I’ve had Instagram for a couple of months, because I’m obsessed with photography apps. Instagram has, to many photographers dismay, become hugely popular with people worldwide and many professional photogs arguing that it ruins the integrity of photography but realistically, Instagram isn’t causing any major worry for professional photographers anytime soon…

To give a brief explanation, you can take, or use an existing photograph and apply a range of filters – these used to be fairly limited, but Instagram released an update late last year and it was this update which really put them on the map - alongside other Social Media platforms.

For example…

Before let’s take this image from the river Thames:

After applying an Instagram filter – areas of contrast have been highlighted making this image more impactful.

Area of sharp focus –users can also select which part of the image they want in focus (ideal for highlighting brand logos, for example):

Before:

After: 

The update not only gave users more filters, but also the capability to highlight certain areas of your photo and bring them into focus which soon became a hit with brands the world over.

But what the update really brought was the integration of Social Media to this app, as Instagram now offers users the ability to ‘like’ others’ photos, comment, mention other users and view most popular photos.  Of course, you can keep all your content private, but as more and more people look at this as ‘Social’ media, fewer people are resisting the privacy settings

The big question is, can Instagram be beneficial to brands? Indeed, I think it can be – it’s another way to engage with your audiences and ultimately it’s a way to showcase your brands creativity and give a fun insight to behind-the-scenes. It doesn’t necessarily need to be time consuming either and not to mention it’s easily integrated with Twitter too; meaning you can create a photo, write its caption using hashtags and as soon as Instagram has posted it, it’s posted in real-time to your Twitter feed…

So far, one brand really gaining a following here is energy drink Red Bull. With their strong links to the world of sport, Red Bull’s feed is full of spectacular photography of extreme sporting events with Red Bull branding across the various equipment and settings.

The popular energy drink brand has an impressive 109k + following across this network, all of whom are eager to see what sport Red Bull is supporting next. Ultimately, their use of Instagram as an extension of their broad Social Media plan is exemplary – the only thing it is lacking in is more consumer engagement, which is key. It seems once a photo is posted, the conversation from Red Bull ends.

Understandably, with 109k+ following, this approach is understandable, but a few occasional replies certainly wouldn’t go a miss.

The evolution from photo editing app to Social Media platform has been seamless for Instagram. Users simply need to participate, engage and, most importantly, communicate – as Instagram state on their website; ‘we felt that the snapshots people were taking were kind of like telegrams in that they got sent over the wire to others – so we figured, why not combine the two?’

Google Buzz intended to offer more of a community to Google users, citing its top five features as; Automatic Friends Lists (your ‘friends’ list is updated automatically to people who you have emailed through Gmail),  Rich Fast Sharing (which combines social media feeds into a single feed),  Public and Private Sharing (where you can switch between family and friends), Inbox Integration (which unlike Facebook where you’re emailed with updates, Buzz e-mails update dynamically with all Buzz thread content) and finally, Recommended Buzz, (which puts friend-of-friend content into your stream, even if you’re not acquainted. Recommendations learn over time with your feedback).

At first glance, these key five features seem like they could form the foundation of an excellent online social community. The Google blog informed us that Buzz was a ‘new way to start conversations about the things you find interesting and share updates, photos videos and more’. Buzz was inbuilt to Gmail, so again in order to benefit from this service you and your friends and family you wish to share with also had to have Gmail accounts. In Google’s own words ‘there’s nothing to set up – you’re automatically following the people you e-mail and chat with the most’.

There are three very evident flaws in Google’s first attempt at Buzz. Firstly, it seems people rarely choose Google as the ‘go-to’ place to set up an e-mail account (though I’ve no doubt this will change, and that more people are using Google since they took over YouTube). Secondly, there is far too much going on here – I want to go to Google, type in my query and get an instant result and thirdly, all the things that Google Buzz promises already exists, in better more streamlined formats.

I can’t help but wonder why Google, having established themselves as the leading search engine the web has to offer, is so desperate to add more and more. Indeed, it seems the ‘buzz’ around Google Buzz was fairly short-lived – following the announcement there was the standard speculation on the web as to what it would bring, whether it would be used and if it would outshine things like Facebook and Twitter as a social community / sharing platform.

