will allow marketers to see their brand from a different angle. Changing perspective can often reveal keywords that can be associated with the brand from a buyer’s point of view, for example with a luxury item, “expensive”, “high-end”, or “posh”.

Don’t Be Afraid of Long Keyword Chains

While they seem clunky and impractical, long chain of keywords (long tail keywords) are becoming more widely used in online searches. Buyers are coming more and more specific and precise in the product they are searching for, so specific and long chains of keywords are being used more frequently by buyers. Potential customers who use long tail keywords also have a higher conversion rate.

Understand and Use Meta Tags

Meta tags refers to text that would appear in various key locations of a website, all of them will help increase the site’s search engine rank. These can be things such as page titles, meta descriptions (text that accompanies the search result listing for the site, usually offering an insight into the contents), and meta keywords (hidden keywords that are embedded into the site’s code, invisible to the average visitor to the site). By ensuring that every page of the website has meta tags, search engines can offer potential visitors a transparent image of what the site, and by extension the brand, offers, increasing conversion rate.

Be Responsible, Don’t Abuse Keywords and Meta Tags

While keywords and meta tags are a great help, abusing them will ultimately reflect badly on the brand’s image. Using deceptive or un-associated keywords to trick visitors is a common form of keyword abuse, similarly with meta tags. Meta tags abuse can also include an overabundance of meta keywords hidden in the site’s code that has nothing to do with the site. If visitors are drawn to your site through dishonest means, brand reputation will suffer, through honest use of keywords and meta tags, the right audience will be attracted thus ensuring both revenue and a good brand reputation.

For more information or help regarding usage of keywords and meta tags, please contact us by clicking here.

INTRODUCTION:

Your “how to” blog post should teach the reader how to do something by breaking it down into a series of steps.

Begin your blog post by explaining what problem you are going to solve through your explanation and be sure to include any relevant keywords. Add in a personal story to establish your credibility on this topic. And make sure to end your blog post with a summary of what your reader will gain by following your lead.

Need some inspiration? Check out these “How-To” examples from the HubSpot blog:

• How to Write a Blog Post: A Simple Formula to Follow
• How to Do Keyword Research: A Beginner’s Guide
• How to Write an Effective Meta Description (Yes, They Still Matter)

BODY:

Now deliver what you promised in the first section. This is the longest part of the post, so make it easy to read. Use short paragraphs, bullet lists, and bold headings to set different sections apart.

Some common section headers include:

STEP 1: GETTING STARTED

STEP 2: DO YOUR BACKGROUND RESEARCH ON…

STEP 3: FIRST STEPS FOR…

STEP 4: ANALYZE AND REPEAT

STEP 5: WRAPPING UP

You can use bulleted lists, numbered list, or multiple headings. Include as many steps, numbers, or bullets that will allow you to discuss your topic thoroughly.

Here are some pointers to make the best possible body of your blog:

• Include visuals
• Include short explanatory phrases in your headers
• At the end, transition into your conclusion

CONCLUSION:

Now it’s time to say goodbye and wrap up your post. Remind your readers of your key takeaway, reiterate what your readers need to do to get the desired result, and ask a question about how they see the topic to encourage comments and conversation. Don’t forget to add a Call-to-Action to turn your blog post into a marketing machine!

Congratulations! What a lovely how-to post you’ve created.

Absolutely Mama fills the gap for a London centric parenting title

Looking at the plethora of pregnancy, parenting and baby magazines available, the team behind Absolutely Mama realised there was an editorial gap in the market for the young, busy and creative woman ready to approach motherhood in a non-traditional way. Absolutely Mama launched to cater for forward-thinking mums and mums-to-be, interested in modern content and design that focuses on the mother. Core themes include health, fashion, beauty, interiors and design.

Absolutely Mama is a parenting title with a real difference – something that’s reflected in its editorial content, design aesthetic and digital strategy.

