Simon Scholes

On do a grouch a favour day, I thought it was worth discussing the biggest issue with hitting post on a piece of content you'd like on social media.......that's right, the world of the trolls. I live by a mantra of "it's none of my business what anyone thinks of me" but, how can you make sure you're posting content? Facebook live cheat sheet: http://perceptionstudios.co.uk/cheat-sheet/ Hi, I'm Simon, and welcome to Daily Perceptions. I am the founder & creative director of Perception Studios UK, and award winning visual marketing agency, based in Andover Hampshire, in the UK. I also specialise in working with small businesses, and brands in helping them understand how they can grow their social following and brand for FREE....my favourite four letter word. However, it does take hard work and patience, so if you think you've got what it takes, let's start the journey with this video. SOCIAL MEDIA ► Snapchat - http://www.snapchat.com/add/stopjabbaingon ★ Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/simonscholes77 ► I

Today is hashtag#singlepersonsday and it makes me think of all the solopreneurs out there. Weekends are so precious for those of you working alone all week. Yes it’s the WEEKEND, and we all know what that means, I’m about to spend two days telling you how social media doesn’t work a 5 day week. That’s right, the weekend is a fantastic opportunity for you to keep talking to your amazing audience, and keep giving them value that your competition probably isn’t doing. How do you keep them interested on a weekend, well why not run polls, get them involved in a quiz on your instagram stories, or simply go out and speak to them on their content as well as posting your own stuff. Just don’t forget, the weekend isn’t always a chance to switch off, but more so, a chance to really get 4 or 5 steps ahead of the competition with a few simple social media posts and a bit of being social on social media. Facebook live cheat sheet: http://perceptionstudios.co.uk/cheat-sheet/ Hi, I'm Simon, and welcome to Daily Per

Well, today is #valentinesday what do you do to show your audience you care? Well, how about not selling but giving value. We all know that we don’t like being sold to, so why do we still see so many businesses ignoring the rules of engagement and spending their time selling solidly on their social media channels. They don’t respond to comments, and every single photo and piece of copy is selling to their audience, and then they wonder why the don’t get the interaction rates they really wanted. Now, imagine giving nothing but value to your audience. Imagine being an expert in your field, a voice of authority, and giving them that value for free, value that will really help them, value they can use and implement in their business straight away. Imagine responding to every single comment you get rather than acting like a douchbag and not talking to the 5 people who’ve taken time to write to you in the comments. If you can do the above, you’ll be amazed at how your audience will grow, and how you’ll build

Today is World Radio Day, and being a former producer and presenter it's a medium I'm exceptionally fond of. I believe audio is a superb way of being able to paint a picture in the listener's mind without the need for a visual, this is why I believe one of the most powerful marketing tools available to a brand and business right now is the podcast. You don't need loads of kit you just need your voice and something to record audio (usually a phone). Facebook live cheat sheet: http://perceptionstudios.co.uk/cheat-sheet/ Hi, I'm Simon, and welcome to Daily Perceptions. I am the founder & creative director of Perception Studios UK, and award winning visual marketing agency, based in Andover Hampshire, in the UK. I also specialise in working with small businesses, and brands in helping them understand how they can grow their social following and brand for FREE....my favourite four letter word. However, it does take hard work and patience, so if you think you've got what it takes, let's start the journey with

Today is "safer internet day". This is very specific today as it's been announced in the news about Ofcom looking to try and regulate social media more so in the UK which will be a difficult task, to say the least. It got me thinking, as a lot of the keynote talks I give usually end up with me meeting people who demonise social media personally and so don't use it for their business or brand. As George Swift from Bigger brighter Bolder would say about money and your business, it doesn't give a shit about you, it's hungry and it needs cash so you need to feed it by selling. Well, social media is the same, it and technology don't give a shit about you, it will continue to be used by your competition and others even if you decide you won't because YOU don't like it. Take yourself out the equation and start making good use of these FREE platforms. Facebook live cheat sheet: http://perceptionstudios.co.uk/cheat-sheet/ Hi, I'm Simon, and welcome to Daily Perceptions. I am the founder & creative director of

We've all heard saying, don't cry over spilt milk, but, does this saying potentially mean you end up not posting on social media? We put too much value on getting things perfect and what people might say about the value we're giving. Perfect content really isn't important, giving value really is. So what value can you give your growing audience? Facebook live cheat sheet: http://perceptionstudios.co.uk/cheat-sheet/ Hi, I'm Simon, and welcome to Daily Perceptions. I am the founder & creative director of Perception Studios UK, and award winning visual marketing agency, based in Andover Hampshire, in the UK. I also specialise in working with small businesses, and brands in helping them understand how they can grow their social following and brand for FREE....my favourite four letter word. However, it does take hard work and patience, so if you think you've got what it takes, let's start the journey with this video. SOCIAL MEDIA ► Snapchat - http://www.snapchat.com/add/stopjabbaingon ★ Twitter - http://www.