Following the launch of Google +1, it seems most have forgotten Google’s first attempt at Social Media with ‘Google Buzz’, and indeed Google appear to have gone with something much more simple – the click of a button to show you ‘Like’ something (though, you still have to have a Google account). In my previous article, I asked whether or not Google +1 had been worth it, following further research into Google Buzz, I think the answer is perhaps not.

It’s a good case study for other brands to learn from too; when it comes to Social Media, Google +1 and Google Buzz don’t really have a USP – they’re placing themselves up against Social Media Market leaders like Facebook and Twitter, without bringing anything new to the table. And, why are Google so desperate to jump on this bandwagon, when they are possibly the world’s leading search engine? Perhaps Google is the prime example as to why Social Media isn’t right for every brand out there, and despite my uncertainty as to whether or not Google +1 will really take off, or will be long forgotten with Google Buzz, one thing’s for certain: only a heavyweight brand like Google can truly amass the following needed to wage in to the Social Media market. Should Google +1 not become the ‘next big Social Media thing’, it’s no skin off Google’s nose – after all, it’ll take something massive to have them fall from grace as the go-to search engine, and losing out to players like Facebook and Twitter in the battle for top Social Media channel isn’t going to see the end of them.

So when this week’s issue dropped, with a mint green front cover simply stating; ‘The Last Issue Design Week closes after 25 years’, I was disappointed to say the least. I soon found out that Design Week wasn’t exactly shutting down – they were instead choosing to go down the Digital-only route.

Sources cited that the main reason they’d chosen to go digital was because they already generate more advertising revenue via their website than they do in the printed editions of Design Week, and in an economic downturn, who can blame them? It’s a fairly obvious move in principle, which benefits both Design Week and their advertisers – after all, digital advertising is significantly easier to monitor and measure. Design Week can give a better insight into advertising that’s really going to benefit those who want to advertise with them.

Aside from the obvious benefits to going from print to digital, to me, it signifies a sad shift. I’ll miss taking fifteen minutes out of my Thursday to really enjoy Design Week – to flip through the news and announcements, to really appreciate stunning campaigns in all their printed glory. In a world where the popularity of tablets such as the iPad and the Blackberry Playbook is constantly on the rise, how long will it be before other favourite publications go digital only?

As we progress evermore into ‘The Digital Age’, will it become the norm to download and view our favourite publications, rather than to go to the local shop, buy them and spend time enjoying and consuming published pieces?
Design Week is many creatives’ bible – from juniors, through to execs.

For me, it gave me an insight into a brand new industry and a good insight at that too! Whilst I’ll still be able to view Design Week digitally, I don’t think I’ll be as compelled to log on. As the creative industry continues to be led by the Digital Age, it’s important for not only the team at Thought by Design, but for our clients – and even competitors to remember the significance, importance and impact printed pieces have.

So when Google threw their 2 cents in to the Social Media pot, the world waited with baited breath. In a technology-led industry, we’d heard a great deal about Google +1, and what it was intending to bring to the table.  The reaction has been perhaps one of trepidation – after all, this was internet giant Google, surely they were about to pull something fairly spectacular out of the bag?
 

Whilst Google’s + 1 is a good idea in principle; giving your ‘seal of approval’ so that your friends can easily locate sites you’ve recommend –it becomes a little more complicated in practice.
 

To begin with, you either have to have, or create, a public Google profile.  Once you have done this, you can then ‘+1’ websites you rate and your +1’s will be stored in your +1 tab on your profile, which is where you’ll manage all your +1’s and select whether you want to publicly display your +1 tab – and, regardless of whether or not you choose to publicly display your +1 tab, your +1’s will still be visible to others viewing content you +1’d. Essentially, though your information wouldn’t appear publicly, if you did choose to have a private profile, you’d appear as part an anonymous aggregated count of the people who had also +1’d the same thing.
 

This process is pretty long-winded; let’s just remember why we go to Google – it is a simple search engine – input what we want and get instant results. Usually if we’re ‘googling’, we want an answer, and we want it as soon as possible.  Google has been used by so many for so long – and it boils down to its simplicity. Which begs the question, is this latest add-on to Google an over-complication of a site that’s nailed its place in the market by being so simple?
 

