Spotlight Sessions: Alison Battisby, Founder Avocado Social
Today on the blog we’re joined by Alison Battisby, founder of Avocado Social, a social media strategy, consultancy and training agency. Since starting the company in 2003, Alison inspires her clients to use social media more effectively to promote your brand and build an engaged online community.
Q: Hi Alison, tell us a little bit about how Avocado Social began?
After working as a social media executive at a number of digital marketing and advertising agencies in London, I decided to launch a consultancy specialising in training and strategy. I was being asked to teach more the art of social media marketing and I wanted to share my knowledge with businesses looking to manage their own social media presence.
Q: Any reason, in particular, you chose Avocados?
I do love avocados! When I registered the business in 2013, I had just returned from a trip to South America where I fell in love with avocados. At the time, there were very few other companies online with the word ‘avocado’ in their name, so I knew I could easily create some strong SEO for the brand and have no problem getting the social media handles.
Q: Why is social media important for small businesses?
Social media is such a huge part of a business reputation now, with so many consumers checking out a brand’s credentials online before they choose to buy or use their services. We spend so much time in social media (the average UK adult also spends around 12 hours a week using social media!) so if your business isn’t keeping an active presence you’re potentially missing out on attracting new customers.
Q: Which social media was the most popular in 2019?
Statistically speaking Facebook is still number one, but anecdotally it’s Instagram that has won the hearts and minds of everyone! Instagram is the platform we get asked about the most and seems to be the one which the majority of businesses we train get the best results from.
“We spend so much time in social media (the average UK adult also spends around 12 hours a week using social media!) so if your business isn’t keeping an active presence you’re potentially missing out on attracting new customers. ”
Q: Keeping up to date with all the social channels can be difficult - how do you keep up to date with the latest trends?
I have a few ways. I have a list of favourite websites I read, including The Verge, Techcrunch and WeAreSocialMedia. I also like to browse the blogs of social media management tools such as Buffer and Later. Finally, I’m connected to other Facebook and Instagram consultants around the world in groups - some of which I met at Facebook HQ at various events. We swap ideas and strategies regularly, as well as doing a lot of problem-solving!
Q: What are your predictions for social media trends in 2020?
We’re seeing a few trends come through including the rise of creativity with apps such as TikTok on the rise, and the ability for users to create AR filters on Instagram. 2020 is going to be a very creative landscape! Influencer marketing is still going to be hugely successful, but brands are now looking to work with influencers in a more transparent and honest way. The “pay for a post” approach won’t be seen as trustworthy for consumers, so brands will be working with influencers in a more sustainable way, such as becoming brand ambassadors for longer periods of time.
Finally, the self-care trend is going to be a big one for 2020. Less mindless scrolling in social media and more meaningful and valuable posts are expected. Brands will need to prove why they are worth following with value, insight or genuine inspiration.
Q: Do hashtags really work?
Hashtags work for generating views of your content. If your objective is to drive as much awareness as possible then they can work very well. If you’re relying on hashtags to drive new followers and sales - it’s going to be harder.
The trick is to properly research your hashtags and find the ones which have the most relevant content on them for your post and brand. Don’t just guess words and add them - spend time strategically choosing hashtags that you save somewhere for later use too.
Q: Are social media influencers effective?
Social media influencers are most effective to drive awareness of a campaign or an event. Influencers have had a bad reputation for mistrust in the last year, as many were found to be creating false endorsements for money, or buying fake followers. Choosing the right influencers for your business, that represent similar interests and values, is important.
“Choosing the right influencers for your business, that represent similar interests and values, is important. ”
There’s a lot to think about; what will you offer them to incentivise them? How will you use their content? Will you have brand guidelines to send them? Will they use #ad? It’s good to be organised and have a proper plan rather than jumping into anything without a strategy.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to someone who’s thinking about starting their own business venture, what would it be?
Keep everything as simple as possible. It can be tempting to sign up to all of the social media platforms and give yourself big targets of how many times you will post. Social media is about quality over quantity now - so keep things easy for yourself by sticking to one social media platform and doing it really well.
Q: Any last words of wisdom?
I am a huge fan of scheduling posts in social media. This frees up a lot more time to spend on engaging with others, following other businesses and liking and commenting on others’ feeds.
I use Buffer and Planoly to schedule my social media posts which are both great.
You can keep up to date with Avocado Social over at their website https://avocadosocial.com/.