So, you know who you're talking too now.....right it's time to start planning your marketing content, starting with a blog. The question is for most people, "WHAT AM I GOING TO WRITE ABOUT", so let's discuss this. Facebook live cheat sheet: http://perceptionstudios.co.uk/cheat-sheet/ Hi, I'm Simon, and welcome to Daily Perceptions. I am the founder & creative director of Perception Studios UK, and award winning visual marketing agency, based in Andover Hampshire, in the UK. I also specialise in working with small businesses, and brands in helping them understand how they can grow their social following and brand for FREE....my favourite four letter word. However, it does take hard work and patience, so if you think you've got what it takes, let's start the journey with this video. SOCIAL MEDIA ► Snapchat - http://www.snapchat.com/add/stopjabbaingon ★ Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/simonscholes77 ► Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/simon_scholes ★ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/perceptionstudio

When it comes to putting together a marketing plan, you're on a hiding to nothing if you don't know who your ideal client is....your niche. This isn't to say you'll never do work for anyone else, but, niching down will really help you understand the content you have to create going forward as you'll be able to get into their heads. Julia's avatar doc: https://mailchi.mp/56fafa42dcf4/ideal_client_avatar Facebook live cheat sheet: http://perceptionstudios.co.uk/cheat-sheet/ Hi, I'm Simon and welcome to Daily Perceptions. I am the founder & creative director of Perception Studios UK, and award-winning visual marketing agency, based in Andover Hampshire, in the UK. I also specialise in working with small businesses, and brands in helping them understand how they can grow their social following and brand for FREE....my favourite four-letter word. However, it does take hard work and patience, so if you think you've got what it takes, let's start the journey with this video. SOCIAL MEDIA ► Snapchat - http://w

When it comes to a whole new year, we spend ages setting goals, resolutions etc. for both our brands and businesses as well as for ourselves to try and achieve. However, one of the most important things as well as doing this is to set and put together a marketing plan/strategy. This is essential to stop you scatter gunning your content in 2020. So many people don't know what they're posting, where they're posting it and WHY. So, I want you to start putting together your marketing plan Facebook live cheat sheet: http://perceptionstudios.co.uk/cheat-sheet/ Hi, I'm Simon, and welcome to Daily Perceptions. I am the founder & creative director of Perception Studios UK, and award winning visual marketing agency, based in Andover Hampshire, in the UK. I also specialise in working with small businesses, and brands in helping them understand how they can grow their social following and brand for FREE....my favourite four letter word. However, it does take hard work and patience, so if you think you've got what

Burger King are smashing their marketing right now, tieing their content back into current events in the UK. So let's have a chat about how their brilliant new bus siding advert could potentially go viral on social media and save them time and money making it happen themselves. Facebook live cheat sheet: http://perceptionstudios.co.uk/cheat-sheet/ Hi, I'm Simon, and welcome to Daily Perceptions. I am the founder & creative director of Perception Studios UK, and award winning visual marketing agency, based in Andover Hampshire, in the UK. I also specialise in working with small businesses, and brands in helping them understand how they can grow their social following and brand for FREE....my favourite four letter word. However, it does take hard work and patience, so if you think you've got what it takes, let's start the journey with this video. SOCIAL MEDIA ► Snapchat - http://www.snapchat.com/add/stopjabbaingon ★ Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/simonscholes77 ► Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/sim

Stop Buying Courses From Fakes - The Social Media Podcast by Simon Scholes

I've just got myself a new phone from the brilliant guys at the Carphone Warehouse, but, it wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for the awful customer service I received from my old service provider, so let's talk about the customer care you give and how it has similarities to your social media platforms too.

THERE’S NO MAGIC HASHTAG We all see a lot of content from people who’re influencers, and this is not going to sit well with some of them, but I think it has to be said. I was just looking at another convention where yet again a group of so called influencers are being asked to speak to a bunch of kids about what it takes to be an influencer and how they did it. If an influencer was being honest with the audience, most of them have no clue what happened to make them fly other than making regular content. Brands, businesses, agencies, influencers…..nobody has a magic pill as to how to make a viral piece of content. Anyone who tells you or your business they know…..is talking utter bullshit. There’s no formula, there’s no secret way, or awesome hashtag that draws in an audience. It takes hard work, knowledge, and an open mind to learn from people who understand the platforms, a little. I am sick to death of seeing talks and conventions and influencers offer a MAGIC PILL for your $1000 if you do their cour