What should just be the click of a button to inform friends of useful websites has fast-become a rather complicated process. In reality, something very similar also exists – the Facebook ‘Like’. As soon as I like any product, page or link, it’s posted to my profile, which in turn posts it to all my friends’ news feeds – and just like the Google +1, my ‘Like’ is essentially a recommendation of sites I like. Realistically, Facebook already does the +1, and does it a lot better.
 

As Google aims to compete with, rather than adopt Social Media, it begs the question of just how on-brand Social Media is for Google, and, whether they should ‘stick to what they’re good at’, rather than attempt to break into an industry whose key players are already well established. 
 

Will you be creating a Google account in order to manage and +1 websites, or will you stick to Googling-on-the-go, selecting results for yourself without the recommendation from others?

It seems that most brands are jumping on the Facebook wagon – regardless of whether or not it’s right for them.  The majority of my news feed is occupied with various fan pages for retail brands – take for instance one particular high street retailer who outsources their Social Media to a specialist SM agency. 

The aforementioned brand has daily regular features in place, which garner an impressive response from their 52,000+ strong Facebook fan base. This has undoubtedly improved relations by building a rapport between them and their target market, as their 14-25 year old audience will be a part of the ‘Facebook Generation’;  it’s no surprise their fan base is so big when their market is primarily made up of Facebook users . Not to mention their regular features and updates mean there’s a constant reinforcement of their branding when users sign in. It’s an integral part of this company’s strategy – they engage with their consumers and show an awareness of current trends with the various features they have.

In Thought by Design’s guide The Smart Brand’s Guide To Social Media – we highlight several downfalls to Facebook Pages, but this high street brand is a prime example of how well a Facebook page can work as part of integrated media – but, as with all aspects of social media, it’s not right for everyone. As mentioned in TBD’s guide, it’s imperative to have someone with their finger constantly on your social media pulse – but what comes before that? Ahead of incorporating a social media strategy in to your marketing plan, how do you know which social media outlet is right for you?

In my opinion, there is generally a ‘golden rule’ of sorts when it comes to deciding on whether or not to participate in the Facebook phenomenon, and it’s simple. If you’re a B2C business, then a good percentage of the time incorporating Facebook as part of your social media strategy is probably right.  Ultimately, it reinforces your brand presence, particularly at peak times, such as lunch hours, and in the evening – especially as new research shows that more and more people are turning to online socialising, rather than going down to the pub for an after-work drink.

On the other hand, if you’re a B2B business, then Facebook probably isn’t right for you - but is perhaps more appropriate for a facet of your business, such as recruitment for example, when integrated with a bespoke Social Media campaign. Bearing in mind that most offices operate a non-Facebook during work hours policy however, is one of an abundance of reasons for B2B businesses not to utilise this type of media.  Additionally – if your company is situated in a B2B market then the last thing you want is for your clients to think that your priority is Facebook and not the job in hand.

The reason that you, the member of your family or your colleague ‘Like’ a certain page comes down to just that – it’s a brand you personally like and would like to see more of; would your clients necessarily want  to see more of your brand outside of work hours?

The term ‘Social Media’ is fast being replaced by the term ‘Social Networking’ – but don’t be deceived in to thinking that this is always an appropriate way to engage with clients. It works for our retail brand, because essentially their direct contact with their clientele, boosting their profile and leading to more footfall either in-store or online - but for a B2B business it’s something people wouldn’t be as keen to take a ‘Liking’ too.

For instance, BNET.com an American business network has a fan page with 13,066 ‘Liking’ their page – you could argue that this a somewhat successful B2B Facebook Page, and no doubt it is, but BNET is more of an ‘open forum’ for like-minded business people to share tips, articles, advice and ideas which is what truly accounts for its success.

However – one of the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company based in the US. At first glance, their Facebook page ticks all the right boxes – an impressive user number and an update every three hours or so mixing a vast myriad of media, from podcasts to YouTube videos to articles. A little further research shows that they have nearly 5000 employees who may account for some of their 7,705 ‘fans’.  As an IT company, it’s understandable they’d want to show that their finger is on the pulse but, considering their continuous updates and the likelihood that the majority of their “fans” consist of employees, whose really gaining the benefit out of their Facebook page? Surely not the IT company themselves, who are spending valuable time updating, researching, adding etc? Or, their clients, whose priority when they get home and check their Facebook probably won’t be ensuring their up-to-date with Garter’s latest goings on.