The driving force behind the magazine is a new generation of enterprising modern mamas: women embracing motherhood as a creative opportunity. These pro-active, digitally savvy ‘Insta-mums’ won’t accept tired styling, bland features or cliched content. They insist upon the same diversity of ideas and quality of content they’re used to from wider women’s lifestyle media. They didn’t lose their sense of style when they had their babies, and they certainly don’t need a magazine to condescend to them when it could be talking to them as a friend and fellow mother.

It helps that the Absolutely Mama team is largely made up of mothers working flexibly while balancing the demands of career, creative interests and child-raising. The magazine is made by the same women it seeks to engage and represent. As a result, the publication resists lecturing to, patronising or making assumptions about its audience and focuses instead on real mothers’ ways of answering the many challenges and opportunities presented to them.

Absolutely Mama is a magazine designed by and for women determined to forge their own distinctive path through motherhood. And while the big brands and major products are represented, Absolutely Mama makes a point of foregrounding independent, design-led and often mama-run boutiques and brands so as to serve and support the revolutionary – and, once again, enterprising – new mothering community in all its forms.

In step with its audience at a critical point in their evolution as a community; leading the charge for the women it seeks to represent; embodying the values and vitality of its community in its forward-thinking design and open-minded, agenda-setting content: Absolutely Mama is the only parenting title with its finger firmly on the pulse of the new mothering culture.

After the success of the first issues, the Absolutely Mama team received encouraging positive comments about the quality and design of the magazine as well as its feel, look and vibe. Being a forward thinking, design-led, mother-focused publication shouldn’t be restricted only to Londoners. Readers from all around the UK contacted us, asking us for the magazine to be available outside London as well. And this is how the team went national. Our subsequent issues has moved its focus from the London mother to modern mothers all around the UK.

For more information on advertising in Absolutely Mama contact us here

One in Three Millennials Buy Products Featured in Sponsored and Influencer Content

Results from a survey conducted by Collective Bias has shown that one third of millennials would purchase a product following exposure to a sponsored post or influencer marketing.

This is great news for advertisers that are investing in native advertising formats, validating both the value of these channels and the investments many are making in them.

Sponsored content containing useful and relevant information will not only be more successful in terms of sales, but will allow more meaningful interactions and connections to be made with customers. Unlike materials that are generic or purely promotional, 34% of the participants in the survey reported that they do not mind if a post is sponsored as long as it contains key and useful information. If the posts are of a high quality 37% felt less likely that they are being ‘sold to’.

Another finding from this survey shows that sponsored content does not elicit an adverse response, with only 9% of the participants saying they would immediately ignore content if sponsored. Additionally, approximately a mere 2% have said that they feel annoyed or irritated by sponsored content.

As a platform, native advertising also helps to deter one of the threats to advertising; ad-blocking. Native adverts utilise the look and tone of content around them, bypasses ad-blockers and allows targeting of millennials, the generation that are most likely to use them, in unobtrusive and interesting ways.

It is predicted that by 2021, native advertising will make up 74% of the total advertising revenue in the USA, significantly more than the 56% seen in 2016. This predicted increase in native advertising’s share in the total revenue can be attributed to social media services such as Facebook and Twitter; both pioneers of native advertising and sponsored content. The advent of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and programmatic processes also makes native advertising campaigns much more accessible for advertisers. Read more about the importance of clearly defined content strategy from Zest Media here.

If you need further help or information regarding sponsored content and native advertising, please do get in touch.

As content marketing specialists and publishers of the Absolutely stable of magazines (17 luxury London publications) and our brand extensions Absolutely Mama (absolutely-mama.co.uk) and Absolutely Weddings (absolutely-weddings.co.uk), we know the challenges of being in control of the customer experience and keeping up with the competition.  We were delighted to attend a recent briefing from the PPA on their recent research (commissioned by Abacus e-Media) to smaller, independent publishers on the transition of content from print to digital. Although there are pressures for SME publishers the advantages of being smaller mean businesses such as Zest can compete competitively and innovatively in an increasingly sophisticated digital space.

To find out how we can help you with your content marketing contact us using this magic form.