PODCAST TIP 8 DO INTERVIEWS Interviews are a big part of podcasting, and for good reason. They break up the potential monotony of one voice talking for too long, they add expertise and gravitas to your episode, and it's a chance to tap into your interviewee's own following – a tale of two audiences! You'll want to get the most out of your interviewee and maximise their contribution to your cause. That boils down to the conversation you have, and the questions you ask. No pressure. Don’t forget to allow them to pitch who they are and what they do, and of course listen to their answers. It’s always a good idea to have a few questions lined up before the interview, but, if you actually listen you’ve a great chance of coming up with new questions to throw into the mix from what they’re saying. It’s also massively important to make the process fun for you both and worth their while so allow them to finish with links to their social, website etc. and be sure to let them know where the podcast will be when i

PODCAST TIP 7 BUILD A COMMUNITY Encourage your audience to participate in your live chat (if you have one). Ask for feedback, conduct surveys and polls, keep a close eye on your podcast's analytics (sound clouds built in analytics on the paid version is excellent). Know which topics garner the most interest from your audience and let your audience help shape the direction of your podcast. We all love to interact with content we enjoy, so it’s time to start making it easier for your audience.

PODCAST TIP 6 Sharing is great. Ratings are better. As with any web content, social media integration is a must for your podcast to help your audience spread the word faster. If your podcast is largely distributed via iTunes, you'll want to encourage subscribers to rate and review your podcast to help boost its standing within the iTunes directory. This is one of the best ways for your audience to help you get discovered, but wherever it’s put, just make sure you’re actually asking the audience to subscribe, and share and rate your content, if you don’t ask, you most certainly will not get.

PODCAST TIP 5 THE FASTEST GROWING PODCAST PLATFORM IN THE WORLD The fastest growing podcast platform right now is YouTube. This may seem odd, as everyone associates podcasts with audio, but, video podcasts are huge right now and growing massively through YouTube. If you've got an audio only podcast, maybe it's time to turn it into a video too. This can be done easily using your video editing software, by speaking to a professional team about helping your with your re-purposing or paying for an app like waave, which is quite expensive (between $18 to $32 a month). YouTube might not be the first platform people think of when they’re looking for podcasts, but a growing number of top creators are proving YouTube is a bonafide podcast network. Several YouTubers — including Logan Paul, Marques Brownlee, and Emma Chamberlain — have launched podcasts in the last year. They’re all available through traditional audio platforms, like Apple Podcasts and Spotify, but many also offer video versions that live on

PODCAST TIP 4 WHAT’S YOUR FORMAT? Will this be an audio or video podcast? It's my belief that video podcasts have an easier time gaining traction with an audience simply because they are more personal. Aside from offering valuable content, you're selling your personality, and video is the most effective and authentic way to do that. It's a good idea to offer an audio-only version of the podcast for those who prefer to listen and don't want to download bulky video files. However, don’t forget re-purposing the whole point of the “how to 9 x your social media” process. You can then take the audio from your video podcast and turn it into audio only for the likes of iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud etc. Also, the fact you’ve done it as a video means you can put it on the fastest growing podcast channel in the world…..more about that in tip 5.

PODCAST TIP 3 GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT TO LISTEN TOO Whether you're providing information that will help someone to lose weight, or doing a really entertaining interview with one of your favourite authors, you always need to be providing value. Your podcast is an extension of your other content, and as with your other content you don’t need to spend your time selling to them, you’re trying to build a group of amazing fans through the value you give them in your content. Once you start giving them value, not only have you given them a reason to listen, you've given them a reason to come back for more. So, how are you going to do this with your podcast? The one way I suggest is by creating audio that’s connected to your blog content that week so your content is all on brand and the same message through the week rather than ending up with a scattered approach with confusing messages. Or even taking the audio from your video content and using that as a podcast to make life a bit simpler and less time-con

PODCAST TIP 2 GRAB YOUR DUVET So yesterday I spoke about how having perfection isn’t important to creating podcast content. In fact, a lot of mine are done on voice notes as I’m driving to clients, etc. However, if you want it to sound like you’re in a studio at a fraction of the cost, take your phone and stick it and your head under your duvet. The duvet acts as a perfect sound booth and soundproofing. There’s no chance for the sound to reverberate around anyway as it totally dampens the sound. So take up your quality by sticking your head under a duvet. Sounds crazy but it works. Facebook live cheat sheet: http://perceptionstudios.co.uk/cheat-sheet/ Hi, I'm Simon and welcome to the social media podcast. I am the founder & creative director of Perception Studios UK, and award-winning visual marketing agency, based in Andover Hampshire, in the UK. I also specialise in working with small businesses, and brands in helping them understand how they can grow their social following and brand for FREE...