Facebook has some teething problems with its Facebook Fan Page systems – but, beyond that, the fan page phenomenon will accentuate some brands and whilst it won’t exactly “hinder” many other brands, it probably won’t help them either, rendering it an ineffective use of resource and money.

For more information on how Thought by Design can create an impactful, integrated social media strategy for you call the team on (01491) 411 766.

E-mail kate.winthrop@thoughtbydesign.co.uk to receive your copy of The Smart Brand’s Guide To Social Media; Facebook Edition.

On the one hand, "brand tagging" as it's become known could prove largely beneficial - it's going to expand on Facebook's advertising pages and ultimately, broaden the horizon of the "free marketing" element of this type of social platform.

It's essentially your brand "in practice"; whether you're in the retail sector or the food and drink market, and it's a great way to prove your brand's popularity and really "view" your market; it is in many ways another form of 'free advertising'. In principle this is an excellent idea resulting in a win win situation.

In practice however, this can result in completely the wrong type of advertising for your brand. Cadbury's Wispa bar has a fan page that consists of over 1.5,000,000 users. That's a fairly substantial fanbase for any brand. However, see Wispa's most recently tagged photos;

The majority of these images are in fact spam, and completely irrelevant to Wispa.

As there is no screening process for photos that have been tagged, you can't "approve" any images before they go live on your Facebook page. Again, a slightly dangerous position to put your brand in- particularly if you are a family-orientated brand as it means inappropriate content for your audience can be uploaded.

Victoria's Secret host a fan page for their fragrance 'Pink'. Their Facebook page's tagged photos features other brands, irrelevant content and not an image of their own in sight. It would appear that no one is monitoring this page or it's photos.

And, whilst none of it is offensive, to the viewer it decreases the credibility of the site. Ultimately, luxury brands are all about the exclusivity of their pieces, people aspire to own this type of brand, and these irrelevant images take away from the 'exclusive' feel of these brands.

Confectionary brand Skittles, however, have lucked out. Their brand tagging reinforces brand loyalty and demonstrates a great rapport between brand and consumer.

They have ensured the user images posted are for the most part - skittle related. This is due to a PR campaign they have launched across their Facebook page, called "Rainbro of the Week" where users upload their photos to be in with a chance to be the "Rainbro", where they feature as the Facebook Page's profile picture for the week.

So, should you disable the brand tagging option? It's a question I suspect many brands will explore. On the one hand, left unmonitored and unchecked, brand tagging can result in numerous irrelevant - and potentially inappropriate pictures - being posted and associated with your brand. On the other hand, it can be a great advertisement for your brand, especially when incorporated with regular features, such as Skittles 'Rainbro of the Week' campaign.

Ultimately, it comes down to your Social Media Management; a strong team who dedicate time to monitoring the various aspects of your Social Media should allow brand tagging, as should any inappropriate content appear it can be dealt with quickly. Alternatively, a brand that doesn't have the necessary resources to conitinually check on it should think twice before allowing this type of functionality.

Kate Winthrop is Thought by Design's in-house Social Media Strategist. She has worked primarily in the retail sector and has a vast wealth of experience in SM, running acclaimed fashion blog The Style BITE.

Got a question for Kate? kate.winthrop@thoughtbydesign.co.uk for all your Social Media questions.

Here, Thought by Design's in-house Social Media Strategist, Kate, talks you through the basic ways of creating and maintaining an infrastructure to ensure your strategy remains impactful and relevant.

1.) Monitor & Measure

It's all about utilising Social Media in order to garner measurable results. With the assistance of tools such as "Add This", your audicences can not only help create more exposure for you, but you're also able to view what type of response was the most popular - whether that be a forwarded e-mail, a tweet, or a Facebook "Like"; whatever SM platform your brand has decided to go with you can ensure a measured response using Add This. See the below tutorial for a helpful insight in to just how it works...

2.) Educate 

Encourage your staff to use the social media products your company is using to familiarise their way around it and to gain a better understanding of each of the Social Media facets, allowing staff to better understand and appreciate the benefits of incorporating Social Media as a key part of your strategy.

3.) In Advance

Social Media isn't everyone's passion and similarly, often something that people find difficult to get passionate about - in spite of this, it's key that the relevant staff have an awareness and understanding on the SM front.

A good tip is to set a daily calendar reminder to post something relevant to whichever aspect of Social Media you're using, - or to share the burden between your team - a post from one person per day should be enough to keep it running smoothly and keep your updates regular.

4.) Everyone on Board

Before even putting the strategy in palce it's essential to make sure everyone at the company complies with it. That said, it's also important that employees know how to utilise social media effectively in order to boost your brand.

Install a brief training programme for staff - outlining what is appropriate and what isn't when utilising Social Media as a form of external communication.

5.) Social Media Style Guide

No doubt your brand will already have some format of brand and style guidelines in place - create one of those for your Social Media guidelines so that everyone is aware of the style and feel of all things Social Media.

Need more tips on how to manage your long-term Social Media plans? E-mail kate.winthrop@thoughtbydesign.co.uk

The graphic design industry is as fast paced as the next. It’s evolved into a form of fast communication through visually exciting, digitally enhanced, tweaked, pinched and perfected media for the metropolitan, cosmopolitan, modern community. From thermosensitive business cards to 3D websites, the graphic’s godfathers couldn’t have achieved more in the past decade. However, evolution is taking a twist and as the -dare I say the ‘e’ word?- economy continues to stumble forward, a new generation of media is emerging, which some of us may have encountered before…

There’s been so much new recently, it has become the new old, making what was old, the new, new. Confused? Don’t be. Few and far between are the days when we receive a piece of paper or information which we can hold in our hands. Be it an event invitation, a brochure, a birthday card or even the latest water bill. Only yesterday I popped into my local bank to ask for a copy of my bank statement and was ushered out quickly with instructions to, “go online.” Latest research is showing that consumers are demanding simple, value media rather than an eye popping, over-styled, visual explosion. There’s nothing quite like holding a piece of strong, quality paper, with a little embossing you can brush your finger over. Something you can feel and keep, it uses not only your visual sense but also your sense of touch. From cards to packaging, having a piece of paper at your fingertips is more satisfying than any ‘e-card’ saved in your junk mail.

The retail industry proves this year after year, with every seasonal holiday trumping any E-commerce advances with ‘the shopping experience’. 2011 see’s many of the largest retail chains introducing the new ‘click and collect’ service because E-commerce is missing a little something. That something is the ability to experience the touch and personal feel of shopping we all love. Customers are even encouraged to open or try on their purchases in-store when collecting. But how does this affect graphic design today?

The need for an affordable, attainable lifestyle has become more important than ever. The consumers are changing, therefore so is the product. Aspirational luxury and digital extravagance are ideals that are frightening consumers away, sending them to their cost effective old friend, paper. Digital Dons, Mac, produced a unique advertisement for net-a-porter.com’s new app for the iPhone. Using dense black card and stark white font, it delivered its message in basic monochrome. It was its shape and size- synonymous with the iPhone- that created its instant brand connection with its viewer. Fitting casually into the hand, it was effortless exposure with no digital fancies; a lot more cost-effective than splashing it across every glossy magazine and website going.

Not only is the industry evolving, we as consumers are also changing. Take the time to fully enjoy all your senses. Feel the personality and style of old event invitations, fish out photo albums and see the sleek, glossy texture or simply write a letter and get back in touch with your personal touch. Digital snobs would call it a recession, but I’d call it refreshing…

Tip 1:

Engage - it's social networking - talk with your followers, gage what your target market wants from you and ultimately improve your offering as a direct result.

Tip 2:

K.I.S.S - Keep It Simple & Searchable. Timely, relevant and simple tweets will position you as market leaders in your industry.

Tip 3:

Respond to complaints about your brand - ignoring them doesn't do you any favours and the quicker you're seen to deal with problems, the better.

Tip 4:

Give something back - Twitter is rife with people looking for "#competitions", "#giveaways" and any other hashtags relating to giveaways and the such. This boosts your following and in turn raises your profile.

Tip 5:

Create a calendar of daily features to be posted on Twitter. This gives your Twitter some structure and regularity - having this kind of structure in place ensures regular posting , even if the person in charge of your social media is absent.

Have you got a question about how Social Media can benefit your brand? E-mail Kate at kate.winthrop@thoughtbydesign.co.uk